This year, the biggest night of the season at Westfield Garden State Plaza falls on the one day of the week its stores stay closed. On Sunday, November 22, about 4 p.m., the 42-foot Big Santa lights up in the parking lot by Nordstrom. Fireworks follow, set to holiday music. Behind that crowd, the shops along every corridor will be dark.
That is how Paramus works, and anyone who has lived here a while already knows it. What changes the plan this year is timing. The season's main mall event lands on a Sunday, the same fall that the Plaza is opening a string of new stores. You can't do both in one visit. The best way to handle the kickoff weekend is to split it, with Saturday for shopping and Sunday for eating, playing and watching Santa arrive.
Why the registers stay dark on the biggest night
Bergen County's Sunday sales rule is narrower than many people assume. As the Township of Wyckoff explains, the state statute behind it bars Sunday sales of clothing, furniture, appliances, building supplies and home furnishings. Groceries, medicine and gasoline are not on that list. The same page records that Bergen County voters rejected repeal in 1980 and again in November 1993, when the second vote failed by 2 to 1.
Paramus goes further. Chapter 391 of the borough code was adopted in 1969 and amended in 2006. It opens with a broad rule:
No worldly employment or business, except works of necessity and charity, shall be performed or practiced by any person within the Borough on the first day of the week, commonly called and hereinafter designated as "Sunday."
The exceptions are what make the Sunday after the lighting possible. The code allows the preparation and sale of meals, prepared food and nonalcoholic beverages. It allows the sale of milk, bread and baked goods. It also permits "any form of recreation, sport or amusement that is not unlawful on other days of the week." The ordinance's own findings explain why the borough adopted it. Traffic on Route 4, Route 17 and the Garden State Parkway peaks on Sundays, and the borough said highway businesses open that day made the congestion worse.
On Sundays, the Plaza's own list of open tenants is made up of restaurants, cafés, a movie theater and play spaces, and that is the version of the mall waiting on November 22.
What the Plaza can offer on November 22
Westfield's Big Santa page lists festivities from 4 to 6 p.m. near Entrance 7, in the parking lot by Nordstrom. Singer-songwriter Ryan Cabrera hosts a lineup of All-4-One, TKA, Spice Wannabe and the boy band Just Your Type, also known as JYT. The pre-show includes stilt walkers, costume characters, balloon artists, face painters and food trucks. Santa arrives by fire truck, there's a countdown to the lighting, and a fireworks show closes the evening. Westfield invites guests to come in their most festive or nostalgic holiday look. The page also asks guests to reserve a spot through a booking link, so do that before the weekend.
The event ends at 6 p.m. That timing makes the Plaza's Open Sundays list the most useful page to check that weekend. It names the dining and entertainment tenants that open on Sundays. Here is one way to build the day around the lighting:
- Afternoon, before 4 p.m.: Families with younger kids can use the play spaces on the Sunday list, including Pixar Putt, Planet Playskool, Go Playland, Dopamine Land, Horae Play and Slimee. An early movie at AMC also works.
- 4 to 6 p.m.: Head out to the lot by Nordstrom for the pre-show, the music, Santa's fire-truck arrival and the fireworks.
- After 6 p.m.: For a sit-down dinner, the Sunday list includes The Capital Grille, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Fogo de Chão, Seasons 52, Grand Lux Café and Bourbon Street Grill. Westfield marks Eddie V's and Fogo de Chão with reservation links, which on that night is a good reason to book ahead.
- For something quicker or sweeter: Kura Sushi, Yong Kang Street, Dumpling Cafe, Ruby Thai Kitchen, Shake Shack, Gong Cha, Real Fruit Bubble Tea and 16 Handles are all on the list.
The center lists more than 10,000 parking spaces, two parking decks, covered parking near AMC and paid valet. Because the show takes place in the lot by Nordstrom, consider parking elsewhere and walking over.
