Holiday World opens for 68th season; The Travel Channel production to film special
Santa Claus — Holiday World theme park opens for its 68th season this Saturday with the first sailing of the Mayflower swinging ship ride.
“Since 2006, when we expanded Holiday World to include a Thanksgiving-themed section, we’ve received hundreds of suggestions to add a classic swinging ship ride and name it the Mayflower,” says park president Matt Eckert. “We have a three-year Thanksgiving celebration plan for our park, and this is just the start.”
The new family ride will carry up to 60 riders at a time, swinging in an arc 54-feet-high over a pool of water.Additional projects for this season include:
• Friday Night Fireworks Friday evenings from June 13 through August 1
• Extended Splashin’ Safari hours
• Mrs. Klaus’ Kitchen makeover, including a new home for Santa Claus
• Summer Fun Card program, for multi-day summer visits
• New Wildebeestro restaurant and Safari Outpost shop in Splashin’ Safari
Eckert stated the cost of this year’s improvements totaled $8 million. Ticket prices for Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari did not increase from last season.
On May 10, a production crew from Hollywood will spend the day at Holiday World to capture the enhanced theming of the park’s Christmas section for a new holiday special for The Travel Channel.
Holiday World will be open weekends starting May 3. Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari will be open daily starting May 16. For more information, visit HolidayWorld.com or call 1-800-467-2682.
