CHRISTMAS PARADE: Santa’s back on Sunday 22 November, and the council’s new float hint points to infinity and beyond

Put Sunday 22 November in the diary. Swansea’s Christmas Parade is back, from 5pm, and this year there is a new float the council is keeping under wraps.

Council leader Rob Stewart’s only clue: “Anyone who’s ever dreamed of reaching infinity and beyond should make sure they don’t miss it.”

That is Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase, for anyone who has managed to avoid Toy Story for 30 years.

The route: Guildhall to Princess Way

The parade follows the route it switched to last year. Santa starts things at the Guildhall with a lighting display and fireworks, then the procession heads along St Helen’s Road, through The Kingsway, across College Street, along Castle Street and Caer Street, finishing on Princess Way.

There are two stages, one at the Guildhall and one outside the Dragon Hotel, with performances through the evening before Santa switches on the city centre lights and a second fireworks display closes the night.

More than 40 local organisations, schools and community groups are taking part, the council says, alongside fairytale characters, comic book heroes and Santa and Mrs Claus on their sleigh.

What last year looked like

Last year’s parade drew thousands on the same route, with the Living Snow Globe and its Snow Queen making their debut, the Witches of Oz float back, Spark! the light-up drummers and Kev Johns warming up the crowd on The Kingsway before Santa lit the tree.

Days later it won Event of the Year in the local authority category at the National Outdoor Events Association awards in Bath, the award the council is now putting on the poster.

“The award-winning Swansea Christmas Parade is one of the highlights of the year and a fantastic opportunity for communities, residents and visitors to come together and celebrate the start of the festive season,” Cllr Stewart said.

“Every year the event creates a wonderful atmosphere across the city centre, and we’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to enjoy an evening packed with festive entertainment, community spirit and Christmas magic.”

Make a day of it

The council is pitching the parade as the start of a day in town, with Swansea Winter Wonderland and its ice rink and alpine bar, and the Christmas Market, both open in the run-up.

The market was ranked the second cheapest in Britain last Christmas, with a £3.30 pint and £5 mulled wine, beaten only by Southampton.

The council calls the parade Wales’s biggest festive celebration. Full route details are at visitswanseabay.com.

The council has not yet said whether the buses will be free that weekend, as they were last year after a strike was called off.

Author

Kit Peters

Kit Peters is a journalist and the editor of Swansea Bay News, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire since 2020.