Christmas on the Coast
Christmas on the Coast parade and festival will be from 11am on Saturday 13 December 2025.
In 2024, we held our Christmas on the Coast celebrations on Sunday 8 December, 11am–3pm.
Getting there
There were a few ways to get to all the fun of Christmas on the Coast!
Public transport
You can catch buses 261 and 262 between Paraparaumu Station and Paraparaumu Beach.
Buses will be running down Mazengarb Road until the road closure at 11am. After this time, buses will be stopping on Realm Drive and Guildford Drive, which is a short walk to the reserve.
Other ways to get there
Bike, scoot, or stroll and enjoy our Kāpiti Coast summer weather.
If you’re driving, remember to get there early to avoid detours.
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Road closures
To keep Santa, our parade participants, and spectators safe, the parade route was closed to traffic 11am–12 midday on Sunday 8 December.
- Mazengarb Road closed between College Drive and Ratanui Road.
- Scaife Road closed.
- Detours were in place along Guilford Drive.
Parking
There was limited on-street parking. Please keep driveways clear.
Off-street parking was available on western side of the Realm Drive/Mazengarb Road intersection.
Accessible parking
There was limited accessible parking in Mazengarb Reserve. Arrive early to get a spot before the street is closed for the parade.
Housekeeping
This was family-friendly event, so we kept it smoke-free and vape-free.
Please leave your pets at home; don't bring them to the parade and festival. We love our furry friends, but this is not the right event for them to attend.
We had free sunscreen and water stations – please bring your own reusable drink bottle.
If it's looking like rain
We made a call on Friday 6 December whether to go ahead. If the forecast looked like there'll be torrential rain, we would have made the call not to go ahead. There was no postponement date. A little rain is fine, but keeping everyone safe is our first priority.
Christmas Parade
The fun starts at 11am with the Christmas float parade.
Watch the colourful convoy of floats and wave to Santa as he parades along Mazengarb Road between Paraparaumu College and Mazengarb Reserve.
Parade start
Parade floats will line up at Paraparaumu College from 10am. When the parade starts at 11am the floats and marchers will enter Mazengarb Road from the front College car park.
Parade finish
The parade will finish in the end car park of Scaife Drive, beside Mazengarb Reserve.
Christmas Festival
After the parade, enjoy the festival at Mazengarb from 12 midday until 3pm, Sunday 8 December
Best of all, entry, activities and entertainment are free!
The free festivities include fun games, activities, face-painting, and live entertainment. Visit Santa in his grotto, or have a blast in the bounce zone! Children under 5 years old must be supervised.
You're welcome to bring a picnic and make a day of it, or you can stop at one of the onsite food trucks on site to buy yourself a tasty treat.
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See a larger version of the map [JPG 811 KB].
Entertainment
Our talented elves have put together a spectacular schedule of home-grown entertainers.
Performance schedule:
- 11am–12 midday: Tip Savage – DJ
- 12 midday–12.25pm: Mukume Taiko Drummers
- 12.30–12.55pm: Kāpiti Brass Band
- 1–1.15pm: Tip Savage – DJ
- 1.15–1.40pm: Waikanae Anglican Christmas Band
- 1.45–2pm: Tui
- 2–2.15pm: Tip Savage – DJ
- 2.15–2.30pm: The Ukulele Institute
- 2.30–3.15pm: Tip Savage – DJ
Check back on this page closer to the day for a site map and information on public transport and parking.
Low-Sensory Christmas
We know Christmas can be a bit of a sensory overload for some of our community. That’s why, with support from our Disability Advisory Group, we’ve organised a separate low-sensory Christmas celebration.
This free whānau event will be held at our Meanwhile Space, Ihaka Street, Paraparaumu, 2–4pm on Saturday 21 December. Visit with Santa and enjoy games and crafts, ice creams, face-painting and sausages on the barbecue. If wet, the venue will be upstairs in Paraparaumu Library.
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Your parade entry must be safe for everyone. You’ll need to follow these rules:
- Secure all loose props on your float.
- Floats must be less than 4 metres high and 3 metres wide.
- Vehicles must have a current WOF and registration, be driven by a licensed driver, and move at walking speed (no more than 5 kilometres/hour).
- Watch out for walking and cycling groups.
- Electrical equipment and special effects must be handled by a competent person and always monitored.
- All participants, especially kids, need to be supervised. We recommend having someone walk on each side of the float for safety.
- Children should not sit near the edge of the float, and should walk far from each float if on the ground.
- We can pull your float from the parade on the day if it’s not inappropriate.
- Christmas theme only– no blatant advertising. Feel free to use bubbles, water spraying, and music to entertain the crowd.
- Hand out sweets or giveaways instead of throwing them.
- There is only one Santa in the parade, and he’ll be on the Santa float. Don’t include Santa in your entry.
- Follow directions from the marshals at the start and end of the parade.