Organizers of Christmas at the Depot are asking Denison's tourism advisory board for $2,000 in hotel occupancy tax money to advertise this year's event, which brings Santa and Mrs. Claus into downtown aboard a train caboose.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board takes up the request at its meeting this afternoon, set for 2 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 300 W. Main St. It is the only grant application on the agenda.
The event
According to the application, the free celebration at the Katy Depot, 101 E. Main St., is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 7 p.m. and is entering its fourth year.
The plans list holiday lights and decorations, live music, children's activities, local vendors and shops, food and drinks, and Denison on Ice, and the application says the event will pair with the loft tours.
Applicant Lucas Ridley wrote that the money would go to marketing meant to draw people from out of town and that the advertising would reach the Texoma and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. The organizers say they plan to work with local hotels and Airbnb hosts on lodging offers and to track room nights through hotel contacts and geotracking.
The numbers
The application puts attendance at about 2,000 people in 2023 and about 2,500 in each of the past two years, figures it says were verified through geotagging. It reports 5 to 10 hotel rooms booked in 2024 and 2025 and "unsure" for 2023.
