Santa, Mrs. Claus and their team from the North Pole return to Perth Amboy on December 7th for the annual Selfies with Santa visit in the city’s downtown shopping area. Two more Selfies with Santa events will be held on December 14th and 15th. Shown in the photo from left to right are Lisett Lebron, program manager at P.A.R.T.N.E.R., Rudolph the Reindeer, Santa, Ash Dawoo, owner of Advanced Pharmacy at 288 Smith Street, and Mrs. Claus during a Selfies with Santa celebration last year.
*Photo by the Perth Amboy Business Improvement District (BID)

Press Release 11/20/18

PERTH AMBOY- Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and their friends are coming to Perth Amboy to spread joy, glad tidings and fun. The city’s guests from the North Pole are visiting the bustling, holiday-decorated downtown for the annual Selfies with Santa celebration.

The series of Selfies with Santa events begins on Friday. December 7 at 2 p.m. at the New Jersey Transit train station. Santa, Mrs. Claus and the group will board a motorized sleigh and travel along Smith Street. The first Selfies with Santa visit is ending near the Dr. H.N. Richardson Elementary School at 4 PM. Students may take join with Santa and the group as carolers from the high school sing holiday songs.

Santa’s sleigh will be escorted by Perth Amboy Police Department vehicle playing holiday music. A team from the city’s Recreation Department, who are dressed as Santa’s elves, will guide the sleigh safely along its route. In all, three Selfies with Santa events are planned, and the schedule is listed below.

Selfies with Santa is part of the Shop Small® activities that are planned by City of Perth Amboy, Mayor Wilda Diaz and the Business Improvement District (BID). During each event, Santa and Ms. Claus stop to greet shoppers and visit local stores where they pose for selfies with customers and the retailer’s sales team. Before departing, they share mini candy canes with everyone and Santa’s team often sing a holiday song as they skip out the door.

In discussing Selfies with Santa, Mayor Wilda said, “We’re creating a more festive environment in our community, and that makes the holiday shopping season more enjoyable for shoppers and our local merchants. Our goal is to bring all the sights, sounds and good spirits of the holidays to the city’s streets to make the strolling, browsing, shopping and dining experience more memorable.”

2018 Selfies with Santa schedule:

• Friday, Dec. 7th – Begins at 2 p.m. at the N.J. Transit train station and finishes at the Dr. H.N. Richardson Elementary School (318 Stockton Street) at 4 p.m.

• Friday, Dec. 14th – Begins at 2 p.m. near Hall Avenue and finishes near Elizabeth Corner at 4 p.m.

• Saturday, Dec. 15th – Begins at 10 a.m. by the Superior Diner (464 Smith Street) and finishes by Five Corners at 2 p.m.

For more information, contact the BID’s Executive Director Junel Hutchinson at 732-826-0290, ext. 4048 or by email at jhutchinson@perthamboynj.org.

The Selfies with Santa events are a joint effort that draws on the resources of many groups and city departments. The supporters and participants include Mayor Diaz, the BID, Perth Amboy Redevelopment Team for Neighborhood Enterprise and Revitalization (P.A.R.T.N.E.R.), the Gateway Neighborhood Collaborative and the Perth Amboy Police and Recreation Departments.