What better day to announce the return of Illuminations at Coca Cola Park than to do it on “Christmas In July” (IronPigs Today) night at the park? Tickets go on sale today! This season the show will run from November 14 to January 3. Also, you can book groups in the dugout suites (“nutcracker suites”) or the club level and have a holiday meal! We did that last year and it was excellent.
A night out at the park over the holidays, looking at the lights and listening to the music, sure was a cool thing this past offseason. This season it will be back with a few key improvements!
Here’s What’s New For 2025:
- More Lights! 300,000 additional lights will be added for a grand total of almost one and a half million lights!
- Carousel Rides will be available as a traditional carousel will be added
- Hayride with Mrs. Claus will be another new activity.
- A Heated Dining Tent will be added. Excellent addition as folks will be more likely to grab some of the new holiday-themed concessions if they have a place to relax and eat. Also, the heated respite station in center field last season was a big draw, and this will probably help with that as well.
- Curling Lanes! They have to be reserved and rented, I believe, but what a cool activity!
- Additional Characters: Grinch, Cousin Eddie, and others!
Here’s What’s Returning:
- S’mores at the fire pits
- Photos with Santa and Elsa
- Santa’s Workshop
- Ride the Polar Express ($)
- Shop at the Holiday Marketplace
- Get a drink at the Winter Oasis Bar (if they don’t run out like they did when I was there!)
- Igloo rentals for smaller groups (despite killing the grass)
- Scavenger Hunt, and even more Selfie Stations!
Photo: Jack Mitroka
At the end of the day it’s a really nice activity for families especially those with younger kids. Couples and younger adults may have found it a bit underwhelming, but the addition of more food and drink options, as well as the dining tent and the curling lanes might serve to change that.
See you at the park, for Illuminations!
@Kram207