The holiday season in Elgin kicks off Saturday with the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s Holly Days, featuring the annual Sips of the Season Holiday Beverage Crawl, pop-up markets and tree-lighting ceremony.
And this year there will be even more entertainment, according to Sarah Michaels, DNA’s events and promotions coordinator.
“A lot of people have said, ‘Hey, we love that we can go to these shops and do this beverage crawl, but we want to have something fun and something to bring in the holiday spirit this year,’” she said. “So we are partnering with a couple of organizations to do pop-up entertainment throughout the downtown area.”
That includes dancers from the M3 Dance Company performing the battle scene dance from the “The Nutcracker,” the full production of which can be seen Dec. 7 and 8 at The Hemmens Cultural Center.
At 4 p.m. you can catch Elgin Mayor David Kaptain doing a reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” in the newly renovated DuPage Courtyard, where visitors also can view the lights on the city’s holiday tree — Elgin’s first live tree — being turned on for the first time at 5 p.m. At nearby Festival Park, a children’s choir will be performing.
“There’s going to be a lot of holiday cheer throughout downtown Elgin,” Michaels said. “We get a lot of comments about how lovely downtown Elgin looks with all the lights and that they really like being able to spend the day in downtown Elgin and then end the evening with the Christmas tree lighting.”
For those who want to get in on the annual Sips of the Season Holiday Beverage Crawl, set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tickets in the form of a commemorative Holiday Cheers insulated cup can be purchased online for $25 at www.universe.com/events/sips-of-the-season-in-downtown-elgin-tickets-ZM8W94?ref=share-widget-buffer and picked up Saturday at the Downtown Neighborhood Association office, 31 S. Grove Ave.
More than 20 businesses will be serving up drinks like hot cocoa, hot apple cider, mint mocha, hot teas and the spice- and fruit-filled Mexican Christmas punch Ponche Navideno, Michaels said. A map of the participating locations can be found at the DNA website, downtownelgin.com/holly-days-in-downtown-elgin.
The beverage crawl coincides nicely with Small Business Saturday, which is always celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Michaels said.
“That’s kind of why we started doing the beverage crawl, so people can sip and shop at these businesses,” she said.
Businesses will be offering specials as well, she said.
“It’s just fun little things that you and the whole family can participate in and it gets people familiarized with downtown Elgin. Having a fun way to kick off your holiday season is something we’re looking forward to,” Michaels said.
People tell her they like being able to explore Elgin and getting reintroduced to the downtown area, she said.
“People can learn where the new businesses and the new restaurants are and be able to help with growing the downtown,” she said. “Another comment we get is that it’s really fun to be able to shop at small businesses because we have three pop-up markets that are happening.”
There will be a “maker’s market” featuring more than 40 vendors at The Haight, 166 Symphony Way, and Voice with Vee music school will hosting 20 vendors at its 66 S. Grove Ave. location.
“It’s a really lovely experience,” Michaels said. “A lot of people like to be able to get their things homemade and buy stuff we don’t get from big box businesses. These are all made by small businesses that are your friends and family. Things that mean something to them.”
Visitors also can check out 15 downtown windows decorated for the holidays, she said.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.