Winter Wonderland
Worlds of Fun’s Winterfest 2017 is bringing light to this year’s Christmas story.
Winterfest had a large collection of decorations, including these colorful candy decorations in their first year of operation at Worlds of Fun. Photo by Chrystian Noble.
Walking in a winter wonderland is definitely one way to describe Worlds of Fun’s newest conquest: Winterfest. This Christmas extravaganza includes joyful decorations, a handful of seasonal attractions and of course, some of the classic rollercoasters.
LHS students have yet to discover Winterfest since it’s WOF’s first year trying out the new festivities. With plenty of interactive and kid friendly activities, this event will surely attract the attention of people all over. Despite the cold December temps, families will enjoy KC’s most recent gift.
“Winterfest is an incredible celebration of the Christmas season and all the festivities that go with it,” said Worlds of Fun Makeup Supervisor Connie Reiser. “There will be several music shows to see, and many specialty characters to interact with including Jack Frost, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Candy Cane, a Toy Soldier and Christmas Carol.”
Reiser is excited for WOF’s winter edition of the park and the alternative methods used to maintain seasonal enjoyment.
“Everything will be family-oriented at Winterfest,” Reiser said. “Santa will be there. There will be cookie decorating with elves. I hear they will even make it snow.”
With Thanksgiving now having passed, it’s important to recognize the sheer effort needed to not only provide the means for entertainment but also exhibit the right attractions. While this event may be seen as a family centered occasion, Worlds of Fun welcomes people of all ages to attend.
Sophomore Jimmy Lam is also excited for Winterfest this year. Lam spends his weekends working at Worlds of Fun yet occasionally attends as a guest.
Nevertheless, he supports their decision to experiment with family festivities and has more information about why it is being done in the first place.
“Worlds of Fun decided to do Winterfest this year because all of the other Cedar Fair parks had things similar to Winterfest,” Lam said. “Worlds of Fun decided they wanted to give it a try this year.”
Worlds of Fun employee senior Austin Hays can attest to the claims of a lively new environment regarding Winterfest attractions.
“I think that with all the live entertainment stuff that’s going on like the shows and parades, it’s going to be a blast,” Hays said. “I think the most popular attraction that’s going to be open is probably the Santa’s Parade. If not, the Prowler because it’s one of the few rollercoasters that’s fast and open.”
Hays was originally not anticipating the best outcome from Winterfest due to Missouri’s unpredictable weather, but later changed his mind to a more positive view.
“One of my favorite attractions is the ice skating rink, which is brand new,” said Hays. “This is really fun because the closest ice skating rink that I know of is in Kansas City so it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Winterfest will be open from November 24 to December 30 on nights previously selected. Some of the main attractions planned include Let It Snow, Sounds of Nativity, Rickshaw Rudy’s and much more.
Let It Snow, led by Jack Frost, ensures snow every 15 minutes in the Hometown Square accompanied by shows and an enormous Christmas tree. A Bethlehem themed area exhibiting live animals will feature Sounds of Nativity. This attraction is held in the Africa Plaza from 5:30 P.M.-9:30 P.M.
Alongside this, Rickshaw Rudy’s contains an assortment of holiday movies and decorations based on many different festivities.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together,” Reiser said. “I’ve been watching our seamstresses make all the costumes and they are beautiful. Everyone is decorating the park on a grand scale. I can’t wait to get into the park and see it.”
