Homestead Market, a brick-and-mortar marketplace south of Airdrie that opened to visitors at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is hosting the Ultimate Santa Experience for kids next month, including a Santa Claus meet-and-greet, Christmas shopping, and craft tables.
According to Holly Shepherd, social media and market operations manager for Homestead Market, the event is more than just your typical holiday visit with Santa, and will include a variety of activities for families on Dec. 4, 5, 11, and 12.
She said she is hoping to give kids a semblance of normalcy this holiday season, as many young people weren’t able to get out and participate in holiday activities last year due to restrictions on public gatherings.
“I think, at this point, anything we can do to give our kids a sense of normalcy after two years of the pandemic is great,” she said.
“It is really something we look forward to being able to do.”
Shepherd added the event will include timed ticket entry to manage capacity and maintain social distancing throughout the premises. Each family pays $29 for a ticket, which includes entry, a four-by-six print and digital photo with Santa, and a take-home sweet treat sponsored by Tartan’ Sweet.
Homestead Market has partnered with several local businesses that are sponsoring craft tables and different activities for the kids who participate in the event, according to Shepherd.
“I think a big part of [the event] is that it pulls on our really great local vendor base from our regular markets,” she said. “We have an awesome group of talented vendors and we really love that they can be included as part of this too.”
Sponsors include Fen Vet, Township27, Crayons for Littles, and The Oak Village. Shepherd said ShopLift Deals is also hosting a kid’s Christmas shopping experience with items under $10 and free gift-wrapping.
“There’s lots going on that’s really exciting,” she said. “The [event] reached out to local businesses and gives them the opportunity to do some advertising.
“It makes it a really fun Christmas experience for the kids. It’s not just a regular quick visit with Santa. They get to spend some time there, it’s like a day out with family.”
Shepherd said the market will be following all government health protocols including mandatory masking, social distancing, and regular sanitizing. Due to the retail nature of the marketplace, the market is not required to implement the Restriction Exemption Program (REP), which mandates either proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test result.
“Those are the regular protocols, and then we’ve added in the timed tickets as well to make sure we can manage the flow of people,” she said.
The market is open each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but families will be required to purchase a one-hour time slot online at homesteadmarketalberta.com under the ‘events’ tab.
Carmen Cundy, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy
