Letter from Leah: We’ve “Shrunk” HoliWood Nights 2022!

Honey, I Shrunk the Event! Coaster Event - June 3 & 4 at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

Dear Enthusiasts,

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard the news that we’ve “Shrunk” HoliWood Nights 2022.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the growing popularity of the event over the last few years, and we adore our Enthusiast Community—both new and long-time attendees. We know you visit for the incredible movie theme alone. Just kidding. We know you visit for trimless rides on The Voyage at night, but we also know most of you also visit for the community.

Last year, it felt like our attendees needed to choose between the community and the coaster rides, and that’s not in the spirit of HoliWood Nights. And that’s why we felt it was time to make a change.

So, our theme is “Honey, I Shrunk the Event.” And we’re running an experiment by limiting capacity. Our hypothesis is that shrinking the event in this way will improve the experience and build a stronger community. If that doesn’t prove true, we’ll adjust.

If you’re feeling stressed right now, please don’t. This is one year and one weekend. Our goal is to take the HoliWood Nights experience up to the next level, not to make you stressed or keep you away from your favorite event. We set up the form to make sure everyone gets a chance to join, not just the people who happen to be available the day and time tickets go on sale… and we don’t want to miss out on that person who waits til the last minute each year.

If you’re not sure if you’ll be able to attend, go ahead and fill out the form. If you’re selected and you’re still not sure, send us an email or a direct message. We’ll work together to find the best solution for you.  

If you typically bring a larger group, we want you to know that we chose to limit the group size to make sure as many people as possible have the chance to attend. If you still hope to bring a larger group, please fill out multiple forms, and make a note for us in the “Why you wish to attend HoliWood Nights” box, and we’ll do our best to keep you together.

If you’re curious to know what the selection process is like, we’re giving weight to long-time attendees of HoliWood Nights, but that doesn’t mean we’re only letting long-time visitors attend. We hope we can see plenty of new enthusiasts/new HoliWood Nights Attendees as well!  Anyone with a record of rider misconduct or behavioral misconduct at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari should not expect to receive a code.

In the meantime, don’t overthink it. If we don’t see you at HoliWood Nights, we hope to see you sometime this summer. Your partner club memberships still include discounts on tickets and Season Passes to the park!

Podcast: Season 3, Episode 23: The One with the Elves

We are Holiday World and we LOVE holidays.
We also happen to reside in Santa Claus, Indiana so Christmas is a big deal here!

In this episode, we dive into Santa letters and our inaugural All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Santa’s Merry Marketplace! Nell shares a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the magic that makes Santa letters happen!

What you need to know about writing Santa letters!
Since 1914 the town of Santa Claus has taken on the task of receiving and responding
to Dear Santa letters from all over the world!

If you want a response from the elves, please send your letter by December 18 to:
PO Box 1
Santa Claus, Indiana, 47579

Make sure your return address is clearly written and our elves will get you a response!

Can I write them in Santa Claus, Indiana?
Absolutely! Click here to plan out your visit!

Want to help the magic?
The Santa Claus Museum & Village is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the history of the town of Santa Claus, Indiana and perpetuating the tradition of answering letters to Santa. You can support them by clicking here!

Interested in volunteering? 
Email elf@santaclausmuseum.org or leave a message at 812-455-2434

December is an exceptionally busy month in Santa Claus, Indiana!

After you finish writing your letter at the Santa Claus museum, you can come to eat at Holiday World!
The community draws large crowds and there is a need for places to eat, so we will be open on
December 11 for the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Santa’s Merry Marketplace!

From 3-7 pm CST, Santa’s Merry Marketplace will be serving favorite food items that we regularly offer there!  Our team planned the buffet to work well with other events going on in town, like the Santa Claus Town Fireworks on December 4 and the Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 11. Be sure to check the Santa Claus Tourism page for details about all the activities in Santa Claus!

Last week we sold out several time slots, so be sure to purchase your parties tickets early! 
It was great to see family members gathering for a fun family meal in Merry Marketplace.

We hope to see you and yours this weekend!

Get Tickets Now

 

 

Have something to share with us or feedback, reach out here:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

2022 Season Passes are now $35 off now through January 5!
Head to HolidayWorld.com/Passes for all the details.

Subscribe Links:

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Podcast: S3E22 – The One With More Self-Promotion Than Usual

Not sure what to get someone for Christmas?
Try one of our #NiftyGiftys! Cranberries are not included.

 

Leah K, Matt E, Matt B, Lauren C, Nell H and Sabrina talk through
Holiday World gift options and how-to gift experiences!

This episode was recorded on November 8 so we hope that gives you plenty
of time to beat that December 15 shipping deadline for your gifts to arrive!

Have something to share with us or feedback, reach out here:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

2022 Season Passes are now $35 off now through January 5!
Head to HolidayWorld.com/Passes for all the details.

Subscribe Links:

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All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Santa’s Merry Marketplace

Light it Blue - Christmas Fountain

One glance at the 2021 Christmas Event Guide will tell you that Santa Claus is a hopping place in December!

2020 proved to be a VERY busy year in our magical town full of Holiday activities.
We wanted to give festive fun-seekers an additional option for dining, so the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Santa’s Merry Marketplace was created!

Tickets are on sale now, click here to purchase them now!

When will the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Santa’s Merry Marketplace take place?

On December 4 and 11, from 3-7 pm CST, Santa’s Merry Marketplace will be serving favorite food items that we regularly offer there!  Our team planned the buffet to work well with other events going on in town, like the Santa Claus Town Fireworks on December 4 and the Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 11. Be sure to check the Santa Claus Tourism page for details about all the activities in Santa Claus!

How does it work?

Guests will pick an hour-long time slot that their group would like to eat. You can arrive as early as 3 pm to shop and play, but make sure you are in line at Santa’s Merry Marketplace for the start time of your dinner. Guests should plan to arrive early to take full advantage of their time slot, do some shopping, and enjoy activities like face painting that will be available for purchase. Tickets must be purchased in advance at HolidayWorld.com/Buffet

How much does it cost?

Adult meals will be $19.99, Children 4-10 years old are $14.99 and include a take-home cookie kit, and Children three and under eat for free.  Cookies kits will be available at Candy Cane Confectionary for purchase. Tickets are on sale now, click here to reserve your time slot now! We’ll be limiting the number of guests per session, so if you have your heart set on a session, be sure to purchase early!

What’s on the menu?

We plan to serve a true taste of Holiday World, featuring favorites from Santa’s Merry Marketplace and Plymouth Rock Cafe! Expect to see items from Santa’s Merry Marketplace like pizza and breadsticks, chicken tenders, and orange chicken. The menu will also include Plymouth Rock Cafe favorites like green beans, mac n cheese, and chicken and dumplings. Of course, guests won’t leave without a sweet treat! We plan to serve items like brownies, sugar cookies, jello cups, and dirt pudding.

Will the rides, shops, or games be open?

Rides will not be opening, but we’ll have a Santa letter-writing station, face painting, Saint Nick’s Gift Shop, and fudge available for purchase in the park. Weather permitting, Skee Ball will be available in the Christmas Plaza.  If you choose a 6 pm time slot and plan to use that full time for eating, be sure to arrive early to get your shopping done before they close at 7 pm when all games and shops will close.

Where should I park?

Please park in the Raven Parking lot, it will open at 2 pm.  

How can I get my tickets?

Tickets are available online now! Click the button below to reserve your time slot. Now is a great time to browse the Spencer County Tourism page to maximize your time in Santa Claus this Christmas season!

Buy Now!

 

 

 

Important reminder: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is on Central Standard Time.

Be sure to subscribe to our e-newsletter so that you’ll get event information and off-season updates all winter long!  Sign up here and you can choose whether to receive the emails weekly or the same day the blog posts are published.

 

Veteran’s Day 2021

“Thank You.”

The phrase seemed insufficient and I felt unworthy as I wrote down the names, military branch, and years of service of each of the men pictured.

Standing before me was a combined 70 years of military service.

They were the only words I had, but thanks and on behalf of our veterans, we have such a great country to call our home.
We want to acknowledge our very own team members who have answered the call to serve our country.
We offer up our sincerest appreciation to you!

Our veterans from left to right front row:

  • Elmer, United States Army
  • Jerry, United States Army
  • Todd, United States Army
  • Ethan, United States Army
  • Billy, United States Army

Our veterans from left to right back row:

  • John, United States Coast Guard
  • Jeremy, United States Marine Corp

  • Josh, United States Marine Corp
  • Jeff, United States Army National Guard
  • Josh, United States Army
  • Joe, United States Air Force

Thank you to these – and all other veterans – for their service to our country.

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How do you measure fun?

A few weeks ago, a question popped into my head. 

How many soft drinks do we really give away each year? 

The answer? Approximately 5,000,000. 

That led me to another question: can we measure fun? 

If you’re a data nerd like me, the answer is OF COURSE! 

So I asked some questions of many of our departments. Here are some of our favorite numbers from the 2021 Season: 

Click here to download a high-resolution version.

Fun Facts about the 2021 Season. Holiday World welcomes approx. 1 mil guests, gave away 283,000 gallons of free soft drinks and 57,600 ounces of free sunscreen for a total of $11,741,382 in freebies given away.

Disclosing assumptions behind the $11.7 Million figure: 

  • 50% of soft drinks consumed were water, would not have been purchased otherwise, or would have been included in a meal
  • Price of $2.99 per 12-ounce cup of soda 
  • Approximately 3 and 1/3 Guests per car
  • Parking price of $15 per car

Kind of cool to think our Guests saved $11 millionin freebies this year! 

