Traffic Advisory for Charlottetown Christmas Activities This Weekend
Posted on 11/25/2024
The City of Charlottetown is advising community members of traffic-related impacts this weekend for the following Christmas activities:
• Victorian Christmas Market, Friday, Nov. 29 to Sunday, Dec. 1
• Christmas Tree Lighting, Friday, Nov. 29
• Charlottetown Christmas Parade, Saturday, Nov. 30
Residents are encouraged to walk, cycle or take T3 Transit with their families to these signature Christmas events to reduce traffic congestion and avoid parking challenges. Motorists are asked to use caution when travelling throughout the city in impacted areas and to plan ahead, as there will be traffic delays during the dates and times outlined below. The public is reminded that Charlottetown Police will be ticketing and/or towing those not obeying traffic closures or parking restrictions.
Victorian Christmas Market
Dates: Friday, Nov. 29 to Sunday, Dec. 1
Location: Queen Street and Richmond Street (Victoria Row)
The following roads will be closed to vehicle traffic and no parking will be permitted beginning at 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, until 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1:
• Queen Street between Grafton Street and Sydney Street (the intersection of Queen Street and Sydney Street will be open)
• Richmond Street (Victoria Row) between Pownal Street and Great George Street
Rural transit routes through the City will be rerouted around the Queen Street closure for the duration of the event.
Christmas Tree Lighting
Date: Friday, Nov. 29
Location: Confederation Centre of the Arts - Lou MacEachern Upper Plaza, Grafton Street
• Grafton Street between Queen Street and Great George Street will be closed to traffic beginning at 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. (or the event conclusion) on Friday, Nov. 29:
There will be no parking in the following area beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29 until 7:30 p.m. (or the event conclusion):
• Grafton Street between Queen Street and Great George Street
• A section of the south side of Kent Street in front of the Confederation Court Mall
Any unauthorized vehicle parked on the above streets after 12 p.m. risks being ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense.
For T3 Transit services, the main downtown bus interchange (usually on Grafton Street in front of the Confederation Centre) will be relocated to Kent Street in front of the Confederation Court Mall entrance between 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., serving routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 23.
Motorists are asked to be mindful of participants of the candlelight promenade, which will depart from Founders’ Food Hall & Market at 6:15 p.m. and proceed to the Christmas Tree Lighting at the Confederation Centre of the Arts - Lou MacEachern Upper Plaza, Grafton Street. Participants will proceed on foot along Great George Street, Victoria Row, Queen Street and Grafton Street.
Charlottetown Christmas Parade
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30
Location: The parade will begin at the UPEI entrance on University Avenue and will travel south down University Avenue/Great George Street to Grafton Street, proceed west to Rochford Street, north to Kent Street, where it will travel west and conclude at the intersection of Kent and West Streets.
Please note there has been a slight change in the route at the end of the parade between Grafton Street and West Street. This change is to assist with the flow of traffic travelling around the parade.
The following streets will be closed to traffic from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30:
• Raiders Road, between Burns Avenue and Enman Crescent
• Enman Crescent between Raiders Road and University Avenue
• University Avenue between Enman Crescent and Belvedere Avenue will also be closed from 2:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. (or the event conclusion).
The following streets will be closed to traffic with no parking permitted beginning at 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. (or the event conclusion):
• University Avenue between Belvedere Avenue and Euston Street
• Great George Street between Euston Street and Grafton Street
• Grafton Street between Prince Street and Rochford Street
• Rochford Street between Grafton Street and Kent Street
• Kent Street between Rochford Street and West Street
Any unauthorized vehicle parked on the above streets after 3 p.m. risks being ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense.
T3 Transit routes will be adjusted as follows:
• Route 1 will not run between 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Passengers will be redirected to the altered Route 3.
· Route 2 will run only between Royalty Crossing mall and the end of North River Road at Brighton Road, from the 2:15 p.m. departure from the mall onward. Passengers heading to or from downtown will need to walk from Brighton Road.
· Route 3 will run all day from Royalty Crossing mall to downtown, on a detoured route starting with the 2:15 p.m. departure from the Mall onward. It will be detoured through the UPEI perimeter road with regular vehicular traffic. Downtown, the bus will terminate and turn around at Church Street.
For more information on bus services, please visit T3 Transit’s website or call (902) 566-9962 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Charlottetown Christmas Festival is a product of Discover Charlottetown in partnership with the City of Charlottetown and runs from Nov. 22, 2024, to Jan. 2, 2025. Visit charlottetownchristmasfestival.com for a full schedule of events.