“Singing with Santa” will return with new twist this year.
The event, which is slated for Black Friday, normally features Christmas carols, holiday treats and photos with Santa.
However, this year’s event will feature a family scavenger hunt, and the Business Improvement District added incentives for participants to shop local to go with all of the traditional activities.
“We’ve always held ‘Singing with Santa’ on the Friday after Thanksgiving, so this year we decided to create a program that takes advantage of the Black Friday holiday shopping itch, but brings the revenue to our local businesses,” said BID Executive Director Tim Walsworth. “Now families can enjoy an activity together, get some holiday shopping done, and have a chance to win a keepsake to enjoy for years to come, or even a hefty gift card to a business of their choice.”
The scavenger hunt is one of two new attractions included in this year’s festivities to invite guests to the Downtown area earlier in the day.
Participants in the scavenger hunt will be given hints that’ll take them to various downtown establishments where they may locate Santa's runaway reindeer and finish a punch card.
The first 50 teams to bring their card with at least six stamps from the nine potential locations will receive a special edition “Singing with Santa” keepsake mug.
The BID will also be hosting a Holly Jolly Gift Card Drawing to encourage local shopping and dining on Black Friday. Shoppers can enter for a chance to win a $400 gift card to a BID member business.
Holiday shoppers are able to submit up to 10 receipts from their dining and shopping experiences dated Nov. 24 from eligible businesses through SingingwithSanta.org, entering them into a drawing for a portion of the $1,000 in local gift card rewards available.
Receipts must be a minimum of $25. Spending between $100 and $249.99 gets participants into the drawing, spending between $250 and $349.99 gives the participant two entries, and spending $350-plus gives a person three entries.
Noel Night has historically kicked off holiday shopping in downtown Durango, but Walsworth said the BID wanted to incentivize local shopping earlier and greater acknowledge the Black Friday holiday.
“Noel Night is awesome and we love it to death. But Black Friday is also another day to shop so we have that little incentive program via the gift card drawing to encourage people to start their shopping then,” Walsworth said.
He said the incentives during Black Friday are meant to complement Noel Night, adding that downtown businesses will still offer all the traditional discounts on Dec. 1.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
