Santa will open Margate's holiday shopping season Saturday, Nov. 25.
MARGATE The city's business and restaurant districts will be celebrating Shop Small Business weekend Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25-27 by offering great sales, discounts, contests and a drive through town by America Sign Language Santa.
Santa will get a police and fire escort as he leaves the Margate Fire Station on Washington Avenue at noon Saturday, travels up Cedar Grove Avenue to Atlantic Avenue down to Coolidge Avenue and then up Ventnor Avenue to Bocca Coal Fired Bistro on Essex Avenue.
Parade units include Miss New Jersey 2022 Augustina Mallous, Leslie's Dance Studio, Playgroups Plus, Atlantic County Utilities Authority mascot Supercan, Atlantic City Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the inflatable version of Lucy the Elephant. Along the way, the 95.1 WAYV / 100.7 WZXL van will be playing popular holiday tunes.
Santa and his Elves, a unicorn, Buzz Lightyear and the Minions will also be available for pictures and outside Bocca and inside the restaurant where children can also enjoy a complimentary slice of pizza, beverage, wrapped Wawa cookie and a craft kit. USA DJ Karaoke will be offering karaoke holiday tunes, 95.1 WAYV will have DJ For a Day, and pianist Shawn Quigley will be performing on his red piano inside Bocca. The Margate Mothers Association will offer a free holiday craft where children can fill their own holiday ornaments.
Children can drop off their letters to Santa at the slotted mailbox in the foyer of Bocca from Saturday, Nov. 25 until 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.
Saturday's activities include a scavenger hunt for coupons hidden in small holiday boxes placed outside businesses. Sustainable Margate will distribute reusable bags at Bocca and participants can spin the wheel or play a quiz game to win prizes. New Jersey Fairy Hair will be on hand at Bocca ready to adorn your hair with sparkly strand extensions. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Atlantic County Toys for Kids Program. Guests are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to the program.
Contests will be held including, Receipts are all the Rage and Shop Small Selfie Contest.
To participate in Receipts Are All the Rage, shoppers take a photo of their receipt from any Margate business purchase made over the weekend and send the receipt photo to [email protected]. One randomly selected winner will receive a gift certificate from the store of purchase. Winners will be notified via email.
For the Shop Small Selfie Contest, shoppers take a selfie photo in front of their favorite business and send the photo to [email protected] by Sunday, Nov. 27. On Monday, public voting for the best photo will begin with the winner announced on Dec. 4.
For additional information on these events and others, see www.margatehasmore.com, or on Facebook or Instagram.
