A modified Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture celebration will happen in Salem from February 1-14, 2021. This popular annual event has been updated to adhere to public health guidelines required by the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers are confident the event will provide opportunities to safely get outside, explore Salem, and support small businesses. In its 19th year, Salem’s So Sweet is a perennial favorite, celebrating delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping. It is Salem’s sweetest time of the year!
Organizers of Salem’s So Sweet are committed to supporting local businesses and encouraging safe ways for residents to remain connected to their downtown. As a result, the initiative has been expanded to run two full weeks, February 1 – 14 and to include two weekends. The program will include more options for attendees to enjoy at their own pace, including a SWEET weekend featuring ice sculptures and chocolate on February 6 and 7, and a new HEAT weekend that will feature warming stations and spicy treats.
Many local businesses will offer chocolate specials and sweet discounts around downtown Salem for the duration of Salem’s So Sweet in celebration of Valentine’s Day. In place of the Golden Ticket and brochure, participating promotions will be listed online at salemsosweet.com. Takeout, curbside pickup, online ordering, and other safely distanced options will be highly encouraged. Business promotions will be good Feb. 1 through Feb. 14 unless otherwise specified.
SWEET: February 6 & 7
The annual ice sculptures and ice sculpture illumination will happen on Saturday, February 6. More than 15 ice sculptures will be installed around downtown Salem, including an owl, gingerbread house, rocking horse, and a Hello Kitty phone. The sculptures will be illuminated by Retonica between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night. A map and more information will be available online at salemsosweet.com
HEAT: February 13 & 14
This year things will get hot with warming stations in downtown Salem and a new emphasis on spicy to compliment the Sweet. Love Letters to Salem will pop up around the downtown, including a NEW Love Letter Treasure Hunt! Seek out fragments of a love letter between Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne hidden in windows around the downtown and submit the completed text to be eligible for a prize. More details will be posted online at salemsosweet.com in February.
The Chocolate & Wine event has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus restrictions. Instead, takeout options from participating restaurants and food purveyors are strongly encouraged and will be promoted throughout the two weeks.
Salem’s So Sweet is organized by Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by Goldberg Properties, Groom Construction, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Five, St. Jean’s Credit Union, and Winer Bros. Hardware, with support from Destination Salem, Retonica, Scarlet Letter Press, and the Creative Collective. Visit salemsosweet.com for more events and details as they become available and follow the Facebook page for all the latest updates at facebook.com/salemsosweet. Use the Destination Salem App for the best information about navigating Salem.
