Santa Arrives Atop Salem's Hawthorne Hotel For Witch City's Night Of Holiday Cheer

SALEM, MA — Santa Claus will mark his annual arrival to the top of the Hawthorne Hotel as part of a night of holiday magic in the Witch City on Friday.

The evening includes a candlelit procession to Salem Common for the lighting of the city's Christmas tree, along with plenty of caroling and holiday fare.

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Santa Claus will arrive at the top of the Hawthorne Hotel at 6 p.m. on Friday with assistance from the Salem Fire Department. Those planning to attend are recommended to get to the Salem Common by 5:45 to catch the arrival.

Santa's appearance will be followed by a procession down the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall to Lappin Park — next to the Bewitched Statue at the intersection of Essex Street and Washington Street — where Mayor Dominick Pangallo will join carolers for the Holiday Tree Lighting.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lanterns to carry in the procession. Electric candles are highly recommended for safety reasons.

This year's tree comes from the Johnson-Mitchell Family of Middleton.

This event is rain or shine.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)