Santa and his helpers brought some festive cheer to the island last night with a tour of Bermuda from east to west.

Spectators lined the route as a carnival of colour took off from the MarketPlace store on Shelly Bay in Hamilton Parish.

Dozens of floats in the Christmas Parade snaked their way west towards Hamilton before continuing on to the grocery chain’s Heron Bay store in Warwick.

Front Street and Church Street were packed with spectators enjoying the glittering spectacle, led by Santa Claus and his reindeer, accompanied by a snow machine.

Watching the parade outside City Hall, one mother said: “This always marks the start of the holiday season. My son is so excited to see Father Christmas.”

MarketPlace has been holding a Christmas parade for more than 30 years. It was forced to change the format of the event in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic – previously the parade had centred on Hamilton, but organisers devised a new route two years ago because of public safety concerns.

The company decided to stick with the new format this year, because it gave more people throughout the island an opportunity to enjoy the spectacle.

Arriving at the Heron Bay store in Warwick, Seth Stutzman, the president of The MarketPlace group, said: “It’s been another successful night – perhaps even more so than last year.

“This really is a community event and we want to bring it to the community. The great thing about going from one end of the island to the other is that more people get to see us.

“There were people out on the roadside camping, waiting out to watch. It seemed we were able to get to every neighbourhood.”

Mr Stutzman emphasised that, although organised by The MarketPlace, the event involved other groups, including the Bermuda Police Service and the Bermuda Fire Service.

He said: “This is all about fun and community and coming together and spreading some festive cheer.”

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