Christchurch Christmas parades

Christchurch has enjoyed Christmas parades since the 1930s when T. J. Armstrong & Co created floats for parades and an in-store Toyland for their High Street shop, situated where the CPIT Jazz School now stands. One parade even used an elephant (shown outside their Colombo Street outlet), a gimmick used elsewhere when the circus came to town.

The Santa Parade

Originally known as the Hay’s Parade, the Santa Parade has stood the test of time. Although other parades pre-dated it, the official website says the Christchurch Santa Parade was started by well-known retailer James Hay in 1947. His son, Sir Hamish Hay, in his autobiography, puts the year at 1948.

Whatever the original date, the Hay’s Parade was a popular annual event for families. The Hay’s retail store had a dedicated children's playground, Hay's Roof, for many years.

Photo collection marks 60th anniversary

Christchurch City Libraries launched a collection of newly-digitised parade photos from 1978 and 1982 for the sixtieth anniversary of the event in 2007. These images complement the libraries’ existing collection of Christmas photos and give an insight into the parades of the past.

Aunt Haysl a children’s favourite

For many years the Hay’s Santa Parade featured Aunt Haysl. There were four Aunt Haysls, but the best-known, and last, was Edna Neville, who retired from the role in 1981.

• Read more about Edna Neville, the last Aunt Haysl.
• Christchurch City Libraries has an archive of Aunt Haysl material known as the Aunt Haysl papers, which were compiled by Edna Neville.
• See also our index to newspaper articles about Aunt Haysl.

Find out more about carols, festival displays and other Christmas events in the community.