Westfield Garden State Plaza Hosts 7th Annual Big Santa Lighting

Westfield Garden State Plaza will kick-off the holiday season with the 7th annual lighting of the iconic Big Santa on Saturday, November 9 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. This year’s celebration will be hosted by Real Housewives of New Jersey (RHONJ) star Melissa Gorga who will light the 45-foot tall Big Santa with her family. The event will also feature multiple platinum-selling singer-songwriter David Archuleta who will perform four show-stopping songs to ring in the season!

“GSP’s iconic Big Santa is a symbol of Bergen County’s holiday season, and this year we are thrilled to count down the annual lighting in the company of nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter David Archuleta and Bergen County’s-own Melissa Gorga,” said Wesley Rebisz, senior general manager, CSM at Westfield Garden State Plaza. “We can’t wait to welcome the community, our friends, and neighbors to celebrate what promises to be the most spectacular
lighting yet.”

From the 1950s through the 1980s, Big Santa was perched atop a chimney in the mall’s parking
lot and could be seen for miles. The community icon was brought back to life in2018 through an intense 12-week process which utilized state-of-the-art technology, and traditional hand carving and sculpting techniques to accurately capture Big Santa’s extra-large and enchanting personality.

For the third year in a row, the Big Santa Lighting festivities will include a 200-figure drone show that will light up the sky with beautiful holiday illusions. The celebration also includes surprise visits from holiday favorites such as Belle, Beast, Jasmine, Elsa, Tiana, and Ariel. Plus, the real Santa Claus who will arrive in a fire truck! There will also beseveral food trucks including Shake Shack, Carlitos, and Chick-fil-A, a giant prize wheel you can spin for the chance to win exciting prizes, and incredible special offers across the entire center making it the perfect day to begin holiday shopping.

The Big Santa lighting and holiday drone show will take place in the parking lot adjacent to
Nordstrom and is free to attend. At the end of the lighting, everyone is invited to continue the celebration inside the mall for exclusive offers. In addition, attendees will receive week-long
discounts at participating stores.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Westfield Garden State Plaza website here.