Best Theme Park Holiday Event (2019)

Branson's Silver Dollar City gets decked in 6.5 million colorful, twinkling lights during its annual holiday celebration, An Old Time Christmas. It’s bigger and brighter than ever in 2019, with festivities centered on an 8-story-tall special effects Christmas tree, with 1,000 other decorated trees around the park, two Broadway-style holiday productions and an illuminated parade featuring Rudolph and his reindeer friends.
Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City

Celebrate the season Dolly Parton-style at a Smoky Mountain Christmas in Dollywood. In addition to the Smokies' most spectacular lights display, festivities include a live stage performance, nightly lights parade, It's a Wonderful Life stage show and meet-and-greets with Rudolph and his friends.
Photo courtesy of Dollywood

Kings Island seeks to recreate the feeling of an old fashioned winter during their annual WinterFest celebration. The event kicks off the weekend before Thanksgiving and includes ice skating, a holiday market filled with trinkets and toys, holiday treats, millions of lights and a 314-foot-tall Christmas tree, built around the park’s Eiffel Tower.
Photo courtesy of Kings Island

Kicking off in mid-November, Christmas Fantasy with Lights transforms Storybook Land into a winter wonderland with a special holiday parade, visits with Santa and more than a million lights illuminating the park. All rides and attractions remain open during the event.
Photo courtesy of Storybook Land

The colorful lights of decorated trees reflect in the lake during SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration in Orlando. Visitors are invited to watch world-famous skaters twirl across the ice, visit with Santa, shop a lakeside Christmas market, sample holiday treats, snap a photo with Rudolph or Countdown to Christmas with sea lion celebrities Clyde and Seamore. 
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando

Nine dazzling shows pair with lights, rides and of course, Santa, at Busch Gardens Tampa's beloved annual event. Carol of the Bells is one such dazzler, coordinating tens of thousands of Christmas lights to holiday music while the Three Kings Journey show pulls together talented singers who harmonize the tale of that famous road trip to Bethlehem. Christmas on Ice, meanwhile, demonstrates daring skating feats set to classic festive tunes with a snowy finale.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

While it's Christmastime year-round at Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, the park pulls out all the stops for its annual Christmastime celebration each winter. Park goers can ride more than a dozen different rides during the event, while the park is illuminated in holiday lights.
Photo courtesy of Santa's Village

When Christmas Town takes over Busch Gardens Williamsburg, park guests are in for a holiday treat! More than 10 million twinkling lights comprise one of America's largest Christmas light displays, while guests enjoy festive food and drink (like the park's signature peppermint fudge hot chocolate), holiday shows and visits with Santa at the North Pole.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Williamsburg

It’s always pretty Christmas-y at Santa’s Workshop in North Pole, New York, but things get even more cheery during Yuletide Family Weekends. Special events include a trim the tree party, with an official inspection by Rowdy the Rascal Reindeer, as well as caroling, magic shows, holiday storytelling and a visit from Santa himself.
Photo courtesy of North Pole, NY

Kennywood is illuminated with some 2 million lights during the Holiday Lights celebration. Local choirs perform holiday favorites while guests take pictures with Santa, ride the Gingerbread Express, watch The Polar Express 4-D Experience or gape at a choreographed spectacle of lights over the lagoon.
Photo courtesy of Kennywood