Early Christmas shoppers can get their hands on locally-made products in a rare shopping opportunity that’s expected to boost tourism in the Foothills.
The Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society, Okotoks MarketSquare and Olde Towne Okotoks are offering a three-in-one shopping experience called the Foothills Holiday Roadshow from November 6 to 8.
Rather than buy separate tickets to attend the Millarville Christmas Market and Okotoks Christmas Festival, participants purchase a discounted pass for a day or the weekend at both markets and a chance to win a $200 shopping spree at 12 Olde Towne Okotoks shops.
“It increases traffic for our businesses and for the entire region,” said Alexandra Ross, Okotoks economic development specialist. “The fact that 18,000 people show up to the Millarville Christmas Market, it’s tapping into that market as well.”
The Foothills Holiday Roadshow is a partnership that includes the Town of Okotoks, Cool Little Towns initiative and Travel Alberta in an effort to showcase what else is happening in the Okotoks area.
Travel Alberta funded advertising for the Foothills Holiday Roadshow in Calgary via social media, news media and the LRT station.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the region,” Ross said. “People learn about events going on in the region and what is being offered in Okotoks, in particular the downtown area. It will have an economic impact and hopefully increase business.”
The Millarville Christmas Market at the Millarville racetrack boasts 250 vendors who make, bake and grow their own products including pottery, artwork, jewelry, quilting, baking and handmade ornaments. The event offers sleigh rides, glassblowing demonstrations, photos with Santa Claus and his reindeer, a children’s only shopping tent, Santa’s workshop and hayrides. The Millarville Market runs on Nov. 6 from noon to 8 p.m. and Nov. 7 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“You get to talk to the people who are making and baking the products that you are buying,” said Melonie McKee, Millarville Christmas Market manager.
The two markets take place the same weekend so McKee said it made sense to cross promote them.
“It’s being able to travel to both markets and get exposure to the downtown core of Okotoks and making people aware that there are cool little shops down there,” she said.
MarketSquare has organized its Christmas festival for five years and after partnering with the Millarville Racetrack last year saw 8,000 visitors, a 50 per cent increase over the previous year, with the majority of visitors being Calgary residents, said MarketSquare co-founder Andrea Wilton-Clark.
She said many of those residents were asking what else there was to do in Okotoks and now they’ll be directed downtown.
“We are hoping those people will funnel into Olde Towne Okotoks to explore the shops and restaurants in that area of town,” she said. “By partnering together we become a stronger force. We are creating a weekend experience within the Foothills area.”
While the event previously took place over two days, Wilton-Clark said it’s been expanded to three to match the Millarville Christmas Market.
“We were so crowded last year, even if we have the same number of people over the course of three days it’s better for everybody,” she said.
Wilton-Clark said the majority of items at the market are handmade, while a small selection represents distributor-type companies. Most are from the Foothills region, she said.
She said each vendor is juried and together must offer a variety of unique, beautiful handmade products.
“It’s a fabulous collection of local crafts people who come and work hard all year,” she said. “It’s everything from glassworks to leather to woodwork, jewelry, paper crafts and baking.”
In addition to offering 115 artisans, the Okotoks Christmas Festival also offers photos with Santa, food trucks, live caroling by the Foothills Philharmonic Chorus and a children’s workshop. Proceeds from the market go to the Okotoks Food Bank.
It takes place at the Foothills Centennial Centre Nov. 6 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Nov. 7 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To purchase a $5 day pass or an $8 weekend pass go to foothillsholidayroadshow.com to order online or for a listing of the 12 Olde Towne Okotoks shops that sell passes.
On one side of the pass is admission to the markets and the other is a raffle ticket to be filled out and dropped off at a participating shop after attending both markets.
Further discounts are available for the purchase of more passes.
