If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to flip one of America’s top scream parks into a family-friendly Christmas village — complete with a two-mile light drive-through — the short answer is: a whole lot more than people realize.
And it all begins with one big job: getting rid of anything spooky.
Step One: Clearing Out Halloween
As soon as Halloween wraps up, crews jump straight into removing every bit of the haunt season. Signs, sets, props, photo scenes, specialty lighting, and even entire themed areas get taken down or covered. The Voodoo Lounge gets a complete makeover before it reopens as The Elf’s Lounge, and the Creepy Café is redressed into Mrs. Claus’s Snack Shack. The VIP Room, Phobia queue line, and Dee’s Food Station get cleared out too, making space for Whoville, kids’ rides, and the Polar Petting Zoo.
The only thing that survives the season change?
Those iconic skeletons — they just trade their haunt costumes for festive outfits.
And keep in mind: at this point, not a single Christmas light has been hung yet.
Building a Village From Scratch
Once the park is officially “de-spooked,” the next major project begins: assembling the 35-foot Christmas tree. It arrives in large stacked sections — almost like building a giant, three-tiered cake. After the frame is locked together, branches get attached piece by piece until the whole thing comes to life. It’s a centerpiece that takes hours to build… and only minutes for guests to fall in love with.
From there, the village starts taking shape. Crews outline rooftops in lights, place new photo ops, decorate walkways, and convert the haunt roamers’ locker room into a Christmas character lounge. Everyone gets their own spot — even the Grinch, who now has fewer reasons to complain.
The 2-Mile Drive-Through: The Biggest Lift of All
Rebuilding the drive-through is, without question, the most time-consuming part of the transformation. Each year, the route is reshaped, displays are moved or re-angled, and more than 3.8 million lights are installed across fields, woods, and open spaces.
Every one of the eight themed lands is re-created by hand. Travel Around the World Land, one of the biggest guest favorites, is rebuilt piece by piece — complete with glowing versions of Paris, Australia, the UK, Egypt, Africa, and more. It’s a global tour without ever reaching for a passport.
This phase takes serious teamwork. And a lot of late nights.
The Final Touches
Before the gates reopen, the crew gives the front half of the park a huge makeover. Ticket booths, the entry plaza, and all public-facing areas get dressed for the holiday season.
Meanwhile, the marketing team is flipping everything at lightning speed — graphics, signage, social media, website, ads, scripts, maps, and more. Within days, the entire park’s identity shifts from haunted trails and monsters… to Santa, snowflakes, and Christmas magic.
When you put it all together — rides, characters, treats, the petting zoo, themed lands, and a massive drive-through — the scale of the transformation is enormous. And doing it all in under two weeks is something very few parks in the country pull off.
The Team Behind the Magic
None of this happens without a core group of employees who drop everything and dive into the transformation process. They work long days, adjust plans on the fly, and bring an incredible amount of pride to the job. Much of their work is behind the scenes, but it’s the reason Christmas Glow looks the way it does.
To our year-round team: thank you. Your skill, dedication, and hustle are what make this event possible.
Opening Night Is Almost Here
The lights are up, the displays are shining, and the tree is standing tall. Now the only thing missing is you.
Land of Illusion’s Christmas Glow opens nightly starting November 20 through December 24, closed Christmas Day, and open drive-through only from December 26–30.
We can’t wait to celebrate the season with you. 🎄✨