The Guelph Community Santa Parade is just around the corner on Nov. 17, and this year, residents will be able to track Santa with their phone.
The parade, organized by the Guelph Downtown business association, will see over 1,000 participants while 100 volunteers make sure everything goes just right.
The event will include the 5th annual Santa road race organized by the Speed River Track & Field Club to support the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph, and Indigenous Guelph community members carry flags that represent the Metis, Inuit, Mohawk, 2 Spirited and the Anishinaabe people who will be joined by drummers from Spirit Vision, a community youth and men's drum group.
Spectators will be able to see vintage jeeps, dancing dinosaurs, Paw Patrol characters and wacky elves leading marching bands.
But with all this happening, how can kids know exactly where Santa is?
Guelph-based mobile app development company Midnight Illusions has created a new app called DUX, which operates like a local guide. With built-in augmented reality technology, one can hold up their phone as they walk down the street and see local culture, tourism and small business information pop up on their screen.
And in the spirit of Christmas, a special parade day feature will allow users to track Santa in real-time.
“We all see how excited kids get when they know that Santa is getting closer,” said director of Midnight Illusions Jason Bavington in a press release.
By accessing information, families can keep an eye on Santa's progress along the parade route.
“As Santa is five streets away, then four, then three - it will generate so much excitement and anticipation in both kids and parents. It's another layer of interaction and magic that makes parade day so memorable and special.”
The parade route map can be seen here.
