'So Sweet' Relief Coming To Salem After Record-Cold Weekend

SALEM, MA —North Shore residents who feel they deserve a sweet treat after enduring this weekend's record cold are in luck this coming weekend as the Salem So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival returns downtown for a 21st year.

For the first time this year, there will be a kickoff party fundraiser on Friday afternoon for the three-day celebration of the city's restaurants, desserts, ice art and Valentine's Day shopping organized by Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

"This has increasingly become a destination event, but it is also such an important event for locals," said Salem Main Streets Executive Director Kylie Sullivan. "Residents truly love this mid-winter opportunity to see their neighbors and celebrate our small local businesses, and I think that genuine excitement shines through to visitors."

There will be more than 25 ice sculptures on display with a limited number lit Friday night on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and at Lappin Park. All of them will be illuminated for Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.

There will be a kickoff fundraiser Friday starting at 4:50 p.m. where ticket purchasers will get a commemorative glass, a complimentary pour of wine and a goodie bag at the Peabody Essex Museum's Connect Space on Essex Street, then head out across downtown where nearby shops will provide wine tastings for ticket holders. There will also be live music on Essex Street Friday night with several retailers staying open late until 8 p.m. for shopping, treats and tastings.

Kickoff party tickets are $40 with 40-minute sessions starting at 4:50 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.

There will also be a Chocolate Hearts Challenge Friday and Saturday where customers can snap
pictures of special Salem's So Sweet signage at participating businesses and post them to be entered in the online contest for prizes.

Those attending at any point of the weekend are encouraged to tag their social media posts #SalemSoSweet #SalemMa and/or @destsalem.

"Salem knows how to make Valentine’s Day special for everyone," Destination Salem Executive Director Kate Fox said. "Shopping, tastings, and this year an interactive lighting experience, this is the right way to spend a weekend in the winter."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)