Christchurch Santa Parade
Last weekend, Christchurch had its annual Santa Parade, and though it had to be re-routed in order to avoid the earthquake damage (heck, the usual route goes down streets that are still cordoned off two years later!) there were still a ton of people who turned out to see it. I’ve been going to this since I was a little girl, and see no reason to stop now - though I can’t wait until my friend’s kids are old enough for me to take.
I just love parades; can't articulate why exactly, but I love the movement and the excitement of them, especially when you're surrounded by kids and the assorted "oooooh!" noises that they make every time they see something that interests them.
So here are some of the best snaps of the day:
I appreciate such a colour-coded band.
Ole’ Darth was there...
...and Boba Fett was nice enough to pose for me.
I thought this was a neat idea: two guys with remote-control cars. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the kids were captivated. There was a Mexican-wave of “oooh” floating down the street.
I love this picture - just the way their arms are held against the sky.
I was actually rather scared for these kids. One jolt from the truck and they would have gone flying - and I know from experience that it can be quite dizzying walking around on a moving surface. I can’t imagine what dancing would feel like.
This was the back half of a Pinocchio/Gepetto float - you know, the part where they get swallowed by the whale. These girls were so cute though. And note the rubber duckies!
Why not?
These guys were fantastic. They had a huge routine with the dragon that wove up and down the street. They were constantly on the move, brushing up against the crowds and darting across the street - they must have had so much energy and strength to keep that up for so long.
I love the detail on Tinkerbell’s shoes. She’s actually got the pom-poms, just like in the Disney film.
That’s right, you just saw Batman, the Joker, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Sailor Moon riding on top of a giant Superman. I’m pretty sure that's a fan-fiction.
D’awww.
I was pretty surprised to see real horses in the parade considering there was always a risk one of them would panic at the crowds or something. But hey, it was pretty cool. In case you were wondering, they're mascots for the Canterbury rugby team: the Crusaders.
This is always my favourite part of the parade. There are always dog handlers, and the kids in the audience always get a kick out of petting them.
Just an idea of how many people turned up...
It’s not a parade without marching girls. Especially not in New Zealand.
These guys are great as well. They turn up every year, and they’re always immaculately dressed on their vintage bikes.
Now this float is usually the haunted house, but look closely - they’ve crossed out the “haunted” and added a sign that says “still munted” as a hat-tip to our on-going earthquake repairs.
Alice in Wonderland
Cinderella
Humpty Dumpty
Gangnam style!
This got a round of applause...
...though I’m always partial to shiny princess ponies.
This is another of my favourite floats. Sometimes they go all-out with it and cover it with flowers, but it was just the Southern-style girls this year.
Another float that’s been around since I was a kid.
And finally The Man himself - who you could barely see, partly because he was wearing sunglasses, partly because so many kids had spilled out onto the road in excitement.
So Merry Christmas! The parade is always an indicator that it's time to starting thinking about my Christmas shopping...
I just love parades; can't articulate why exactly, but I love the movement and the excitement of them, especially when you're surrounded by kids and the assorted "oooooh!" noises that they make every time they see something that interests them.
So here are some of the best snaps of the day:
I appreciate such a colour-coded band.
Ole’ Darth was there...
...and Boba Fett was nice enough to pose for me.
I thought this was a neat idea: two guys with remote-control cars. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the kids were captivated. There was a Mexican-wave of “oooh” floating down the street.
I love this picture - just the way their arms are held against the sky.
I was actually rather scared for these kids. One jolt from the truck and they would have gone flying - and I know from experience that it can be quite dizzying walking around on a moving surface. I can’t imagine what dancing would feel like.
This was the back half of a Pinocchio/Gepetto float - you know, the part where they get swallowed by the whale. These girls were so cute though. And note the rubber duckies!
Why not?
These guys were fantastic. They had a huge routine with the dragon that wove up and down the street. They were constantly on the move, brushing up against the crowds and darting across the street - they must have had so much energy and strength to keep that up for so long.
I love the detail on Tinkerbell’s shoes. She’s actually got the pom-poms, just like in the Disney film.
That’s right, you just saw Batman, the Joker, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Sailor Moon riding on top of a giant Superman. I’m pretty sure that's a fan-fiction.
D’awww.
I was pretty surprised to see real horses in the parade considering there was always a risk one of them would panic at the crowds or something. But hey, it was pretty cool. In case you were wondering, they're mascots for the Canterbury rugby team: the Crusaders.
This is always my favourite part of the parade. There are always dog handlers, and the kids in the audience always get a kick out of petting them.
Just an idea of how many people turned up...
It’s not a parade without marching girls. Especially not in New Zealand.
These guys are great as well. They turn up every year, and they’re always immaculately dressed on their vintage bikes.
Now this float is usually the haunted house, but look closely - they’ve crossed out the “haunted” and added a sign that says “still munted” as a hat-tip to our on-going earthquake repairs.
Alice in Wonderland
Cinderella
Humpty Dumpty
Gangnam style!
This got a round of applause...
...though I’m always partial to shiny princess ponies.
This is another of my favourite floats. Sometimes they go all-out with it and cover it with flowers, but it was just the Southern-style girls this year.
Another float that’s been around since I was a kid.
And finally The Man himself - who you could barely see, partly because he was wearing sunglasses, partly because so many kids had spilled out onto the road in excitement.
So Merry Christmas! The parade is always an indicator that it's time to starting thinking about my Christmas shopping...