The lights are on and beautiful, and the cocoa is hot and full of marshmallows. And this year you’re going to want to bring your ice skates. Holiday Magic is in full swing at the Washington State Fairgrounds and Stacey from the Fair is hanging out with us.
Click PLAY to catch the magical Christmas happening in Puyallup this year.
Catch hope & encouragement with Erica on weekday mornings from 5:00 AM – 10:00 AM, and Sundays from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
TRANSCRIPTION:
Erica:
The lights are on and beautiful, and the cocoa is hot and full of marshmallows. And this year you’re going to want to bring your ice skates. Holiday Magic is in full swing at the Washington State Fairgrounds. And Stacey from the Fair is hanging out with us. Merry Christmas. How are you? I’m
Stacey:
Good, how are you?
Erica:
Well, you know me, I’m just excited for Christmas. So what’s new this year, Stacey at Holiday Magic.
Stacey:
So, as we know, this started in 2020 during the Pandemic. We were looking for a way to get people together safely and get out of the house, and it was a drive-through. And then in 2021, it was our first walkthrough, but we still had a lot of restrictions. So, really last year was kind of our first year without any pandemic restrictions, and we made it a little bigger, a little brighter. But this year it is amazing. I mean, I almost cried when I saw it all the first day. It’s beautiful. I love Christmas and I love lights, and I just love all the festivities. So one of the biggest things that is lighting up the sky around here is we have a Ferris wheel this year. The cool thing about this event is that the rides are included, which never happens at the Fair, as most people know. We brought in a Ferris wheel this year, the Wonder Wheel, and it’s just this beautiful backdrop when you’re up there, you can see everything.
So, that is probably the number one thing that guests are liking that’s new this year. We also have an area called Santa’s Clubhouse that is new and that is Santa. So we have not had Santa this event before. And so Santa and all of his cheerful friends are in there, and you can walk through and meet them. There’s a custom cocoa bar in there. It’s decorated super cute. And so you can walk through and you can meet Frosty and Rudolph and a gingerbread man. And then of course, Mr. And Mrs. Claus, and you can get a free photo with them. No reservations needed. They’re here every day. So, that’s been really exciting for the kiddos. Yes. And then we have turned one of our barns into an area called “Let It Snow.” You enter it and it’s basically this snowfall sensation. So you’re surrounded by these trees, you kind of feel like you’re in the middle of a snowy forest. Great for selfies and things.
Erica:
Okay, wait, Stacey, my little Christmas heart is beating so fast. I love that. What else you got going on this year?
Stacey:
So another new thing is called the Holiday Selfie Studio because what would an event at Christmas, or well any event, be without a bunch of selfie ops, right? So we have got some fabulous holiday themed selfies. Again, we took one of our barns, and you walk in and there’s just under 20 different selfie things you can do. One of them, you can get in a Barbie Box, Holiday Barbie. We have a Taylor Swift one. We’ve got some great traditional ones. We’ve even got one that’s really neat. You stand behind it and it just shows your silhouette with a star above you. It’s kind of like a manger would be. Wow. And then speaking of a manger, I might as well skip over to something that everybody loves is back. We have a live nativity manger, because we’re the fair. So why wouldn’t we have live animals? And that is a donkey and a mini cow and a goat and a sheep. And they are so social. So that is beautiful. And that’s in the barn where we usually have piglet palace and it really looks like a manger. It’s gorgeous, and they’re so fun to talk to. We also brought in ax throwing this year and putt-putt golf and VR gaming, Christmas themed and face painting. We have a scavenger hunt where you can look for little gnomes around the ground and turn in a punch card at the end for some little prizes. So lots of little surprises and delights. And then some returning favorites are the other rides. We have Santa’s Express Train and a Sugar Plum Merry-Go-Round. And again, all included with admission. And then ice skating, of course. And ice skating is one of the few things that is an additional cost, but it’s still just $10 and includes skate rentals, $8 if you’ve got your own. Yeah, you can take a spin around it. And it’s surrounded by a holiday market for shopping.
Erica:
Come on.
Stacey:
So lots of things for everybody. And then of course, Santa’s Village where you can see how his toys are made and go into Mrs. Claus’s kitchen and get some milk and cookies. So that’s very, very cute. And then we do a Salvation Army Toy Drive too. When you enter, if you drop off new unwrapped toys for the Salvation Army, for those in need, you can be entered to win tickets to all kinds of events here. And then also a tour of the Almond Roca factory, which they never do.
Erica:
My mouth just watered.
Stacey:
And the Salvation Army is a great organization, so we love partnering with them on that.
Erica:
It’s a win-win. Stacey, first of all, you had me at Cocoa Bar right there, but what I want to ask you is I love holiday magic, because let’s say you’ve got family in town and after a while you’ve said everything there is to say, you’re all caught up and maybe you need a little break. This is the perfect place to go, right?
Stacey:
Yes. That’s a very nice way to put that. When there’s nothing left to talk about with your extensive family.
Erica:
Yep.
Stacey:
Yes, absolutely. And this has become really, I’ve noticed when I’m out there, an event for everybody. So, for those with small children, for teenagers, for date night, girls night… we’ve seen it all. And then, like you said, we’ve seen extended families. We’ve seen parties of 15 show up here because they have relatives in town and they’re really looking for things to do. And we have a lot that’s indoors and outdoors. So, it’s kind of the perfect blend. And then of course we have food. So we have a few favorites from the Fair, a few favorites from the Taste Northwest. And so there’s about 12 food vendors, savory and sweet. Again, something for everyone.
Erica:
Okay. Stacey, from Holiday Magic at the Fair, I can’t wait to go. This sounds absolutely magical. It’s aptly named. Thanks for hanging out with us.
Stacey:
Alright, talk to you later.
Erica:
Take care, my friend. Merry Christmas.
Stacey:
Merry Christmas.
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