Downtown businesses welcome the holiday and Christmas shoppers
The lights are on after the Downtown Holiday Light Up on Rice Howard Way.
The annual holiday event was moved from Churchill Square this year, something the Downtown Business Association (DBA) has said is to increase foot traffic for local businesses in the area that have been hurt over the last two years by the pandemic.
“So great to have those extra people around. People are excited. They come downtown. So this event is amazing,” said Elisa Zenari of Dalla Tavola Zenari. “We couldn't have asked for a better event.”
The city and the DBA received public backlash after the changes were announced in November, including the lack of a giant Christmas tree, which has been a Churchill staple in past years.
Those who attended said the changes didn’t dampen their Christmas spirit.
“It’s awesome,” one woman told CTV News Edmonton. “It’s a really great way to get the community together, get outside, see what’s outside in Edmonton when it’s cold out here. So a wonderful experience so far.”
“As Edmontonians, if we want to have an amazing downtown we all have to put in our effort to make it that way. It’s a group effort,” said another.
“There’s so much joy in exploring local businesses, local makers…just being together with friends and family. So that’s the kind of stuff we’re featuring here,” said Puneeta McBryan of the DBA.
The move is one of several initiatives the DBA is taking to try and support local downtown businesses.
The organization unveiled two alleyways earlier this week to try and attract more visitors to the core, with murals and improved lighting.
A Downtown Shop Local gift card promotion was also launched, with the first 800 gift cards bought online getting an extra $25 gift card from the DBA.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.