Farmers Auckland Santa Parade 2017

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There’s something about the Auckland Farmers Santa Parade.

I don’t know quite what it is, but it’s there. That sense of ‘Christmas is coming’ and ‘festive things are happening in the city!’

I’ve lived in Auckland for four years now (oh my golly gosh is it that long!?), but haven’t managed to get down to the annual Farmers Santa Parade. Just to clarify for all you non-Kiwis out there, Farmers is a department store here … not our literal gumboot-wearing, sheep-herding, cow-milking farmers. Although that would be a Santa parade I would love to see. No, each year Farmers sponsors the parade and it winds its way through the city streets, down Queen St, ending down by the waterfront.

This year a few friends and I headed along last weekend, and parked ourselves down the end of one of the streets. We could have elbowed our way to better viewing spot, but had to remind ourselves that the parade is for the kids. Right?

As well as the America’s Cup being paraded down the road, there were your usual floats throughout the procession, the Disney-themed ones, the little nativity scene, one of the radio stations … and then there were some really odd ones that had themes that I didn’t understand at all. One of the odd-but-kinda-cool floats was a steampunk themed one, with some sort of angry metal turtle with steam pouring from its nostrils. *shrugs* I don’t know.

Santa was a little different this year too. He was almost steampunk himself, with a way more fancier-than-usual suit, less of a belly (cutting back on the sugar, Santa?) and almost vintage looking. I guess there were just trying to mic it up a little?

While there were some hits and some misses in terms of coolness of floats, it was a lot of fun and definitively glad we can tick that off our Auckland to-do list.

Did you head along to the Farmers Santa Parade? Or one in your town?