Winnipeg closes downtown streets for Saturday’s Santa parade

The City of Winnipeg will close Portage Avenue between Main Street and St. Mary Avenue, Memorial Boulevard and several other downtown streets from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, for the 2026 Santa Claus Parade.

The city said in a news release issued Nov. 12 that crews will begin installing full closures at 11 a.m. The parade begins westbound on Portage Avenue at Main Street, runs along Portage to Memorial Boulevard, then follows Memorial to Broadway, where it ends.

Full closures will be in place on Memorial Boulevard in both directions between Broadway and Portage Avenue, and on Portage Avenue in both directions between Main Street and St. Mary Avenue. Southbound Main Street will be closed from William Avenue to York Avenue. Edmonton Street, which runs one-way northbound, will be closed from Graham Avenue to Portage Avenue. Vaughan Street will be closed between Graham and Portage avenues, and Portage Avenue East will be closed from Main Street to Westbrook Street.

The city said all other north-south streets between Main Street and Memorial Boulevard will be local and parkade access only between Ellice Avenue and Broadway. Vehicles will not be able to cross Portage Avenue on any of those streets.

Drivers also will not be able to cross Memorial Boulevard on eastbound York Street or westbound St. Mary Avenue, but they can use the roads on either side. Broadway and northbound Main Street will stay open all day, though the city expects heavy traffic on both. Many turn and travel restrictions will apply on Ellice Avenue, York Avenue, Broadway and Portage Avenue east of Main Street.

Winnipeg Transit will reroute buses while the closures are in effect, and the city said riders should follow @TransitAlerts on X for details. Motorists were advised to allow extra travel time, choose alternate routes and use the Waze app for real-time traffic updates. The city also publishes lane closures on an interactive map on winnipeg.ca.

Broadway and northbound Main Street are the two routes the city said will stay open all day. Other Winnipeg stories on our site include our analysis of full-bus pass-ups on Winnipeg Transit. Parade dates in other cities are in our guide to Santa Claus parades across Canada, and seasonal events are listed in our Christmas markets guide.

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Source: City of Winnipeg news release, Nov. 12, 2026.