Warm up to the holiday season with outdoor market, sleigh rides, movies, carolling and the annual Charlottetown Christmas Parade.
Discover Charlottetown is launching the fourth annual Victorian Christmas Weekend, beginning today and running until Nov. 25.
The weekend will feature an open-air market and plenty of festive activities.
The anchor event, the Victorian Christmas Market, is this evening, Saturday and Sunday. Reminiscent of the European Christmas markets, this open-air pedestrian market takes place along two blocks of Queen Street, Kent to Richmond streets; doubling in size from last year to accommodate a growing number of vendors. The streets will be transformed into a winter wonderland filled with an assortment of local vendors, festive music, twinkling lights, carollers and much more.
The market will be connected to the Confederation Court Mall, which will feature even more holiday programming, including a warm-up zone and Santa visits. Other free and low-cost activities include free horse and wagon rides, caroling, classic Christmas movies at City Cinema, ice-sculpting demos, cookie decorating and lots more.
The celebrations coincide with Charlottetown’s tree-lighting ceremony this evening and the Charlottetown Christmas Parade on Saturday.
A pre-parade party will be held Saturday at the Confederation Court Mall (134 Kent St.), 1-4 p.m. After the parade, participants are invited to drop into the Charlottetown Mall (670 University Ave.), 7-8:30 p.m., to visit with Santa Claus.
The parade begins at the University Avenue entrance to UPEI at 5 p.m. and will travel down University Avenue/Great George Street to Grafton Street, continuing on Grafton Street to West Street. It will end at the Provincial Government Building parking lot.
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., non-perishable donations will be collected for the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry food bank along the parade route. Canada Post representatives will also be collecting letters to Santa Claus. As in previous years, parents/guardians are asked to keep their children safely off of the street during the parade.
In order to accommodate the parade, some streets will be closed to traffic, 4-7 p.m. (or until the conclusion of the event) with no parking permitted. Anyone parked on the followingstreets after 4 p.m. on Nov. 24 risks being ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense: University Avenue from Enman Crescent to Euston Street; Great George Street from Euston Street to Grafton Street; Grafton Street from Prince Street to West Street; West Street from Grafton Street to Kent Street; Kent Street from West Street to Terry Fox Drive.
Excitement in Summerside
Christmas parade fun is also in Summerside this weekend as the Santa Claus Parade is set for this evening.
Starting at Heather Moyse Drive outside the Holland College waterfront campus at 6:30 p.m., floats will proceed to Credit Union Place. Employees of Advanced Plumbing Solutions and Advanced Builders will be walking the parade route collecting nonperishable food for the Salvation Army Food Bank.
Adults who donate an item will receive a voucher for a 16oz drip coffee from Samuel’s. Children will receive candy.
After the parade, everyone is invited to Credit Union Place to enjoy a Christmas display, along with hot chocolate and pictures with Santa.
