SPOKANE, Wash. — Two holiday events kick off the Christmas season in downtown Spokane on Saturday, one of them happening for the first time.
Around 1.4 million people went downtown for holiday events last year, generating tens of millions of dollars for the local economy. It's a time of year the Downtown Spokane Partnership says is vital to support local businesses.
"This is the time of year where you can really make or break local businesses," Elisabeth Hooker, VP of Marketing and Programming with the Downtown Spokane Partnership, said.
Hooker said she and other staff have been working hard preparing for the holiday season in downtown to help local businesses. It's working toward a goal to increase profits for local businesses at River Park Square. Hooker said the city isn't there yet.
"We still haven't exceeded 2020 or 2019 visits, but we really hope to get back to that 2019 level and hopefully exceed that," Hooker said.
Hooker said the total holiday economic impact for the city last year came in at roughly $97 million.
A new event in downtown Spokane this year is hoping to grow that number.
An inaugural event done through Visit Spokane and the Downtown Spokane Partnership, known as Merry & Magical Lane, is designed to have family activities and holiday decor brightening up downtown.
The partnership believes the event will make the area safer, improving walkways for pedestrians.
"You're going to see over 100,000 new lights on our street trees and over the street itself, which is a first-time thing here in Spokane," Hooker said.
Merry & Magical Lane starts on Saturday, November 23, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., along with Santa visiting River Park Square at 5 p.m.
It's the beginning of a holiday season and a new tradition Hooker said she hopes will grow the downtown economy.
"We've had a lot of economic impacts this year, including the cost of goods and services, and it's been hard to find staffing," Hooker said. "And this is the time of year where people want to get out and spend time together, and so we hope that everyone here in Spokane, all of our visitors, will take an opportunity to meet up and join us."
Merry Magical Lane will be at 110 N. Post St. You can see the tens of thousands of lights there and at the pedestrian alley between Post and Lincoln.
More information on other holiday events over the next several weeks can be found at this link.