And if that’s not enough, we pulled some more numbers together for you

They’re a little less… precise than our first infographic, but just as fun!

 

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Season 3 Episode 19 – The One With the In-Park Interviews – Again!

Cast of The Monster Mash Stage Show

We’ve got pumpkin to say about Happy Halloween Weekends!

 

On September 24, Sabrina carted around the park to find her ghoul-friends, Lauren & Lexi, to talk about family fun, fall favorites, and festive fare.
The first half, Lauren shares everything we are loving about Happy Halloween Weekends!!

The Day at a Glance tool was mentioned, click the image below to not miss a single trick or treat!!
Monster Mash | Happy Halloween Weekends at Holiday World

Next, Sabrina head to the kitchen with our Food and Beverage Director, Lexi to see what she’s been brewing.
We won’t spoil the episode here, but click on the picture below to see the full menu with items listed by the restaurant!

New Food Spread 2019

We don’t want to leaf you out of the fun in 2022; our Season Passes are currently $55 off!
Get your 2022 pass at the lowest prices of the year! Head to HolidayWorld.com/Passes for all the details.

We hope you enjoy the podcast and love it when you share feedback with us on social media!
Be sure to tag Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube posts.

We LOVE to hear back from our podcast listeners, you can submit questions and feedback in the following ways:
Email us: podcast@holidayworld.com
Leave a voicemail: Phone (812)-937-4401 Ext. 8081
Reach out on social media: @holidayworld using #HoWoPo

Subscribe to the HoWoPo from any of these Links:

Sweepstakes: Platinum Season Pass Giveaway

Happy Halloween Weekends are kicking off September 25, and we’re so excited! Bring on the Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cakes, the pumpkin pie flurries, and… all the fall treats! 

But the start of Happy Halloween Weekends also means we’re starting to look forward to next year. We’ve already announced our plans for more work on The Legend this coming off-season, and Season Passes are on sale. Shameless plug: The best time to buy is always right now! We tend to offer Black Friday deals on Any Day tickets for the following year, not Season Passes, so don’t wait! Our deepest discounts are only available through October 14.

We’re so excited, we’re giving away a pair of Platinum Season Passes for the 2022 Season! Our winner will enjoy all the fun of summer 2022 AND Happy Halloween Weekends Sundays this year!Hotel plus Happy Halloween Weekends One-Day Ticket

Here’s what you’ll win:

  • Two Platinum Season Passes for the 2022 Season [ARV $ 320] and all the perks that come with a Platinum Season Pass:
    • Free entry for all days Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is open to the public
    • Free entry on Sundays of Happy Halloween Weekends during the 2021 Season
    • 20% Discount on food and merchandise
    • Six flexible Bring a Friend for $25 tickets that can be used on any non-Saturday we’re open to the public
    • Bonus Bring a Friend for $25 days 
    • Monthly $1 deal food specials 
    • PLUS access to Platinum Season Passholder Party and Season Passholder Preview Day in 2022! 

But first, please read through these instructions and rules:

  • You must be at least 21 years old to enter and you must not have won tickets from Holiday World in the past 12 months.
  • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari and Koch Development Corporation (and the immediate family members of employees) are not eligible to enter.
  • By entering, you agree to be added to our e-newsletter list (you may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions in your email).
  • Use the widget, below, to enter daily. There are lots of options, so you can earn extra entries by tweeting about this contest. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and visit us on our Facebook page. (We’d love it if you’d leave us a Facebook Recommendation while you’re there!) You can even claim a bonus entry once a day! You can also earn entries by commenting on our blog below. Just tell us which Platinum Season Pass perk you’d enjoy the most. 
  • All prizes are non-transferable and not for resale. Each winner is solely responsible for reporting and paying all applicable taxes related to the prize(s). Tickets to Holiday World must be picked up at Holiday World. 

Ready to enter?

Be sure to enter by Wednesday, October 6, at 10:00 am CDT, when we’ll choose a winner at random.

Good luck to all!
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The Year of the Virtual Lucite

Wildebeest & Mammoth Water Coasters

We at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari look forward to the Golden Ticket Awards by Amusement Today every year. My dad used to call it “Bringing home the lucite.” 

Will Koch receives "World's Cleanest Park" award in 2007

Historically, the awards have been hosted by many parks through the years–including three times at Holiday World. It’s always been fun to spend time with colleagues and celebrate our collective successes of the year. We missed it a lot last year.  

This year, the Golden Ticket Awards were virtual. While we missed the excitement of some of the coolest minds of the industry in one room, it was great to see the familiar faces back on my screen to claim their awards. 

