This Sunday, thousands of people will descend upon the downtown area for two exciting events. The Downtown Christmas Parade will take place starting 12 p.m. Additionally, the Grand Slam of Curling will be taking place at Mary Brown’s Centre, which welcomes curlers and visitors from across the world to the city.

While downtown will be bustling with excitement, there will also be significant traffic and parking impacts on Sunday, December 1. For this reason, the Mary Brown’s Centre will be opening its doors early at 10:30am to allow patrons of the Grand Slam of Curling to arrive before road closures. The St. John’s Convention Centre will also open early at 11:00am.

To avoid delays, patrons are strongly encouraged to arrive ahead of road closures and arrange a ride with friends or family, use taxis or ride-sharing services, or use public transit. If the Downtown Christmas Parade goes ahead, the free metrobus shuttle arranged to reduce parking and traffic congestion for the Christmas Parade is also available to those attending the Grand Slam of Curling (more details below). Patrons of the Grand Slam of Curling are also reminded that Metrobus Route 3 services the Mary Brown’s Centre area. If the Downtown Christmas Parade proceeds, there will be a detour affecting Route 3 causing the drop off point to be near Lemarchant Road on Barter’s Hill. This detour will be in effect until approximately 3:10pm on Sunday, parade permitting.

If choosing to drive, arriving early is strongly recommended, as motorists should expect delays, road closures, and limited parking availability.

Doors will open for the Grand Slam of Curling at 10:30 a.m.

Free Metrobus Shuttle

A free, wheelchair-accessible park and ride service will operate on a load-and-go basis starting at 10 a.m. from two locations:
• Newfoundland & Labrador Housing Building (off Captain Whelan Drive):
o Buses will shuttle passengers to and from the Mary Brown’s Centre.
o The last bus will depart at 12:30 p.m.

• Confederation Building:
o Buses will shuttle passengers to and from Bannerman Road.
o The last bus will depart at 12 p.m.

For the Grand Slam of Curling, the most convenient shuttle is from Newfoundland & Labrador Housing Building (off Captain Whelan Drive).

There will also be a shuttle running from Mary Brown’s Centre starting 7:30 p.m. following the men’s final at the Grand Slam of Curling to the Newfoundland & Labrador Housing Building only. Capacity may be limited.

Parking Availability

On street parking will be very limited.

There are pay per use parking garages located at 351 Water Street, Metro Park, 330 Duckworth Street, A.P. Parking Garage and Clift’s Baird’s Cove.

Parking is also available for free at the City of St. John’s parking garage (8 New Gower Street).

No Parking – Tow Away

Vehicles parked in the following areas will be towed beginning 8 a.m. on Sunday, December 1:

• Factory Lane – both sides
• Plymouth Road – both sides
• Duckworth Street – both sides Plymouth Road to Prescott Street
• Prescott Street – both sides Duckworth Street to Water Street
• Water Street – both sides Prescott Street to Hamilton Avenue
• Circular Road – north side Monkstown Road to King’s Bridge Road/Empire Avenue
• Bannerman Road – west side

Road Closures and Traffic Flow

The parade will travel from Factory Lane to the Water Street/Springdale Street intersection. The full parade route is available on the Downtown St. John’s website.

The following roads will be closed effective the times noted below. These times are subject to change based on operational and safety requirements:
• Duckworth Street (Temperance Street to Prescott Street) – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Duckworth Street (Church Hill to Prescott Street) – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Water Street (Prescott Street to Waldegrave Street/Harbour Drive) – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Water Street (Waldegrave Street/Harbour Drive to Hamilton Avenue) – 10:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Empire Avenue (Forest Road to Quidi Vidi Road) – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Factory Lane – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Forest Road (King’s Bridge Road to Empire Avenue) – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Cavendish Square/Ordnance Street – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Prescott Street (Gower Street to Water Street) – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Queen Street – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• George Street – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Waldegrave Street – 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Springdale Street (Water Street to New Gower Street) – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Harbour Drive – Access via Waldegrave Street will be closed 11:30 a.m. until the end of the parade to accommodate pedestrian traffic. Access will be available through the Prescott/Water Street intersection for the duration of the parade. Traffic delays are expected in the area until the parade concludes.

For those headed to the Grand Slam of Curling please note that the Mary Brown Centre drop-off area is only accessible to west bound traffic on New Gower Street. East bound traffic (i.e. from Pitt’s Memorial or Barter’s Hill/New Gower intersection) can use the St. John’s Convention Centre drop off area. Pedestrians should use the signalized intersections or skywalk to cross New Gower.

We ask that all pedestrians please use cross walks when crossing roadways and proceed with extra caution during high traffic times.

Accessibility

The GoBus drop off and pick up location for the parade is on George Street next to Jungle Jim’s. GoBus users must reserve their ride.

Accessible parking permit holders can avail of parking located along George Street, accessed via Queen Street. There will also be accessible parking along New Gower Street.

Accessible passholders and corporate passholders for the Grand Slam of Curling can access the St. John’s Convention Centre parking garage until 11:30 a.m., after which time Waldegrave Street will be closed. Waldegrave Street will not be accessible from Water Street after 10:15 a.m., so please take either Habour Drive or travel through the New Gower/Waldegrave intersection.

Contact

For questions directly related to the Grand Slam of Curling, please contact the Mary Brown’s Centre. For inquiries regarding the Downtown Christmas Parade, please contact Downtown St. John’s.

For questions related to road closures and traffic interruptions, please contact Access St. John’s by calling 311 or 709-754-CITY (2489) or by email at access@stjohns.ca.

For additional information, please visit the City of St. John’s website.