SCRANTON, Pa. — In less than a month, the streets of Scranton will be lined with families with eager children for the annual Santa Parade.
The event draws thousands of people each year and features bands, performers, and more to kick off the holiday season.
"We start about a month after the parade ends. So it's 11 months that it takes us to put this parade together. And we get everybody in. There's so many people who come with us year after year after year," said Tom Fritz with the Santa Parade.
The Santa Parade is also the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season. That's a plus for businesses downtown.
"It's a family-friendly event. They are coming down for the parade, but most often, they stay after, and they walk around. Maybe they find a shop that they didn't know was there. And it really does. It helps bring the foot traffic," said Liz Baldi with Scranton Tomorrow.
Lavish Scranton has a front-row seat to the parade on Adams Avenue. Employees say they look forward to the spirit of the season and what the parade brings with it.
"I think people don't realize the extent of the floats and the performances. It's really an incredible, incredible thing for our community and for downtown shopping," said Lauren Woodward of Lavish Scranton.
Last year was the return of the parade after postponing for two years during the pandemic.
That gap in time has left a bit of a hole in putting on the parade.
Organizers are looking for volunteers, participants, and sponsors because the show can't go on without the support of the community.
"We bring it to Scranton for everyone, but we also do it with the help of everyone, and that's what we're looking to do is get everyone's help back again," Fritz said.
The Santa parade steps off on Saturday, November 18th and you can watch it on WNEP and WNEP+.
If you're interested in sponsoring or volunteering, you can email participant@santaparade.net or visit their Facebook page.