Holly Days, downtown Elgin’s popular Christmastime celebration, will kick-off on November 26th with Small Business Saturday with a variety of events being planned to draw shoppers and visitors to support local businesses throughout the entire holiday season.
On November 26th the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, in partnership with the City of Elgin, will host a “Holiday Cheers” beverage crawl at over twenty participating businesses. Tickets for the “Holiday Cheers ~ Sips of the Season Beverage Crawl” are now live on the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin’s website. This year we are proud to announce two options for patrons to choose from. A Yeti-styled insulted cup or a limited edition hand-thrown mug created by Steep N Clay. Head over to Festival Park Splashpad at 5PM for the official City of Elgin Tree Lighting Ceremony, live choir, and Santa arriving on his Holiday Fire Truck.
Also making a debut on Small Business Saturday will be a collection of decorated storefronts. In partnership with Side Street Studio Arts, windows in the central Downtown Elgin business district will be adorned with family-friendly holiday murals created by a group of local artists. DNA is planning unique opportunities to interact with the art via a public voting contest, photo opportunities, and other activities.
Additional components of Holly Days are also in the works such as indoor Holiday Pop-Up Markets happening on December 2,9, and 16 at The Ashbury events business, free Santa photos, and Holiday events happening at a variety of Downtown Elgin businesses and organizations throughout the month of December. Also, mark your calendar for December 10th for the return of the Downtown Elgin Krampus Krawl.
“Small Business Saturday marks the beginning of Holly Days so that we can support local businesses throughout the entire holiday shopping season with a variety of activities that appeal to a wide audience,” said DNA Executive Director Jennifer Fukala.
Spending money at a small business is not only supporting the owner and employees of the business, it is also making an impact on the entire community. For every dollar spent at a small business, about 67 cents STAYS in the local community. For this reason alone Small Business Saturday and the entire holiday shopping season is especially important to the small business community. A complete list of Downtown Elgin businesses open on Small Business Saturday, and those offering special offers, will be listed on DowntownElgin.com.
Information about all of these events and more can be found at www.downtownelgin.com/hollydays/ your one-stop shop for all things Holiday themed entertainment in Downtown Elgin.
