Santa returns to Poole for Christmas Parade (From Bournemouth Echo)

Santa returns to Poole for Christmas Parade

4:00pm Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News

POOLE’S much-loved Santa Parade will be coming to town on Sunday November 18, with festive entertainment for the whole family.

The free event from the Boat Haven Quay to the Dolphin Centre includes celebrity appearances, live reindeer, fun characters, chocolate treats, balloons and dancing.

Father Christmas will also be taking part, before taking up temporary residence at his grotto in the shopping centre, where children will be able to visit him right up until Christmas Eve.

Cast members from the Poole Lighthouse pantomime Aladdin and the town’s Mayor, Cllr Carol Evans, will also be part of the celebrations, and a new addition to the parade this year is the Julia’s House Santa Shuffle, in which hundred of Santas will be racing in aid of the local children’s hospice.

John Grinnell, centre manager of the Dolphin Shopping Centre, said: “We had a lot of feedback from shoppers and locals after the Santa Parade last year. We have taken a lot of the comments into account and gone all out this year to produce an event which we feel everyone will love and get them into the Christmas spirit.

“We have bought new Christmas decorations for the centre this year, so we are looking forward to seeing the reaction of shoppers when they go up in November.”

Hannah May, town centre operations and marketing manager, said: “The annual Santa Parade is a hugely popular event for the residents of Poole and something that really gets the town into the festive spirit.

“This year’s event promises to be another major success and one that helps support all the town centre businesses at the start of this very important trading period.”

The parade is organised by the Dolphin Centre and Poole Town Centre Partnership.