Joliet residents can give Santa a send-off at annual citywide motorcade

Joliet can look for Santa in a fire truck on local streets on Saturday morning.

That’s when the city holds its annual Santa Send-Off.

“Members of the Joliet police, fire and public works departments will escort Santa through Joliet to say good-bye to all of our residents before heading back to the North Pole to prepare for his journey on Christmas Eve,” according to a news release about the event.

The motorcade starts at 10 a.m. at Woodruff Road and Draper Avenue.

The parade’s westward path through the city is expected to take about an hour and 20 minutes before ending at the intersection of Ridge and Caton Farm roads.

Santa typically rides in an open cab where he is visible to those who come out for the parade.

“Everyone is welcome to meet the motorcade of city vehicles at a convenient location of their choosing along the parade route,” according to the release. “Residents should remain on the sidewalk at a safe distance from the street.”

The city noted that candy will not be distributed during the motorcade.

Residents can preview the parade route with turn-by-turn directions on a map posted on the city website at joliet.gov/santa. As the motorcade proceeds, live updates of its progress will be posted on the city Facebook page and Twitter account.