Also if you know me, then you know it was also great to celebrate our own awards this year:  

I’m thrilled to announce that this year Wildebeest won Best Water Park Attraction in the world, and Cheetah Chase won Best New Water Park Attraction of 2020/2021. 

We’re doing a happy dance, and I hope you could see it in our acceptance videos on Amusement Today’s Facebook Page

It’s cool to think that this is Wildebeest’s 11th award for Best Water Park Attraction, and 12th award total (it also received #1 New Water Park Attraction in 2010). I recently heard a story that after my dad rode Wildebeest for the first time, he came back to the office (I have to imagine still soaking wet), and told one of our accountants, “We knocked it out of the park with this one.”

Wildebeest Family

While he never got to see Wildebeest win an award, I know he would be proud to see that today we’re now the Water Coaster Capital of the World. I’m certain he would be even more proud to see the top five rankings of water coasters in 2021:

     1. Wildebeest, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana

     2. Krakatau, Universal’s Volcano Bay, Orlando, Florida

     3. Mammoth, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana

     4. Cheetah Chase, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana

     5. Master Blaster, Schlitterbahn, New Braunfels, Texas

It’s incredible to think that three of the four best water park attractions in the world are located right here in Santa Claus, Indiana!

And to see that Cheetah Chase took home the prize for best new Water Park Attraction of 2021. Cheetah Chase Water Coaster

As a bonus, it’s exciting that The Voyage is holding steady at #2 wooden roller coaster, and that we’re keeping all our wooden coasters in such great shape that they’re all still in the top 25 in the world. 

While the lucite may have been virtual, and the winners were farther apart than usual, it’s great to see the awards continue. Even if the lucite was virtual last week, the pride in our park and our excitement for the other parks was real. Congratulations to all the parks who were finalists and winners! It’s truly an honor. 

Thank you to the voters, Amusement Today, our Team Members who make the ride experience incredible from start to finish, our maintenance team who keeps them running smoothly, and to ProSlide, the designers of all three of our water coasters. 

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Another Legendary Coaster Project

The Legend Wooden Roller Coaster

In case you’re not a “read all the way through a blog” kind of person, please note that The Legend will close early for the season starting October 2 so we can get a jump start on our intensive off-season maintenance project. The last weekend to ride will be September 25-26. We’re excited to deliver an even more legendary experience than ever before in 2022. Now humor us and read more below. 

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If you’re a fan of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari–especially in recent years–you’ll know that we believe strongly in preserving the art of wooden coasters. Starting back in 2016, with The Legend: Reborn project, we started taking on bigger off-season projects than we had in a long time, and we’re hooked. 

In 2017-2019, we focused a lot of attention on The Voyage, and in 2020, we redid the “Lake Turn” on The Raven. 

This year, we’re going back to The Legend. As many of you may know, I’m very partial to The Legend–it is my “sister coaster” after all. And yet, many of our Guests have called my favorite coaster here their least favorite. 

And yes, it tends to be the lowest-ranked of our three wooden coasters, but it just moved up back into the top 25 yesterday in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards rankings. 

The Legend Flag Set.

I get it though. The Legend was designed for lateral (side-to-side) G-forces. Laterals are often an acquired taste. Everyone loves airtime (that feeling of weightlessness caused by negative G-forces).  But you won’t overhear a ton of coaster nerds bragging about lateral G-forces. And that’s how this coaster has gone underappreciated for a while: just like it would be weird to compare Rembrandt to Warhol, or Mozart to Paul McCartney. It’s weird to me to judge an airtime machine against a lateral machine. 

Laterals are different. And I like that this coaster delivers an experience truly unlike any other. 

And yes, I’ll stop comparing roller coasters to great artists now and get on to the exciting work coming up. The Legend | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari

We’ve been planning this project for a while. But it’s been officially on our docket since we finished up The Raven’s Lake Turn this past season, and we’re excited to be partnering with Gravity Group to work on the top two layers of track in the second half of the helix, the spiral, and more. That said, we weren’t sure how the off-season would look this year, but in order to build in time for weather and for our team of eight to take on this tremendous project in addition to the regular track repairs they need to make every season, it all stacked up (get it?) to too much for the regular November – April timeline, which means it’ll close early this year. 

The last weekend for The Legend in 2021 will be September 25-26. Don’t miss it. 

We’re sorry if you’re going to miss it this year, but the result will be a smoother-than-ever-before experience that will truly make this ride Legendary. It’ll be so great, you won’t want to look back. Woodn’t you know, a few adjustments will make this ride more comfortable and re-rideable than ever. 

Anyway, as my puns and I digress, I am genuinely so excited to see The Legend getting even more improvements headed its way, and I can’t wait to see what The Gravity Group and our talented shop of wooden coaster technicians can do. And don’t worry–those laterals won’t be going anywhere. 

I have a good feeling that after this project, you won’t want to look back.

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