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Santa, plum fairies set for rendezvous – Metro US

Santa, plum fairies set for rendezvous

Some of the city’s biggest traditional holiday events are on a crash course for this Saturday evening.

Traditionally, the Ottawa Firefighters’ Help Santa Toy Parade is held on Bank Street during the third weekend of November, but this year, it will run at 6 p.m. on Dec. 5 along Wellington Street from the Canadian War Museum to city hall.

“This was really an opportunity in disguise,” said parade chairperson Kevin Lambert. “Because this is our 40th anniversary, we were looking to make a big bang and we’re going to have that.”

However, that means Elgin Street will be closed to traffic around the National Arts Centre at the same time thousands of people will be trying to get to the three events taking place inside, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker and Christmas GOOSE concert in support of the Ottawa Food Bank.

“We think the Ottawa Santa Claus Parade is a wonderful tradition,” said NAC spokeswoman Rosemary Thompson, who said they had no contact with the parade until last week. “But we wish they would have given us a call in the beginning.”

Thompson said the parade could have started earlier or turned right at Metcalfe Street.

Since many of the tickets for the Christmas GOOSE are sold at the door, organizer Pat Moore said she’s concerned that if the roads around the NAC are closed, the concert will be a bust.

“I’m trying to mitigate the damage by getting word out to people that they should come before 7 p.m.,” she said. “I’m still hopeful that something can be worked out.”