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Holiday in the Park

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Six Flags
Holiday in the Park
Ride statistics
Attraction typeAnnual event
ThemeChristmas
SeasonLate November-Early January

Holiday in the Park (known as Christmas in the Park at Six Flags México) is a Christmas event that takes place at several Six Flags parks. The event features Christmas lights along with live entertainment, and usually follows Six Flags Fright Fest in October. In 2020, Holiday in the Park was re-imagined to Holiday in the Park Lights for certain parks following the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The 'Best Time of the Year' is one of the many holiday traditions that make up Six Flags Over Texas annual Holiday in the Park celebration.

Six Flags started Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Over Texas in 1985. The event ran from late November to early January.[1] During this time the park was transformed into a gigantic holiday festival, with hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights as well as special holiday shows, rides, merchandise, foods, drinks, and a giant Christmas tree in the center of the park. The event was expanded to Six Flags Astroworld in 1988.[2] Six Flags Over Georgia held the event in 1989 and 1990 but discontinued it after 1990.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom opened this event in 2007, and Great Escape in 2009. Six Flags Astroworld's last season for this event was in 1997, and the event was cancelled in 1998.[3] The Great Escape's event ran only for the 2009 season as Six Flags stated that the event was successful at the park, but also claimed a "business decision" was the reason behind the cancellation of the "Holiday in the Park" for the 2010 season.[4]

Six Flags México and Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark announced they will be celebrating a Christmas event similar to Holiday in the Park but as Christmas in the Park in Mexico and Holiday in the Lodge in New York, starting winter 2012.[5]

In April 2014, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Over Georgia both announced that they will host the Holiday in the Park Christmas event in late 2014 and for future years after.[6][7]

Six Flags Great Adventure started having Holiday in the Park events in 2015.[8] In 2016, Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags America started hosting the event. In 2017, Six Flags New England began hosting the event. Six Flags Great America and Frontier City debuted Holiday in the Park in 2018.[9]

In 2022, Holiday in the Park was removed from the event lineup of several parks, including Six Flags Great America, Six Flags New England, Six Flags America, Six Flags St. Louis, and Frontier City.[10][11]

Locations

Current locations

Location First Season Months Operated Notes
Six Flags Over Texas 1985 November to January
Six Flags Over Georgia 1989 November to January Originally operated from 1989 to 1990. Reinstated the event in 2014.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas 2007 November to January The park had a Christmas event before from 1994 to 1997 as Lone Star Christmas.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 2007 November to January
Six Flags Great Escape Lodge 2012 November to January The park's resort/indoor waterpark hosts "Holiday in the Lodge." The theme park is closed during this time.
Six Flags México 2012 November to January Operates as Christmas in the Park.
Six Flags Magic Mountain 2014 November to January
Six Flags Great Adventure 2015 November to January
Six Flags St. Louis 2016 (Original) 2022 (Holiday Square) November to January After 2021 season, Holiday in the Park was reimagined and rebranded as "Holiday Square" heavily toning down the operation, but still including the core elements of lights, entertainment, characters and treats. It is paired alongside a drive through lights show, run by Worle of Imagination.

Former locations

Location First Season Last Season Months Operated
Six Flags AstroWorld 1988 1997 November to January
Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor 2009 2009 November to December
Six Flags Great America 2018[12] 2021[13] November to December
Six Flags America 2016 2021[10] November to December
Six Flags New England 2017 2021[10] November to December
Frontier City 2018 2021[10] November to January

Re-imaginations

Winter Lights

Six Flags operated Winter Lights at Six Flags Great Adventure for the 2002-2003 and 2003–2004 seasons in November through January. It was a drive through (like the previous incarnation of Safari Off Road Adventure called Six Flags Wild Safari) with Christmas lights along the road and also with holiday rides, food, and shops.[14]

Holiday in the Park Lights!

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state limitations, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags New England and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom operated Holiday in the Park Lights!. The event was specifically a light show only, with no rides operating. At Six Flags Great America, the park also ran shows during the event.[15][16][17][18]

The event re-operated one last time at Six Flags Great America for the 2021 season with the re-operation of some rides, indoor theater venues, along with the Drive-Thru experience. The event ran from November through December.[19] After this, the event was completely cut out for the 2022 season, with no word on if the event will ever happen again.[20] At Six Flags New England, the lights-only event also ran for the last time from November through January.[21]

Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience

In 2020, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Six Flags New England and Six Flags Fiesta Texas operated the Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience, which was a drive-thru experience with lights and shows, but with no rides operating. It operated only on weekdays at Great Adventure, Fiesta Texas, New England and Great America, with the normal Holiday in the Park or Holiday in the Park Lights event on the weekend, before it operated stand-alone in 2021.[22][23][24][25][26][27]

The experience operated again at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags New England from November 2021 to January 2022.[19][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Holiday in the Park". Guide to SFOT. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  2. ^ "Timeline". SixFlagsHouston.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  3. ^ "Houston's AstroWorld theme park to close". September 12, 2005.
  4. ^ Donnelly, Scott. "Great Escape cancels Holiday in the Park 2010". Post Star. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  5. ^ Six Flags Mexico (September 6, 2012). "Six Flags Mexico is ready ..." Facebook. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Six Flags Magic Mountain (April 8, 2014). "Six Flags Magic Mountain Lights Up the Season by Introducing Holiday in the Park® Event". Six Flags. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Six Flags Magic Mountain (April 28, 2014). "Six Flags Over Georgia's Holiday in the Park". Six Flags. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "News Release". Six Flags Great Adventure (Press release). Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Special Events at Six Flags Great America".
  10. ^ a b c d "Six Flags on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  11. ^ Transcribing, Motley Fool (2022-11-10). "Six Flags (SIX) Q3 2022 Earnings Call Transcript". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  12. ^ Stevenson, John (April 11, 2018). "Six Flags Great America Announces Holiday in the Park Event". Coaster101. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  13. ^ Gregory, John (2023-01-24). "Six Flags Great America sets April 22 opening date for 2023 season". Theme Park Tribune. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  14. ^ "Winter Lights at Six Flags Great Adventure". Great Adventure History. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  15. ^ "Enjoy the Holidays Safely at Six Flags' Annual Holiday in the Park® and the New Holiday in the Park Lights". www.businesswire.com. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  16. ^ "Six Flags Great America to reopen with Holiday in the Park Lights this November". WGN-TV. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  17. ^ "Holiday in the Park Lights kicks off at Six Flags New England". WWLP. 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  18. ^ "Six Flags Discovery Kingdom sets dates for 'Holiday in the Park Lights'". The Mercury News. 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  19. ^ a b Tornabene, Juliana. "Six Flags Great America park, drive-thru holiday light shows return". www.nbc15.com. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  20. ^ "Six Flags unveils annual pass program, events lineup". Fox 6 Milwaukee. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Morrison, Heather (2021-11-08). "Six Flags New England's Holiday in the Park Lights returns with more lights". masslive. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  22. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure Getting Set For 'Holiday In The Park' Drive-Thru Experience". 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  23. ^ "Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces Holiday in the Park® Drive-Thru Experience". www.businesswire.com. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  24. ^ Rodriguez, Jakob (2020-11-25). "Six Flags announces Holiday in the Park drive-thru experience". KSAT. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  25. ^ "Six Flags Great America Announces Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru". Coaster101. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  26. ^ "Six Flags announces new Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience". Times-Herald. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  27. ^ "Six Flags New England Holiday in the Park launches drive-thru experience". WWLP. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
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