Thousands of Quebecers gathered Saturday afternoon in downtown Montreal along the route of the 71e Santa Claus Parade, which officially kicked off the holiday season.
As always, Santa Claus was accompanied by elves and the Star Fairy, who this year was played by Farah Alibay, a Canadian aerospace engineer who studies the stars for a research center affiliated with NASA.
She followed other celebrities who donned the costume of the Star Fairy during the prestigious parade, such as the drag queen Barbada last year, the singers Ima, Marie-Mai and Marie-Ève Janvier, as well as the Olympian Joannie Rochette, among others.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The star fairy, Farah Alibay.
The start was given on René-Lévesque Boulevard, which the procession of 13 allegorical floats passed along before returning to Robert-Bourassa Boulevard and continuing its way on Sainte-Catherine Street, to Place des Arts on Saint-Urbain Street.
Activities were planned at the arrival point, including the Christmas Market and a show by the group Les Petites Tounes. It was also possible to go meet Santa Claus at Complexe Desjardins.
This 71e Santa Claus parade was organized by Montréal centre-ville, a Commercial Development Corporation (SDC) which brings together nearly 5,000 businesses in the metropolis.
The event will be broadcast on TVA on Sunday at 4 p.m.