It might seem a bit early, but our décor and entertainment teams have been hard at work since September prepping the park for its epic transformation into a winter wonderland.

This year, our team only has 12 days to take Carowinds from scary to merry.

Stringing Shimmering Lights

The first line of business is placing millions (yes, millions) of lights throughout the entire park. Thankfully, this is a task that is easily done while our SCarowinds event is still in full swing. You can’t see it in the darkness of our haunted scare zones, but our crews have been working tirelessly during the day to wrap trees and buildings with sparkling bulbs.

Turning the WindSeeker into a giant lighted tree is a bit harder to hide. ;)

Assembling Activities

WinterFest features a sleigh-full of holiday fun with a plethora of activities for all ages sprinkled throughout the park. Our team works hard to ensure these experieinces serve as an immersive backdrop for holiday memories, which takes time and attention to detail.

For this reason, work is well underway in Carolina Harbor, transforming the main pathways of our expansive waterpark into a decorative journey for our Horse-Drawn Carraige Rides. Snow Flake Lake, our ice-skating rink, has also already begun to take shape!

Dazzling Decor

Of course, WinterFest would not be the merriest place around without the extravagant decor our guests have come to know and love. Throughout most of our operating season, our decor team dedicates time to perfecting all of these decor pieces. These items are stored in a warehouse away from the harsh summer weather, but once Carolina Harbor is closed for the season, nutcrackers, wreaths and more takeover the waterpark for final touches. 

The centerpiece of WinterFest, our massive 70-foot tree takes lots of care to assemble. It is decorated and assembled in many pieces and requires many hands, tools and lifts to get the job done.

Parade Preparations

In 2019, we debuted our WinterFest Wonderland Parade, a larger-than-life display of all the amazing experiences around the park combined into one big merry procession. We're excited to bring this experience back for our guests in 2021! The parade floats just arrived back at the park, and our crews are working on touch ups and additions to make this event even better than the last.

Can't wait for November 13?! Season Passholders are invited to get an exclusive sneak peek at our epic transformation during our Lights & Rides Preview Event November 6 and 7.

Not a Season Passholder? Buy a 2022 Gold Season Pass now and get unlimited admission in 2022 AND access to WinterFest this year!