The annual sights and sounds of more than 100 floats rolling down Airdrie's Main Street will make their long-awaited comeback this year, in the form of the Airdrie Canada Day Parade's return.
Airdrie Parades co-chair Sammy Morros said the non-profit group is excited to bring back the annual tradition for the first time since July 1, 2019. The last two iterations were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been off for two years because of COVID, but we’re happy to report that as long as everything stays the way it is at this moment, we will be having a Canada Day Parade on July 1,” she said.
“We are just beside ourselves. We have some returning committee [members] and some brand new faces. Everyone is just so excited to get back to this event because we really believe it’s a good one. It’s our favourite way to celebrate Canada Day so we’re excited to celebrate the way we’re used to.”
Prior to the pandemic, the annual parade would attract roughly 20,000 people to Main Street every July 1 and feature more than 100 floats.
According to Morros, this year's Canada Day parade will begin at 10 a.m., with 110 floats making their way down Main Street from downtown to Allen Street SE. Vehicular traffic through the parade route will not be possible that morning, and motorists will be re-routed along various detours.
For those who would like to sign up a float to participate in the parade, Morros said registration will open as of April 1 at 9 a.m. The sign-up link will be shared on Airdrie Parades' Facebook page, as well as the organization's website at Airdrieparades.com
While Airdrie Parades hasn't been able to hold either of its marquee parades in the last two years – the organization's annual Santa Claus Parade in December has also been cancelled twice – the non-profit did offer an alternative Canada Day community event in 2020 and 2021, in the form of a Canada Day house-decorating contest.
Morros said the city-wide competition was a big hit in 2020, as more than 100 households garnished their lawns, windows, porches, and balconies with plenty of red and Canada-themed decorations.
However, the return of the contest in 2021 didn't bring quite as much community enthusiasm and participation. With that in mind, Morros said Airdrie Parades will not be running the contest again this summer.
“I’d say the first year in 2020, it was definitely a bigger event. There was still a bit of novelty in doing the COVID-alternative pieces,” she said. “It dropped off a little bit in 2021, and we were doing that “open for summer” thing, so it was a weird time of year. But it was a great event and we had a ton of fun with it.”
For those who are interested in getting involved with Airdrie Parades, Morros said the group is always eager to recruit new committee members, and that the commitment level is fairly minimal.
“We’re just looking for anybody who is passionate about family fun, Canada Day, or event-planning in Airdrie,” she said. “That is always open and the best way to get a hold of us is through our Facebook page.”
Additional announcements about the Airdrie Canada Day Parade will be coming in the weeks and months, according to Morros, and will be posted on the Airdrie Parades Facebook page.
