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EASTON, PA – December 21, 2023 – More and more visitors are discovering the magic in Centre Square each holiday season at the annual Easton Winter Village. This year’s fourth annual, free admission event saw 56,457 visitors, an increase of over 16,990 from 2022. Its highest attendance days were Saturday, December 9 with
12,244 visitors, and Saturday, November 25, the day of the annual Peace Candle Lighting Ceremony, with 11,565 visitors.
The City of Easton uses the website software program Placer.ai to track attendance at all major events taking place in the city. Just over 90 percent of Easton Winter Village visitors came from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with 15.5 percent coming from within the 18042-area code. The event also had visitors from 28 states and Washington, D.C. On average attendees stayed at the event for 90 minutes per visit.
“There was a time in our city that our downtown retailers were struggling during the holiday season, at a time of year when they should be in the black,” said Mayor Sal Panto, Jr. “Now they are not only seeing the foot traffic that they need to sustain their businesses, they are turning a profit, due in large part to the success of the Winter Village, which brings shoppers downtown.”
This year’s event featured 40 vendor huts, three food trucks, a skating rink, live entertainment on stage and strolling, Photos with Santa, and other features. New this year were holiday image projections on the Alpha Building, City Hall, and the Santander Bank building. The Winter Village is a joint initiative between the City of Easton and the nonprofit Greater Easton Development Partnership, which manages it.
The event began in 2020 as the brainchild of Mayor Panto, who had visited outdoor holiday marketplaces in Europe and wanted to bring one to his city to support its small business retailers, which were struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its success during that challenging time led to it becoming an annual event, which has grown each year since with more vendor huts, entertainment, and features.
The event organizers would like to thank this year’s sponsors:
- Presenting Sponsor: Lehigh Valley Health Network
- Founding Sponsors: City of Easton, Northampton County, Greater Easton Development Partnership
- Premier Sponsors: The Commodore of Easton & IBEW Local 102
- Supporting Sponsors: Air Products, City Center Group, 69 News WFMZ, Bethlehem Landfill, Service Electric Network, Home Genius Exteriors
- Community Sponsors: Crayola, Unity Bank, Alloy 5 Architecture
Information provided to TVL by:
Tracey Werner
City of Easton Marketing Consultant
