Brockville, Ont., is hot for Hot Frosty. The historic eastern Ontario city on the St. Lawrence River is receiving some unexpected attention this holiday season after it was used as the filming location in Netflix’s smash holiday hit.
Hot Frosty is the story of Kathy, a widow who magically brings a handsome snowman to life two years after the death of her husband (through the magic of Christmas, presumably). The movie debuted in November and quickly shot to the top spot on the streamer’s charts.
The cast and crew descended on Brockville in April for about four weeks of filming, already helping boost tourism in the area. “They were staying at local hotels, checking out restaurants, and going into shops,” says Lyndsay Bigley, the digital marketing officer with Brockville Tourism. “It was so awesome to see them supporting our local business owners.”
Brockville’s Courthouse Square features prominently in the movie, as does The Keystorm Pub, which acts as Kathy’s Café. “You’re not really in the holiday mindset in April, but during filming, everything was completely transformed,” says Bigley. “Everyone was talking about the release, it really brought a sense of community spirit.”
Photo courtesy Brockville Tourism
But what the city didn’t expect was just how popular the movie would become—or the surge of people curious about where it was filmed. “Having awareness of the city on such a large, global streaming platform is really exciting,” says Bigley. While Brockville has always been a popular summer destination thanks to its proximity to the 1000 Islands, the community hopes that the movie will encourage visitors to come check out what the city has to offer in other seasons. “We’ve seen an increase in searches for Brockville and more interest in Brockville as a holiday destination. Especially with the winter festivals we have running this year, there’s an opportunity for people to come and get involved in some fun holiday activities,” she says.
In the absence of hosting viewing parties (community viewing is against Netflix’s terms of use), the city has had to get creative to engage with the film. The city worked with local business, Sassy Yarns, to create a scarf knitting pattern inspired by the movie that is available for download on the city’s website. They also created Hot Frosty bingo to help people keep an eye out for notable Brockville landmarks while they’re watching at home.
The success of the film isn’t lost on the town. “We’re hoping that once the beauty of Brockville is showcased through Hot Frosty, we’ll have the opportunity to be in more films in the future,” says Bigley. For now, “We’re still riding that Hot Frosty wave.”
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