Holiday Stroll goes virtual for 2020
GREENWICH — As the Greenwich Holiday Stroll goes into its 12th year, organizers vowed that the show must go on despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
But for health and safety reasons, the event is moving online. And instead of lasting for a weekend, it will be celebrated from Dec. 1 to Dec. 24 at www.greenwichreindeerfestival.com. The website will highlight videos from from local businesses to promote 24 days of in-person holiday shopping and dining.
“We are super excited about this,” said Tamara Ketler, founder of TMK
Event Marketing, which created the stroll and runs the annual Reindeer Festival at Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses. “We’ve been able to reimagine the holiday stroll to be the first-ever Virtual Greenwich Holiday Stroll.”
Merchants supplied the videos, and TMK produced others. “All of those videos will be displayed on our digital platforms,” Ketler said, which includes the stroll’s website, YouTube channel and social media.
“We still very much want people to go out and visit our local businesses and dine in our local restaurants,” Ketler said. “By having the videos, I think that really showcases all of these merchants in a very virtual and very informative way. We want to encourage people to go out and shop at these stores and dine in a safe way.”
The website will also feature a full list and interactive map of all participating businesses.
Everything will be in place by Dec. 1, with all of the videos posted though the entire 24 days of the stroll. Different videos will be highlighted every day on the website.
“This is a great way to window-shop virtually,” Ketler said. “It’s also an amazing way to learn about so many great merchants here in town,” including retail stores, restaurants and other businesses.
The videos will include holiday entertainment, inspired by the carolers and other musical performances from past Holidays Strolls. Yale New Haven Health System, which includes Greenwich Hospital, is sponsoring the videos of holiday songs performed by groups including the Grace Notes, local church choirs and other Greenwich performers.
Videos from local restaurants, including The Ginger Man, Bella Nonna, Arcuri’s,
Tomatillo Taco Joint, Lugano Wine Bar and Salumerie, Famous Greek Kitchen, Gelato & Cioccolato, Sound Beach Pizza, Cafe 47 at The Perfect Provenance, Moon and more, will include tours, cooking demonstrations and even mixology classes.
Typically, the stroll takes place on Greenwich Avenue and surrounding side streets, but the event has been expanded in recent years. The virtual stroll will include businesses from downtown, Riverside, Byram, Old Greenwich and Cos Cob.
Ultimately, Ketler said she expects nearly 120 businesses to participate.
Under the safety protocols put out by the state, businesses must keep occupancy to 50 percent of capacity. Businesses that violate that could be subject to as much as a $10,000 fine.
“We want to do what’s best and what’s safe for everyone,” Ketler said of the virtual stroll. “In early fall it became pretty clear that a spike (in the coronavirus) would be coming when the temperature got colder, (so) we didn’t want to put all the time, energy and resources to set this up outdoors and have it be canceled. We didn’t want to risk it, and it was better to just do it virtually.”