45-Foot Santa Changes New Jersey Location Ahead of Holidays

Big Santa, a 45-foot holiday icon at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, will be moving to a new outdoor location near Entrance 3 between AMC Theatres and Fogo de Chão for the 2025 holiday season.

The celebration coincides with the mall's eighth annual Big Santa Celebration and Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8. A Drone Light Show Spectacular will return for a third year, choreographed to holiday music.

Dylan Schneider, a rising country star with hundreds of millions of streams, will headline the outdoor event, which will kick off with a 5 p.m. DJ set and a 6 p.m. performance. Schneider, known for hits like "Bad Decisions" and "Ain't Missin' You," has toured with major artists and co-wrote Dustin Lynch's Top 5 hit "Momma's House." 

Entertainment will also feature performances from the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra, Broadway Youth Ensemble, and Dance Company Debut.

The Big Santa lighting and drone light show is free to attend, but an RSVP is encouraged. To RSVP, visit the mall's website.

According to N.J. News, the iconic 45-foot Big Santa figure has long sat on the Westfield Garden State Plaza chimney from the 1950s to the 1980s. It returned after a 30-year hiatus in 2018.