City Celebrates Record-Breaking Holiday Trail 2025

The City is thrilled to celebrate a record-breaking result for the 2025 Holiday Trail. Building on the momentum from last winter’s historic 2024 campaign, which earned the City a Marketing Canada Award from the Economic Developers Association of Canada, the 2025 Holiday Trail surpassed those award-winning numbers.

This annual holiday season initiative, led by the City’s Economic Development and Tourism Department and in partnership with Harbourtown BIZ, and designed by Wake Marketing, invites residents and visitors to shop local, explore Kenora’s storefronts, and discover unique gifts while supporting local retailers.

Participating stores were featured in the Holiday Trail brochure and promoted citywide from November 21 to December 24, 2025. Retailers offered gift items valued between $10 and $20 that customers could redeem with in-store vouchers, with retailers receiving a $5 reimbursement for each voucher redeemed. Holiday Trail booklets, priced at $30, were sold by participating local businesses.

The 2025 campaign saw:

• 143 booklets sold, a 19% increase over 2024
• 746 vouchers redeemed at participating businesses, up 16% from the previous year
• Four new participating businesses joining the campaign

The City conducted a post-event survey among participating businesses in January 2026, with feedback indicating strong support for the campaign. Business participants shared positive reflections, including: “I think it is a fabulous way to get people into our downtown,” “I believe the Holiday Trail increased my brand awareness, sales, and foot traffic,” and “This year’s Holiday Trail campaign was very well run. It was heavily promoted on social media which made it easy for me to repost reels and bring more attention to participating businesses.”

Local business owner Alexis Pernsky of SWEET Lake of the Woods expressed her enthusiasm: “The Holiday Trail event is so much fun to participate in! As a vendor, we get to meet so many fun participants—people who have never been in our shop before, participants who return year after year, and our year-round regulars. It was wonderful to hear from participants who received the Trail Pass as a birthday gift, or as a tradition for a fun local shopping day. Every year we hear from people who are excited to discover new product offerings and gift ideas from stores they stop in, and many discover local businesses that are new to them. This event is a huge success for our community, and it is wonderful to see it continue to grow!”

“This year showed once again that Kenora’s Holiday Trail is powered by a shared commitment—from our local businesses that warmly welcome shoppers and support this program, to residents who choose to shop local,” shares Stace Gander, Chief Administrative Officer. “I am especially grateful to our participating retailers, community partners, local influencers, and the City team for their collaboration and enthusiasm during the busy holiday season. Together, we have continued to elevate the Holiday Trail, showcasing the best of what our unique Kenora retailers have to offer.”

The Holiday Trail’s record-breaking 2025 campaign demonstrates the power of local shopping to support small businesses, strengthen the downtown core, and foster a sense of community during the holiday season. The City encourages residents to keep the momentum going by continuing to choose local goods and services throughout the year.

Media contact

Mya Horley
Senior Communications Advisor, City of Kenora
mhorley@kenora.ca
807-467-2006