MOOSE JAW — Christmas may still seem far away, but all the magic of the holidays is set to return this October thanks to the Downtown Moose Jaw Association (DMJA) and the participation of businesses in Moose Jaw’s downtown core.
The four day Christmas in October project is returning so tourists, families, and early bird Christmas shoppers can get their gifts, promote local business, and help the community share the magic of the season.
Christmas in October is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Oct. 24 and will run until Sunday, Oct. 27 among participating businesses in Moose Jaw’s downtown shopping district.
“We’re (just reminding) people that it’s just the start of the Christmas season in Moose Jaw,” announced Yvette Moore, the director and treasurer for the DMJA that runs the annual event. “Really, our (Christmas) season is two months long from that weekend on.”
Christmas in October has been running in downtown Moose Jaw for 25 years, and many tourists consider it to be something of an ongoing tradition.
“It brings people from all over Saskatchewan and the neighbouring provinces. We’ve had people coming up from the United States,” she said. The event is also popular among Moose Jaw’s tourist demographic with families staying for the weekend and some viewing it as an ideal opportunity for a girls’ getaway.
“We had a group of ladies from Swift Current here a couple weeks ago and they said (they will) all be back that weekend,” Moore added. “It’s become almost an event that (visitors) come back year after year (and) … it’s kind of neat that we’re known for that.”
The original purpose of Christmas in October is to help promote the local business community.
“The whole idea is just to create traffic and activity and especially (do so) around such a wonderful theme, such as Christmas and the city,” Moore said.
Each year the City of Moose Jaw helps support the initiative by making sure the Christmas lights are up for the first day of the event. These lights are turned off in honour of Remembrance day, and then are switched back on after the day of commemoration until the season concludes.
“I have to say, the city gets behind us,” she said. “I think they realize the importance for the economy and for the rest of the businesses. It’s quite crucial.”
When the DMJA was founded in 2019 to provide Moose Jaw with a dedicated downtown association, Christmas in October became one of its first projects. The association provides a unified voice for the downtown business community and contributes to the community’s economic growth. These efforts also include the annual Greek Night, Little Chicago Show and Shine, and more.
“Nobody can seem to pull it off the way we do, because of our historical downtown and all our unique merchants, restaurants, and hotels — we have something really special in Moose Jaw,” Moore said.
“The businesses have worked hard and they all get excited about this event,” she continued. “To have everybody come in and see the wonderful displays they’ve done and the amazing items that they have would be great Christmas presents (for these owners).
“I think that’s (what) we all work so hard for — to create this part of the magic of Christmas.”
To enjoy the magic of Christmas in October, all you have to do is shop downtown while the program is underway.
If you’re a business owner in the downtown core and haven’t registered for the upcoming Christmas in October program, you can reach out to Yvette Moore by email at [email protected].
To learn more about the DMJA, visit DowntownMooseJaw.ca.
