Center City Philadelphia gears up for holiday celebrations, shoppers

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Macy's in Center City Philadelphia is gearing up for holiday celebrations and shopping.

Starting on Black Friday, visitors will be able to meet with Santa, check out the Dickens Village, and catch a glimpse of the iconic light show inside the store.

Charlie Bibeault, the store manager in Center City, said planning for the holiday displays started this summer. He said it takes a team to put on the show.

"The light show is spectacular when you see it in place, but it does require a crew overnight to put it up," he explained.

Bibeault said the light show is expanded this year and will run every two hours on weekdays. "We start at 10:30, then we jump to noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m.," he said.

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On the third floor of the store, the final touches are being put on the Dickens Village, which is inspired by Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol."

"There are guides in here, but there are also actors who play parts here that are part of the story of Scrooge," Bibeault said.

The village, which is free to visitors, will open to the public starting on Black Friday. People will need reservations to experience it.

They will also need reservations to visit with Santa Claus.

"I always stop by on my sleigh, and I wave 'hello' to Mr. Penn up there on his perch. It's always a welcome greeting to Philadelphia," Santa said.

If you're looking to make a reservation to see Santa or Dickens Village, or you need the schedule for the light show, head to Macy's website.

As the department store gets its holiday displays up to snuff, it is also gearing up for shoppers.

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Biebeault said he is hopeful they will attract more shoppers to the store this season.

"We're happy that some of the local office buildings have asked some of their people to come back to work, so then we're expecting they'll come for the light show and come to make a purchase as well," he said.

According to the 2023 Deloitte Philadelphia Holiday Retail Survey, shoppers in the Philadelphia area are expected to spend about 20% more than they did last year.

"Philly seems to always be sort of the most generous folks across the map. They are higher than our national average," said Jenna Pogorzelski, a Philadelphia-based managing director at Deloitte.

Deloitte's survey found the national average for spending this holiday season is $1,652. In comparison, the highest expected average spend for Philadelphia shoppers is $1,842.

When it comes to the preferred retail format in Philadelphia, the survey found that 65% of shopping will be done online, but shoppers surveyed did express interest in buying from local stores.

Deloitte says the biggest things people will spend on will be non-gift items, such as clothing for themselves and their families, home furnishings, and holiday decorations.

The survey also indicates people will spend more on experiences during the holidays.

"Our survey does show that experiences spending is up 21% over last year, and that's more akin to pre-pandemic levels," Pogorzelski said.

The survey found shoppers plan to get most of their shopping done during Thanksgiving week to counteract increased prices and take advantage of Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.