Thank you for your interest in participating in the Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade. All marching band entries are by invitation from the Parade Committee. To ensure that our parade is the best it can be, please adhere to the following guidelines and keep in mind that we seek bands that:
Are colourful, entertaining and display community achievement and pride;
Promote worthy causes in a creative, crowd-pleasing way;
Exemplify the cultural diversity of the region;
Present an attractive, cohesive, coordinated group appearance.
The Parade Committee reserves the right to refuse entries that will be disruptive, overly loud, unruly or lacking a theme, cause or family-friendly message.
CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF ONLINE APPLICATION FORM: The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Committee must receive the online application form by Friday August 25th, 2023.
INSURANCE: All entries approved for the Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade MUST provide a Certificate of Insurance as evidence that insurance is maintained for your entry and all your entry’s participants. This includes: (1) Comprehensive General Liability (CGL) insurance with a minimum limit of $2,000,000 for each occurrence and (2) if vehicles are used in your entry, Automobile Liability Insurance with a minimum of $2,000,000. Your certificate of insurance must be provided with your entry form. Your CGL insurance must name the Downtown Guelph Business Association, the Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade and the City of Guelph as “additional insured”.
SAFETY: All participants are responsible for ensuring that the design and operation of their entry is safe and reliable.
SPONSORSHIP/COMMERCIALISM: Recognition of commercial sponsors is acceptable, provided that it is done tastefully, meets Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Standard and the commercial message does not dominate the entry. The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Committee reserves the right to reject blatantly commercialised entries.
These rules apply to ALL entries
Your completed signed and/or electronically submitted Entry Form is your ACCEPTANCE, on behalf of your entry and all your entry’s participants, of all Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Rules and Regulations.
The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade assumes no responsibility in connection with and makes no representation as to safety of any parade entry, in whole or in part, solely by reason of compliance with Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Rules and Regulations.
The ultimate responsibility for safety lies with each individual entry. Entries must comply with all Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Rules and Regulations as well as comply with all Government Regulations, safety codes, manufacturer’s recommendations and similar standards.
The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Committee determines the location of all entries in the parade and the entry must maintain that position throughout the parade unless otherwise directed by a Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Official.
All entries including personnel must be in position by 1pm on parade day.
Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Officials will reject any entry on parade day that does not meet the regulations or conform to the description on their Parade Application.
Parade Pace: All entries (including walkers, mascots, marching bands, dancers) must be willing and sufficiently physically fit to maintain both the parade pace (approximately 3kph = 165ft/min) and maintain safe distance between entries (approximately 15m=50ft). Entries unable or refusing to maintain parade walking pace and/or spacing (as Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade officials direct) may be removed from the parade route.
All participants within an entry must be an integral part of the entry and be fully dressed/costumed to match the entry.
All instructions of Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Officials must be obeyed. Failure to do so will result in removal from the parade and may jeopardise participation in future Guelph Community Santa Claus Parades. SAFETY is our first priority.
The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade reserve the right to remove any entry, at any time, whether as a result of safety concerns, interference with the parade’s progress or any other reason that parade officials deem appropriate.
The Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for those choosing to abuse our volunteers or our entries. Please promptly report violators to Parade Officials on route (or afterwards to the Parade Committee).
Inappropriate music (profanity/swearing/degrading etc.) or attire unsuitable for viewing by our family audience is not acceptable. The firing of a firearm is not permitted (live or blank).
FOR SAFETY REASONS, all entries are prohibited from throwing or otherwise distributing materials along the Parade route, before, during or at the conclusion of the Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade.
The use of noisemakers or band practice is forbidden near animals.
All sound systems must have the prior approval of the Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade Committee.
All decorative materials must be fire retardant. The use of open flames on any entry is strongly discouraged.
All motorized tow units and self-propelled floats MUST have a valid 10lbs ABC Dry Chemical fire extinguisher minimum. Where secondary control areas are incorporated into the float design, an additional Dry Chemical fire extinguisher (10lb ABC Dry Chemical minimum) MUST be located in this area. ALL fire extinguishers must be readily accessible to float operators. Operators should be familiar with the proper operation of the fire extinguishers.
Fuel tanks should be topped up just prior to the parade. Containers MUST NOT be carried on any parade entry.
All vehicles must be in good mechanical condition and properly serviced prior to the parade. Special attention must be paid to cooling systems, exhaust systems, brakes, steering and tires.
Provision for emergency towing must be available on all motorized units (e.g. tow hook, tow chain or other such device).
Hitches on tow vehicles, wagons and carriages must be in good repair and equipped with safety chains.
Drivers and other persons on all entries must have a means of RAPID escape in an emergency.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND PROHIBITED DRUGS ARE FORBIDDEN. Participants whom Guelph Community Santa Claus Parade officials believe have consumed alcohol or prohibited drugs prior to or during the parade will be ejected from the parade.
PERFORMING FOR MEDIA: Entries must not slow from the parade pace along the ‘on-camera’ areas nor stop for media interviews.
The use of handheld communication devices are not acceptable while on route or during the parade operations. Safe operations of our entries are very important to the safety of you and everyone around you. The parade is held for the spectators along the parade route and TV audiences who all look forward to your attention and enthusiasm.