Swansea Christmas Parade: All You Need to Know

The parade will include lots of floats, including a fairytale carriage, a gingerbread man float, plus a wonderful appearance from the Witches of Oz which will no doubt be popular.

Joining us are professional entertainers including Spark! The Light Up Band, Winterland Birds, and new for 2025, Living Snow Globe, an interactive snow globe featuring a Snow Queen in a wintery wonderland Globe.

With over 40 community groups including Mellin Theatre Arts, One Heart Drummers, and Bonymaen Kids Play Initiative, the parade truly is a celebration of the community spirit in Swansea.

Our Christmas Land Train will also be making an appearance, supported by Childcare Offer for Wales.

There are two entertainment stages on the parade route; one at the Guildhall, and the other at the Dragon Hotel, supported by Specsavers Swansea and Mumbles. Featuring professional acts and surprise guests you will not want to miss out! Santa will light up the Guildhall and city centre from each stage, plus start the spectacular fireworks displays!

Visit the Enjoy team at the Guildhall and Dragon Hotel stages to get your children’s Santa hat from 4pm (whilst stocks last – children only and must be present to collect).  At the Guildhall you can also have a complimentary commemorative photo taken at the Enjoy photobooth.

This year’s NEW parade route will begin at the Guildhall at 5pm. Santa will illuminate the building with a festive red glow followed by a fireworks display to mark the start of the parade! He'll then travel down St Helen’s Road and the Kingsway, to the Dragon Hotel for the lighting up of the tree and another firework display! The parade then makes its way across College Street, down Castle Street and Caer Street, to finish on Princess Way, offering fresh vantage points and festive experiences for families across the city. 
See the route map here.

This year’s new route offers a number of new viewing opportunities:

• Why not park at the Recreation Ground and watch the start of the parade at the Guildhall, where Santa will light up the building with a short fireworks display
• St Helens Road is likely to be a little quieter for those wanting to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
• Alternatively - Avoid the road closures completely and park at the Civic Centre.

The city centre is expected to be very busy during the afternoon and throughout the event, make sure to plan your travel accordingly and allow plenty of time to arrive and make your way to the parade route. 

In order to stage the parade safely, a number of road closures will be in place on the evening of the event. Where possible, closures will be implemented on a rolling basis. Access for emergency will be maintained at all times. Diversion signs will be set up to assist traffic flow in the area however it is expected to be very busy, particularly at the times when the parade passes through the city.

See the full list of Parade Road Closures here.

The city centre is expected to be very busy during the afternoon and throughout the event, make sure to plan your travel accordingly and allow plenty of time to arrive and make your way to the parade route. 

This year’s parade starts at 5pm with an anticipated finish time of approximately 6.30pm at the end of Princess Way. 

You can find a full list of all city centre car parks including locations and postcodes at swansea.gov.uk/carparks.

• Park Street East car park (SA1 3DJ)
• Park Street West car park (SA1 3DF)
• Pell Street car park (SA1 3ES)
• Oxford Street car park (SA1 3AZ)
• Worcester Place car park (SA1 1HY)
• Quadrant (SA1 3QR)
• Bae Copr Bay South (Arena) (SA1 3BX
• Northampton Lane (SA1 4EW)
• Paxton Street (SA1 3SA)

NEW FOR 2025

• East Burrows Road  (SA1 1RR)
• Recreation Ground (SA2 0AT) £5.00 on the day
• Civic Centre (East) (SA1 3SN)
• Civic Centre (West) (SA1 3SN) £5.00 on the day

If you’re parking in the city centre for the parade, please be aware there may be some delays when leaving the car parks as we wait for the parade to pass by safely. We thank you for your patience.

Getting here by bus

You can travel on the bus for free with the Free Ride Swansea free bus offer – extended until 9pm for the parade only! Find out more here.

More details on parade Parking and Travel here.

There is no Park & Ride this year. 

More details on parade Parking and Travel here.

Due to the large number of vehicles likely to be leaving the area within a short space of time, traffic is expected to be heavy at the end of the event so please be patient.

If you’re parking in the city centre for the parade, please be aware there may be some delays when leaving the car parks as we wait for the parade to pass by safely. We thank you for your patience.

There will be loud noises, flashing lights and special effects throughout the Parade – if you need somewhere a bit quieter to enjoy the parade, about halfway along St Helen's Road will be the quietest place. Please be aware though that the nature of a parade means that noise and lights will be present throughout. If you have any concerns and want to discuss further, please contact us at 01792 635428. An accessible viewing area will be available at Guildhall and on the lower part of the Kingsway (St. Helen’s Road end).

No booking required, just turn up on the night.  Accessible toilets and limited seating also available within the viewing areas.