Santa Parade

Biggest night of the year in Motueka is the Santa Parade. This year it is earlier than ever. Once it was later on a Friday night and called the Starlight Parade and there were lots of lights and very pretty. But it wasn't practical for parents with young children so this year it was at 7pm. Lots of schools and kindergartens take part. All the emergency services most of which are volunteer. The pipe and brass bands. Church groups mix with local businesses and there is a cacophony of noise from Zumba to country to pipes to Christmas Carols. They assemble at the rugby grounds many on these huge apple orchard trucks and drive round the block down the High Street to a mass of people all waving and yelling as they see people they know.
In the past I have got more heads in front than floats but this year parked myself near the beginning where they paused before the marshal sent them round the corner.
I hesitated to put on photos of children in close ups so went for a more distant photo that showed a float in a Santa Parade Motueka style.