If the temperature had been 30 degrees colder in Williamsburg Friday, Busch Gardens would have looked like a winter wonderland.
As it is, the park is already well on its way. Rain fell as workers hung garland, set up trees and strung millions of lights. Elves danced and welcomed media into the park Friday morning, showing the progress they’ve made in transforming Howl-O-Scream into Christmas Town.
The 10th-annual Christmas Town kicks off Nov. 17, less than three weeks after Busch Gardens closed the doors to its haunted house and other spooky attractions.
To overhaul the park in such a short period of time, Entertainment Manager of Events Matthew Edwards — who was sporting a suit checkered with Christmas lights — said the park’s 200-person decorating team is investing 10,000 man-hours of labor.
By the time they’re done they will have decorated Busch Gardens with more than 10 million lights, 20,000 ornaments, 1,500 fresh-cut trees, 900 candles, 3 miles of garland and 40 miles of power cables.
“Williamsburg has been a special place for the holidays, and Busch Gardens is an integral part of that,” park President Kevin Lembke said. “It’s tough to make the world’s most beautiful park more beautiful, but we do just that with Christmas Town.”
Click through the photos below for a sneak peek at Christmas Town.
For 2018 the park is unveiling the Christmas Town Express, which will take guests on a jolly ride around the park, full of caroling and a view of more than two million lights.
Christmas Town will also be included for park members, giving them access to all of the park’s shows, their holiday food and beverage menu and unique gifts for their annual fee.
Tickets for non-members can be bought on the Busch Gardens website.
