This year the Thames Santa Parade has a ‘Christmas on the Coromandel’ theme, and organisers are hoping that as well as their jandals, sunnies and board shorts, the crowd will also bring along their generosity.
A food drive will be held during the parade, with all donations heading to the Thames Food Bank. Members of Thames High School’s Student Volunteer Army (SVA) will be carrying baskets and collecting directly from the crowd as the floats progress down the main street.
Organiser Ari-Ella Reed, a member of the SVA, said the food drive was a fun way to help others, and give the parade a memorable twist following the cessation of the pre-parade Santa Run of previous years.
The Thames Business Association, which is also organising the event, said donations would ideally be things like non-perishable tinned and packaged goods, jams, honey, beverages in plastic bottles, and packaged lollies for family Christmas baskets.
The volunteers will also be able to accept gold coins.
The parade will still have its usual lineup of fun floats and community group participants, and Ari said spectators were sure to have a great time.
“It’s a lot of fun. There’s heaps going on and the floats are really cool to watch, especially the Tongans, they’re good every year,” she said.
“And hopefully we’ll have to wear sunblock because the weather will be good.”
The parade will head south down Pollen St, starting at Cochrane St and finishing at Te Kura o te Kauaeranga Thames South School for the annual Whānau Day celebration, with food, entertainment and of course the parade float prizegiving.
DETAILS: Thames Santa Parade, December 7, Pollen St, 11am, followed by Whānau Day at Te Kura o te Kauaeranga Thames South School from 12pm.
