The elves are getting ready for Santa’s arrival in downtown Kamloops this weekend.

“Santa is going to be flying into town here and and we know that he’s probably going to be having a little nap, as he likes to do, before we wake him up and get him into downtown Kamloops for the parade,” said Howie Reimer is the Executive Director of the downtown Business  Improvement Association.

“We know Rudolph is pretty good at navigating some bad weather. We anticipate Santa is going to be arriving on Sunday morning, maybe early Sunday afternoon,” before St. Nick then gets his pre-parade snooze in. “We’re going to be trying to wake him up at 3:40 at the corner of 4th and St Paul, right by the Double Tree. And then once we wake Santa, we’re going to get him on his sleigh and get him on the road.”

The parade starts at 4:00 and will runs down 2nd Ave. from St Paul to Victoria St., and then along Victoria St from 2nd Ave. to 6th Ave.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 people are expected to line the parade route. Reimer advises you arrive early if you want to be able to get a good spot. “The earlier you can get downtown, the better. I would recommend being here no later than 3:00… don’t come down at the last moment and expect to navigate your way right to right to the front.”

“If you want to grab a hot chocolate, if you want to grab some lunch or a snack beforehand, we encourage you to do that. Lots of places will be open. So you know, if you want to get down here noonish and grab a bite to eat or maybe do some shopping and then stake your claim on on the sidewalk.”

Given the expected congestion, Reimer does suggest trying to avoid bringing you vehicle. He recommends taking transit, cycling or car pooling as options to avoid having to worry about parking and to keep traffic to a minimum.