SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration returns with limited capacity

Festive fun returns with enhanced health and safety measures to SeaWorld Orlando this holiday season with SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration, happening Nov. 14 – Dec. 31.

The park will transform into a winter wonderland with more than three million lights and park-wide holiday activities in addition to the park’s attractions and animal interactions – all with physical distancing measures in place.

To bring the event to life, SeaWorld’s creative team worked with medical experts to offer a modified experience with required reservations and limited capacity. This year’s event features open-air entertainment and experiences and enhanced health and safety measures, including increased cleaning and sanitation, temperature checks, face covering requirements and physical distancing.

New offerings for this year include:

• “It’s a Wonderful Night: A New Story to Tell” – SeaWorld will bring over 30 of your favorite Christmas carols back to the stage with new surprises and lighthearted laughs. More details will be shared soon for this reimagined old favorite, coming to the Nautilus Theater with limited capacity and physical distancing.
• Ice Skating at Bayside Stadium – New for this year, guests can experience outdoor ice skating along the water of SeaWorld’s central lagoon throughout the day. Capacity will be limited to promote physical distancing and all guests must wear crew-length socks and gloves. Ice skate rentals, socks and gloves can be purchased at an additional charge.
• Hanukkah Celebration – For the first year ever, SeaWorld Orlando will celebrate the festival of lights from Dec. 10-18. Guests can gather for a socially-distant viewing of the traditional lighting of the menorah.
• Kwanzaa Festivities – Another new holiday experience for this year, SeaWorld will also celebrate Kwanzaa. Taking place from Dec. 26 – Jan. 1, guests can celebrate African heritage with the nightly lighting of the kinara.
• Photos with Santa Claus – Guests can head to Wild Arctic for a safe alternative to family photos with Santa Claus. One party at a time will meet the big guy himself in the expansive family room and have the opportunity to sit (physically distant, of course) in Santa’s sleigh with him seated above and behind, separated by a plexiglass partition. Photo packages will be available.

• Happy Holidays from Sesame Street Land – Join your favorite Sesame Street friends as they celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa with singing and dancing to holiday songs.

As for holiday shows, here’s what the park has in store:

• Rudolph’s Movie Experience – Rudolph and his friends star in this movie that will get everyone in the holiday spirit, playing daily in the Sea Port Theater with limited capacity and physical distancing. The movie experience is approximately 10 minutes long and starts every 30 minutes.
• Sea of Trees – Stroll through a wintery, watery wonderland and immerse yourself in the expansive holiday Sea of Trees in SeaWorld’s lagoon. A sparkling forest of trees will light up to music and dance to holiday classics.
• Winter Wonderland on Ice – Christmas will come to life on a stage of ice, jewels and lights during this ice skating display with physically distant seating arrangements.

Special events for this year include the return of Rudolph’s Christmas Town, featuring life-size story book vignettes of the classic tale and character encounters with Rudolph and more; and the Christmas Market, where guests can enjoy a new chef- and mixologist-created holiday menu, entertainment, and more. Limited capacity will be in place for both offerings to promote physical distancing. You can check out the full list of menu options here.

For those looking for festive dining options during the Christmas Celebration, families can enjoy Dinner with Santa in a physically-distant setting with protective food service barriers, widely-spaced single-party tables, sanitation between meals and more; or the Sesame Street Christmas Breakfast, offering the same safety measures with appearances by your favorite furry monsters.

To learn more about SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld Orlando, click here.