Merry Main Street will bring holiday cheer and thousands of revelers to downtown Mesa this winter.

The celebration of the season begins Nov. 25 and will feature activities for all ages through Jan. 7, according to a release.

The festivities begin 5-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, with an evening of music, food and fun. A brief program and tree lighting ceremony at 5:45 p.m. at Main Street and Macdonald will kick off the celebration with Santa Claus making his first official Mesa appearance of the 2022 holiday season. Opening night will also include an all-new radio-style performance of “The Man Who Killed Santa Claus” at 7 p.m. at Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.

For the eighth consecutive year, Merry Main Street will feature the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink. This year it is at the new Plaza at Mesa City Center with more than 6,000 square feet to attract thousands of skaters for more than 40 days.

Other holiday attractions at Merry Main Street are Mesa’s four-story-tall Christmas tree, the 12-foot Mesa Menorah, Jack Frost’s Food Truck Forest, free visits with Santa, Santa’s Merry Makers Marketplace opening weekend and more. For a complete list of activities, visit merrymainst.com.

Merry Main Street is sponsored by the city of Mesa, Mesa Parks and Recreation, Downtown Mesa Association, Visit Mesa, Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Benedictine University, Boeing, Caliber, Nesbitt Contracting, Sloan Park, Delta Hotels, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Mesa Water.