Paramus, NJ, Nov. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Big Santa lighting, virtual scavenger hunts and more are planned this holiday season at Westfield Garden State Plaza. The shopping center will welcome guests eager to safely experience their favorite traditions with family and friends by offering festive experiences, exclusive shopping events, and a variety of services designed to complement consumers’ online shopping.
“Westfield Garden State Plaza is thrilled to bring a sense of joy and magic to the Paramus community this holiday season. With health and safety remaining top of mind, our destination will be the place for family and friends to safely shop, dine, and experience new and festive moments while continuing to celebrate past traditions.” – Jay Daly, Senior General Manager.
To ensure its guests have a place to celebrate the season together with friends and family, Westfield Garden State Plaza is delivering one-of-a-kind experiences focused on safety, services, community and fun through a variety of programs and initiatives across its centers.
SAFETY
Westfield is committed to the health and safety of our customers, employees and the community, and is working with local stakeholders, public health officials and retailers to ensure that relevant guidelines are being followed this holiday season. In addition to increased cleanings of common areas and monitoring and enforcing capacity; social distancing; and the wearing of face coverings, Bureau Veritas, the world’s most respected provider in testing, inspection and certification processes, certified Westfield cleaning processes with its industry-leading hygiene and safety excellence label, SafeGuard™. More information on shopping center health and safety practices can be found here.
SERVICES
Westfield will continue to go the extra mile this holiday season by providing services and amenities designed to ensure that customers have a safe and seamless experience. Westfield Garden State Plaza will offer personal and virtual shopping; a personal and virtual stylist; Curbside Pickup; Line Pass, a Westfield app-based virtual queuing and appointment service to help make visits to the center more efficient; Ask An Elf (also known as Answers on the Spot); as well as Guest Service Ambassadors. More information on Westfield’s services can be found here.
FUN
While health and safety remain top of mind, Westfield Garden State Plaza is also dedicated to helping its guests experience the joy of the holiday season through festive events and programming:
- Westfield Garden State Plaza is excited to continue the tradition of the iconic Big Santa with a drive-in celebration of its annual lighting, in partnership with bergenPAC. The event will be hosted by Danielle Monaro, co-host of Z100’s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. This year, more than ever, the Big Santa lighting event aims to bring joy and a festive vibe to the community with performances from Broadway stars, emerging artists from the Performing Arts School at bergenPAC, The Grinch (who will not be stealing Christmas this year!) and Mrs. Claus. There will also be special appearances, giveaways and prizes, food trucks, and a DJ spinning holiday tunes. The event can be watched live on Facebook Live @gardenstateplaza.
- For the first time, Westfield will open The Kids Market at Westfield at Westfield Garden State Plaza, a kids-only shopping experience designed to allow the littlest Westfield guests to shop by appointment for their families. The market is whimsical, fun, and just their size—and a place where they can select and purchase gifts all on their own. Each market will appear as if it has jumped out of the pages of a coloring book, with a quaint lobby where kids can put together shopping lists and set a budget with their parents; a puppet theater where they will get instructions about how to navigate the market; and products safely displayed so children can see and select what they’d like to buy, but never have to touch. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit The Kids Market at Westfield.
- Another first for Westfield Garden State Plaza is the Westfield Holiday Hunt, an immersive, augmented reality scavenger hunt that brings the magic of the holidays to life using CGI technology. Guests will discover unique QR codes displayed throughout each center. When scanned, they will unlock exclusive, original characters and artwork such as a snowman concierge that welcomes and guides you on your hunt; a flying Santa sleigh; and customizable winter wonderland photo backgrounds. Shoppers will receive special discounts or offers from retailers throughout the center, following each experience they unlock. Additional details can be found here.
- A visit with Santa is a part of the holiday experience for so many people and this year, Westfield Garden State Plaza partnered with Cherry Hill Programs to bring Santa to the center starting November 27. Cherry Hill Programs is a renowned holiday photo experience provider, and they will keep Santa and all his visitors safe by taking precautions that maintain social distancing requirements while preserving the keepsake photo moment. For more information and to make an appointment with Santa, click here
- For those feeling a bit “Grinchy” this year, Westfield Garden State Plaza will host The Grinch’s Grotto, an imaginative take on holiday photo shoots that comes complete with a burlap sack full of presents, a Grinch-stylized holiday tree and a backlit fireplace with hanging stockings just as depicted in the book. Guests will enter these free-standing locations for a one-of-a-kind visit with The Grinch in his special cave for a photo-shoot and other special surprises that are both intimate and in true Grinch fashion—socially-distant. For more details and to make advanced reservations, visit The Grinch’s Grotto.
- Finally, when you season shop at Westfield Garden State Plaza this holiday season, you can receive up to $600 back through the Westfield Rewards program. The Westfield Rewards program is easy and free to join, and members will receive perks all year long such as cash back incentives, VIP access to events, and promotional offers and discounts.
COMMUNITY
Westfield Garden State Plaza kicked off the holiday season with the launch of Shop Your Heart Out, a 10-day program that drives donations to local charities by offering guests access to exclusive offers from multiple retailers throughout its centers—from discounted sales, to gifts with purchase, and more. These initiatives continue Westfield’s commitment to the local community through a program that was launched in March under the hashtag #WestfieldCares. Visit www.westfield.com/westfieldcares for more information.
Throughout the season, Westfield Garden State Plaza will have additional programs, charitable events, and shopping experiences specific to the local community. For more information about holiday events, hours, locations and resources, shoppers can visit www.westfield.com/gardenstateplaza.
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