The new stores belong to Saturday
The Sunday rule also sorts this fall's openings. In mid-October, ROI-NJ and NorthJersey.com both reported the Plaza's fall arrivals. ROI-NJ quoted Sue Newsom, Westfield's vice president of shopping center management, saying the center will have welcomed more than 15 new stores in 2026 by the end of fall. Most of them are retail shops, and none appears on the Open Sundays list.
| New arrival | What it sells | Where on Level 2 | Opening window |
|---|---|---|---|
| MINISO | Household goods, stationery, toys, kitchenware | Near E.A.K. Ramen | Opened Oct. 3 |
| ThirdLove | Intimates, loungewear, activewear | Near Neiman Marcus | Late October |
| Liv Breads | Sourdough, pastries, coffee | Near Kura Sushi | Early November |
| Escapology | Themed escape rooms | Near AMC Theatres | Mid-November |
| Paul Fredrick | American-made menswear | Near H&M | End of November |
| Levi's | Denim | Near Macy's | Early December |
That puts ThirdLove now, plus Paul Fredrick and Levi's later in the season, in the Saturday column. The same goes for this year's earlier clothing addition, Edikted, the women's fashion brand ROI-NJ described as having opened its first New Jersey store on Level 2 near Nordstrom. DIGISO, the Korean beauty and Japanese lifestyle shop on Level 1 near the Food Court District, sells gifts, collectibles and Asian snacks. Its Westfield listing shows it closed on Sundays.
Saturday, November 21, is the day to browse the new storefronts. With MINISO and DIGISO both in the mix, it can double as an early start on gift shopping.
Three newcomers that fit both days
Three of this year's arrivals serve coffee, baked goods or games, which puts them closer to the Sunday list than to the retail shops. Their posted Sunday hours are the thing to check.
Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first New Jersey location earlier this year on Level 2 near Nordstrom. The two sources for its hours don't agree. Blue Bottle's own café page lists Sunday hours of 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Westfield directory lists the café as closed Sundays. If you want a coffee before the lighting, check that morning.
Liv Breads is an artisan bakery and coffee bar that began in downtown Millburn in 2018. It specializes in slow-fermentation wild yeast sourdough, laminated pastries, buns, cakes and cookies, all made from scratch. As of this week, Liv Breads' Westfield listing still says "Coming soon" and doesn't show a Sunday schedule. Its spot near Kura Sushi, which is on the Sunday list, means a pastry stop and a sushi dinner could end up a few steps apart once both are open.
Escapology opens in mid-November near AMC. Each themed room gives a group a set amount of time to find clues, crack codes and solve puzzles. Escapology's Paramus page still says "Coming Soon" and lists no Sunday hours yet. If it posts Sunday times before the 22nd, a game before the 4 p.m. pre-show would round out the afternoon.
The rest of the Santa calendar
Big Santa opens the season, but it isn't the only time to see Santa. At Garden State Plaza, Santa photos begin Friday, November 27, and run through December 24 at the Family Entertainment Court near Zen Diamond. A sensory-friendly Santa Cares session is set for Sunday, December 6, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Paramus Park started earlier. Its Santa set in the North Court near Chico's opens November 13 and runs through December 24. Pet photo nights run from 4 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, November 23 and 30 and December 7. The first one falls the evening after Big Santa, so families who spend Sunday in the Nordstrom lot can bring the dog to Santa the next night. Paramus Park also follows the Sunday closure, and its posted holiday hours show it closed on Thanksgiving, open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Black Friday, November 27, and closed again on Sunday, November 29. Garden State Plaza's hours page currently shows a regular Friday schedule of 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and no special Black Friday hours, so check it again closer to the day.
This post is general information about local schedules, not legal advice. Businesses with questions about the Sunday rules should consult the borough or an attorney.
Paramus Sundays take some getting used to for anyone arriving from a place without Sunday closures. If you're new to the area, or know someone who is and would like a local guide to the seasonal rhythms of Paramus and the towns nearby, Margaret Kim is happy to help, in English or Korean. Let's Connect.
