Saturday, November 25, 2017

'Tis The Season for Holiday In The Park at Six Flags Great Adventure


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Now in its third season at Six Flags Great Adventure, Holiday In The Park is back - brighter and merrier than ever before.  The annual celebration of the holidays is now running at Six Flags Great Adventure, giving visitors more ways to have holiday fun this year with expanded areas (13 in total!), new entertainment and more.

“Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Great Adventure not only delivers thrills, but world-class entertainment for all ages,” said Park President Neal Thurman. “This one-of-a-kind festival allows families to get away from the hustle and bustle of the season and create new traditions to enjoy for years to come.”

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After entering the park through the peacefully decorated Main Street Christmas, you'll soon come this 52 foot tall Christmas tree that performs a special light show named Holiday Magic: A Celebration of the Season.  The show takes place on the tree's surface through ever changing lights, combined with snow flakes in the air and a stirring music soundtrack.

Here is a little clip of the show, taken near the end.  The light displays on the tree are impressive even when the show is not being performed (which is about every half hour), but even more magical when accompanied by music.

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Everyone who visits Holiday In The Park will want to make sure they stop by to see Santa himself, and that's possible at his home in the North Pole section.  The trees here are lined with beautiful multicolored lights, presenting a truly festive atmosphere.  Kids age 8 and under can head inside and have their photo taken with Santa, and next door to his home they can write a letter to him and visit with talking reindeer at the North Pole Village.

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One area that I wasn't able to check out in past years is the Merry Market Place, which beckoned me from afar with its brilliant white lights.  The section features different food and beverage locations, shops, and many warm fire pits that allow for S'mores making.  If you need a little boost to keep you warm, the brand-new Yuletide Brews is a perfect choice, serving spiked hot chocolate and other tasty treats.  It was quite popular when we visited, a bit hit with visitors.

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Holiday In The Park is filled with live entertainment, some of which runs the course of the event and some for a more limited time.  Our visit included a special bonus of being able to check out the performance of the talented Holiday Express, an organization whose mission is to spread holiday cheer through various volunteer programs.

Elsewhere in the park visitors can line up to have their photos taken with special characters, such as the Peppermint Princess, Snow Queen, Poinsettia Princess and even giant toy soldiers.  Kids will also love The North Pole Research and Development show, featuring Mrs. Claus and Gizmo who discover what's new for Christmas 2017 via magical surprises and inventions.

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There are many gorgeous sights at Six Flags Great Adventure's Holiday in the Park, but this image of the totally covered facade of Skull Mountain, located in Poinsettia Peak during the event, is breathtaking in person!  The park drapes the entire front of the building in strings of crimson lights, shimmering in the darkness.

The ride inside is open as well, along with nearly 30 rides and attractions in total.  These include some of the park's big rides like Nitro, the Joker, Batman: The Ride and Superman: Ultimate Flight.  It may be a bit cold on some of the coaster rides, but it's awesome to be riding big coasters in the Northeast in December!

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With each turn into a new section of the park, there's amazing new displays to see.  This tree, for instance, is located within the Holiday Memories section.  This section features several of the park's bigger rides, along with Mistletoe Moments, where you can take some great holiday selfies.  Another live show can be found here, named Holiday Harmonies with Hotsy Totsy.  The 1950s style trio covers many popular holiday songs, located not far from warm fire pits and tasty food treats.

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New this year is the Holiday Heroes section, which is located in the area surrounding the new Justice League: Battle for Metropolis ride (which is open for the event).  The section has a red, white and blue theme along with some classic new decorations for the Justice League building.  You can also pick up some tasty treats at Munchopolis and Metro Grill while in the area admiring the lights.

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The Showcase Theater is located within Holiday Heroes, and it's home to the all-new live show called Spirit of the Season: A Holiday Celebration.  The song and dance show features a cast of super-talented performers that cover everything from holiday classics to modern hits and everything in between.  The show makes a perfect break for exploring, and allows guests to warm up and enjoy a spectacular performance.  If you're lucky, you just might get to see some snow falling during the finale, too!

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Elsewhere in the park, among the roars of Superman: Ultimate Flight and the Green Lantern coasters, Treetop Summit offers this gigantic tree formed off the park's parachute ride tower.  Many of the trees in the area are decked out in blues and greens that match the colors of some of the big attractions that are open.

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It's hard to miss the lights of Gingerbread Junction, which features giant trees that appear to be peppermint twists.  Beautiful!  This is also the home to Dot and Drop Gingerbread, who are happy to meet with guests for photos.  The land also has special holiday themed games to play, such as Knock The Elf Off The Shelf and Reindeer Roundup.

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My absolute favorite section of Six Flags Great Adventure's Holiday in the Park is Polar Point, where the beautiful blue lights snake up all the trees, with gently falling icicle lighting hung at the top.  The area is even bigger this year, and this photo doesn't even show the whole section.  For scale, you can see the lights of two flat rides in the background, rather small compared to these towering trees.


This video gives an idea of how peaceful the section is, which will also feature all new arctic globe lights that will be great for holiday photos.  Polar Point also is home to the Big Wheel, the park's Ferris wheel, and while we didn't get to take a spin I can only imagine how beautiful the view is from up top.

Also, the Polar Bar, within Polar Point, serves turkey legs, hot chocolate and more.  If you're really hungry for a full meal, I suggest stopping in at Granny's Country Kitchen in the North Pole, as they serve fried chicken, mashed potatoes, hot turkey platters and more - perfect comfort food for the holidays!

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Between the holiday shopping, special food an beverage treats, one million plus lights and other displays, towering thrill rides, and overall charm, Holiday in the Park has something for everyone.  The event takes place on select days through January 1st, 2018, see the park's website for dates and times.  It helps to dress warmly, of course, though the park has plenty of fire pits and other ways to warm up throughout the evening!

Also watch out for the upcoming special Snow Day event at Holiday in the Park, where guests can take part in the world's largest snowball fight!

Many thanks to the park for having us out to check out the event!


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