Late last month, Victoria Street in Kamloops glowed with holiday spirit as families, students, and community organizations came together for the city’s 45th annual Santa Claus Parade. This year’s theme was ‘Being home for the holidays,’ and the crowd was packed with thousands from the community, and at the head of the parade, which was shortly followed by the parade’s title sponsor, Thompson Rivers University. Their float wasn’t much of a float, more like a car leading a migrating forest of students and cheerleaders, but at least they had Wolfie. Though they were not focused on bedazzling lights and flamboyant scenes, President Airini says what’s most important is community.
“Well, it’s all about community spirit here in Kamloops. We just want to say, have a good holiday season, know that you’ve done well for the year, and look forward to the next,” Airini said.
Their float was deemed a success because it allowed students from all programs and backgrounds to interact with local Kamloopsians who have attended these parades for years. Airini is no stranger to Kamloops parades, having attended a few throughout the years. However, she admitted that this was her first nighttime parade. Rather than relying on an elaborate float, TRU’s group let the energy of the parade speak for itself. As the procession moved along the route, as the daylight faded, the focus shifted toward the glowing displays and illuminated crowds that defined the evening.
One Kamloopsian, Aidan Price, was also ecstatic with the show being at night, saying he’s looking forward to celebrating more parades in the evening. He also noted that the nighttime format seemed to energize the crowds along Victoria Street. Families lingered longer, people were more interested in performers, and the overall atmosphere felt festive in a way that only nighttime events can capture. For Price, it was a reminder that small changes, like timing, can breathe new life into long-standing community traditions.
“I’ve come to these as a kid and have those nostalgic memories of seeing all the magic that came from the floats. But now I’m older, I still find that sense of magic, but now in terms of craftsmanship and creativity. Having it in the evening really allows people to light up Kamloops,” Price said.
The floats members created were more than mere works of craftsmanship, but also storytelling devices. For example, the float presented by Kamloops Search and Rescue told the story of an elf–who was ahead of their float–that was reported missing, prompting the team to send out a search and rescue. The team’s creativity and ingenuity earned their float the Parade Star Award for being the Best Overall Float for 2025. Due to all the support from the community, KSAR reports that the missing elf was located safe and sound.
One of the judges, TRU Alumni Madelyn Gammel, is the Marketing and Networking Events Coordinator at the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. She said it’s not just about fancy lights that get the points.
“Craftsmanship, creativity, theme, and overall presentation are the categories we use, and [we] judge based on that. A lot of them did have a backstory to their float, and I asked questions like what inspired them to come up with [the] story, so it was cool to see what everyone came up with. And it was cool to see what everyone came up with, around the theme, which is home for the holidays,” she said.