Get ready for the magic of the Swansea Christmas Parade, where Santa will be joining us to switch on the Christmas lights and welcome in the festive season to Swansea.
So how can you best enjoy the parade?
What will be happening?
Swansea’s Christmas Parade will start at 5pm on Sunday, November 21.
There will be marching bands, colourful floats, festive film characters, Christmas inflatables, light up characters, fireworks and of course, Santa in his sleigh!
What will there be for my child to see?
See all your favourite princesses and superheroes, be mesmerised by magical light up costumes, and soak up the festive cheer from the hundreds of young people from city community groups who’ve jumped at the chance to be a part of this year’s parade.
You’ll be able to see Belle and the Beast, light-up reindeers, the Princesses’ carriage, characters from the much-loved musical Frozen and more, all taking to city centre streets as the curtain goes up for the Christmas countdown. And most importantly, see Santa arrive in Swansea and switch on the Christmas lights throughout the city centre!
With returning parade favourites as well as new additions, lights, music, snow machines and Santa himself, get ready to welcome the festive season in style!
Two large Christmas trees will be lit up – one at the top of Castle Square and one outside The Dragon Hotel. Presenters from the parade’s media partners, The Wave and Greatest Hits Radio, will be on stages near the Christmas trees, keeping the crowds entertained and informed.
This years route has plenty of space for you to spread out, pick your spot and wait to wave as Santa comes past. Please note: COVID passes are not required for this event – this type of event is exempt. Mask wearing is not compulsory but is advisory in areas where there are a number of people congregating. We encourage people to spread out along the route to help curb the spread of Covid.
What will the route be?
The Parade kicks off at 5pm heading to Princess Way, and up towards Castle Square. Here Santa will magically switch on some of the Christmas lights from his sleigh and wave to children big and small! The Parade will then continue up High Street, down Orchard Street and onto The Kingsway, where Santa will switch on the rest of the city centre Christmas lights, before heading down the rest of The Kingsway.
Will there be any road closures?
In order to stage the parade safely, a number of road closures will be in place on the evening of the event. Where possible, closures will be implemented on a rolling basis. Access for emergency will be maintained at all times. Alternative routes will be signposted and access for emergency services will be maintained at all times.
Road Closures
Rolling Road Closures
*Note: These are approximate timings.
How should we get there? What about traffic and parking?
This year’s parade will start at 5pm, and the city centre is expected to be very busy during the afternoon and throughout the event so it is important to allow plenty of time to arrive.
Council car parks will be free – as they always are on Sundays. A number of the car parks will be open but affected by the road closures from around 4-6.30pm. These are: Park Street East, Park Street West, Picton Lane, Pell Street, Oxford Street and Worcester Place.
You can find a full list of city centre car parks them including locations and postcodes at swansea.gov.uk/carparks.
What about Park and Ride?
There will be 2 Park and Rides operating for the Christmas Parade; Fabian Way and Landore, with both dropping customers to Swansea Train Station. The charge for each is £1 per vehicle. Both will be open from 9.30am-8pm. Tickets may be purchased at both sites. Find full Parking and Travel information online
Festive Free Buses
There will be a free bus service on the day of the Swansea Christmas Parade, part of the Festive Free bus offer. Starting on the Saturday 20 November, the hugely-popular public transport initiative pioneered in the city is back every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) in the countdown to Christmas and for the whole week of December 18 – 24 and December 27 – 31. Find full about the #FreeRideSwansea bus service online.
What about getting home afterwards?
Due to the large number of vehicles likely to be leaving the area within a short space of time, traffic is expected to be heavy at the end of the event so please be patient.
There will be loud noises, flashing lights and special effects throughout the Parade – if you need somewhere a bit quieter to enjoy the parade, the lower part of the Kingsway (St. Helen’s Road end) plus the top of High Street and Orchard Street will be the quietest part of the route. Please be aware though that the nature of a parade means that noise and lights will be present throughout. If you have any concerns and want to discuss further, please contact us at 01792 635428. An accessible viewing area will be available on Princess Way and Orchard Street.
