Snow arrives in Timmins, just in time for the Santa Claus parade

Thousands greet Santa in Timmins Lydia Chubak of CTV News Northern Ontario was among the big crowd in Timmins on Saturday to welcome Santa Claus.

Snow fell just in time for the annual Santa Claus parade in downtown Timmins on Saturday.

While the accumulation did not amount to much, it was just enough to put people in the festive spirit.

Organizers said pulling the event together requires a great deal of coordination, especially when this year was the biggest parade yet.

In total, 63 floats wowed the thousands of people who lined the streets to watch all the lights, cartoon characters and dancers go by.

"There’s a minion on one of those floats and I want to see him," said Nolan Lemieux of Timmins.

Participants also had the chance to earn titles and prizes.

"We choose the judges. They're looking for the creativity, the energy. They have to be in theme," said Stacy Gagnon, projects and administrative coordinator for Downtown Timmins BIA.

The theme this year was, 'Musical Notes and Holiday Floats.'