With the holiday season just around the corner, a local business association is renewing calls for the need to support local.
Pamela Hardman, director of marketing with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, noted that the city’s downtown core always has something going on. Especially as the Christmas break inches closer.
“Lots of special activities and fun magical holiday feelings all around,” Hardman said. “Prairie Theatre Exchange is one of my favourites, they have a Christmas carol coming up — it’s an improv show. Devil May Care has a special holiday event coming up. And at the Fairmont (Hotel) you can check the Jolly Gnome, which is a cool pop-up holiday bar.”
The Jolly Gnome is open at the Fairmont Hotel until Dec. 22. With the Prairie Theatre Exchange, located on the third floor of the Portage Place Mall, this holiday season is marked by the production of A Christmas Carol: Bigger Dickens Energy. The show is a reinvented take on the classic tale of A Christmas Carol, with such questions posed as: What if Scrooge were the captain of a pirate ship or the owner of a lighthouse?
With everything going on in the downtown area, Hardman said the best way to experience it is to shop local and give back to the community. One way to do that is to gift someone a downtown BIZ gift card.
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“They are accepted at nearly 200 businesses downtown. They make a perfect gift for someone who goes to Jets games, works downtown, or just likes to visit and enjoy the neighbourhood,” Hardman said.
She added that the cards can be bought online as well.
Other activities include the Downtown Winnipeg Farmers Market as well as the Beyond Monet immersive experience at the RBC Convention Centre, the latter of which runs until Jan. 4, 2024.
Colin Coop, co-owner of the Devil May Care Brewing Company, said that coming out of the pandemic, people have really missed the chance to go out and support the local community. The business ensures that 16 different brews of beer are on tap at all times.
“We like staying small right now, creating new beverages,” Coop said. “We like to have fun and we’re just going to keep on having fun, making the beer we want to drink.”
In celebration of the holidays, the brewery is hosting an event on Dec. 16, calling it the Flightmare Before Xmas 2: Fly Harder. The event will see new batches of beer and additional food options and menu items.
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