The downtown Ottawa parade, on Saturday, November 16 at 11 a.m., is just one of 16 parades happening in and around capital region this season.

A busy Christmas parade season is getting underway with Ottawa's 50th Annual Help Santa Toy Parade up first.

The downtown parade, which starts at Ottawa City Hall at 11 a.m., Saturday, and wraps to at TD Place, is just one of four holiday parades in the region this weekend.

Members of the Professional Fire Fighters' Association will be walking Ottawa's parade route with stockings to collect money, as well as a toy cart to collect new, unwrapped gifts for local kids.

Katie Clattenburg, chair of the parade, says the amount of families the association helps grows every year -- the number is now in the tens-of-thousands.

Other Santa Claus parades set for this weekend include events in Hazeldean, Barrhaven and Cornwall.

Several other parades in the captial region and beyond will be held in the coming weeks. Find the full list below: