The 2022 Santa Parade & Tree Lighting, Hosted by the Newburyport Rotary and the Newburyport Chamber is scheduled for Sunday, November 27th, offering all the holiday cheer that’s to be expected of a downtown yuletide celebration – but there’s a twist. In this most nautical of cities, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by boat. Honoring the Clipper City’s heritage as the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard, Santa and Mrs. Claus make their first local appearance waving from a Coast Guard boat on the Merrimack River before docking at the boardwalk for a joyful procession through the downtown area to the traditional tree lighting in Market Square.
Kids and families gather on the boardwalk to await the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus at 3:00 pm. Santa then leads a short parade starting at approximately 3:30 pm. The parade ends at Market Square for caroling and the tree lighting which starts at approximately 3:45 – 4 pm. The event features a spirited round of caroling from residents capped with Santa hats as they usher in the holiday season. Note that these times are approximate. We recommend arriving early in case Santa is running early!
Traditionally held on the Sunday afternoon immediately after Thanksgiving, the Newburyport Santa Parade & Tree Lighting is the much-anticipated kickoff of the area’s official holiday season. The nearby town of Salisbury typically hosts its own Christmas tree lighting later on the same day.
Over the next few weeks Santa will pop up at a host of public events in the area, including Amesbury’s annual holiday parade, a series of tours by firetruck (in Byfield, Newburyport, and Salisbury), a very popular Jingle Bell Walk through Ipswich, and a wide variety of storytimes and parties at local libraries and recreational farms.
In early December in Newburyport, Santa takes up residence at Santa’s Workshop which is festively decorated by the Newburyport Horticultural Society, offering visits and photos with the kids in December. Check the Newburyport.com Events Calendar for the specific days and times.
The Newburyport Santa Parade & Tree Lighting is presented by the Newburyport Rotary Club and the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. Why both organizations? The answer is that while the Rotary Club hosts the festivities every year by orchestrating the events, the Chamber helps to support the Rotary Club by providing the Market Square Christmas tree and our other beautiful downtown Newburyport decorations.
As part of the Chamber’s beautification program, they are in charge of all of the holiday decorations for our city as well as the beautiful hanging flowers you may notice during the Spring and Summer months. When purchasing one of our Newburyport VIP Cards you are able to donate a part of the proceeds directly to the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce, these funds are allocated specifically to the beautification program.
2021 Santa Parade & Tree Lighting
Enjoy this fun video from UAV Look.
