Can Lederhosen and Santa Claus help downtown Buffalo?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN).....Imagine a stretch of East Mohawk Street filled with people enjoying German beer and bratwurst.

And, then one month later, holiday shoppers converging on the same stretch of East Mohawk Street drinking hot seasonal drinks, buying gifts and enjoying the Christmas spirit.

That's what exactly is slated to happen later this year as a pair of seasonal-themed special events take over East Mohawk Street between Ellicott and Washington streets.

The Buffalo Holiday Market team, which last winter staged a very successful Christmas-themed outdoor market on the Richardson complex, has now shifted its focus to downtown and it is the latest example of a concerted effort to bring more special events into the central business district to help it regain its post-pandemic swagger.

"You have to do these things in clusters," said Rocco Termini, a prominent downtown developer and business leader.

Last winter's Richardson holiday market attracted 225,000 people during its five-week run.

This year, Buffalo Holiday Market is running a more family-friendly showcase at Front Park but, at the same time, running a more downtown-centric event on East Mohawk Street. The downtown event will also be family-welcoming, said Colleen Pandy, Buffalo Holiday Market president.

"The idea is to keep those 225,000 people in Buffalo," Pandy said.

The Oktoberfest will run every weekend in October and will have a definite biergarten ambiance.

Pandy said the biergarten will be the focal point but there will also be a collection on vendors every weekend. Some will be there for the entire month, others may shift in and out.

The same is true for the holiday market, that is scheduled from Black Friday (Nov. 27) to Dec, 20.

Pandy said the exact hours have not yet been set.

"I do think this 'street market' model can work in Buffalo and, especially in downtown," Pandy said.