The story
Cook Islands Santa Parade in Avarua
The Cook Islands Santa Parade closes Avarua's main street for a homegrown December procession of decorated floats, school groups, church choirs and dance troupes, ending with Santa arriving to a crowd of children. It is a modest, community-scale event rather than a commercial spectacle, drawing much of Rarotonga's population to the small capital for an afternoon of music, costumes and festive walking.
Avarua's main street closes to traffic once a year for the Cook Islands Santa Parade, when community groups, schools, churches and local businesses build floats and walking groups for a procession through the island's small capital.