Holiday Alley in Selkirk, Man., is promoting a community sing-along during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its 12ish Days of Holiday Alley. (Submitted Photo by Liz Tran)

Submitted by Holiday Alley

Holiday Alley is calling on all voices – old and young, squeaky and baritone, to join in a COVID-safe community sing-a-long.

Holiday Alley –in the past –has been a two-day festival on the streets of old downtown Selkirk, Manitoba. Now, it is pivoting to 12ishdays of community fun that proves that Selkirk the Interlake is still a community that knows how to celebrate art, culture, and creativity while keeping to the COVID rules of the day.

This year Holiday Alley is inviting families, individuals, classrooms and choirs to create one beautiful sing-a-long to our new version of 12 Days of Christmas–rewritten to 12ishDays of Holiday Alley. “The Holiday Alley elves have pulled together some pretty clever lyrics and with the magic of video the elves will create something that will not just uplift this community but inspire people across Manitoba and beyond. Does it have viral video possibilities? We hope so. But more importantly it’s a chance to do something together as Manitobans even when we can’t be together,” Holiday Alley Co-founder Shirley Muir said.

All voices –from far and wide -are asked to record their rendition on their devices –either individually or on a Zoom-type group recording. This could be a solo, a duo, all the members of your family or your choir. Just do it within the COVID rules of the day and the rules in your community, Muir added.

Holiday Alley decided to play with the ideas of the 12ish days of Holiday after code red was put in-place–another pivot the festival had to create in order to maintain the provincial guidelines. While the festival will now take place over two weeks, the play on words to“12ish”days relates to the mutual feeling of how days and time are mixing into one another during lockdown. To get a copy of the lyrics and the music bed –so everyone is on the same beat -–please register with Riley at 204-485-5284 / [email protected]