Seattle: get festive at Wild Waves Holiday With Lights

Wild Waves and Enchanted Village was such a huge part of my childhood, and I’m embarrassed to admit my kids have never been to either. We drive past it plenty and we’ve talked for years about making it happen, but we always ended up getting booked with travel and never made it happen.

When I heard about the Wild Waves Holiday With Lights throughout the month of December, I knew we needed to make it happen. So, I was thrilled to be invited to the Holiday With Lights Opening Night VIP Event this weekend so we could check out all the happenings and finally introduce the kiddos to the parks.What is Wild Waves Holiday with Lights? On select dates in December you can experience the fun and magic of holidays at Wild Waves. Enjoy a high speed roller coaster, a magical carousel, and the whole range of amusement park rides in between. You can also see shows, write letters to Santa, do holiday themed crafts, enjoy the magic of over a million holiday lights throughout the parks, take pictures with Santa’s helpers, and even visit with Santa himself. It truly is magical fun for all ages. We got to kick off Holiday with Lights by watching the official Tree Lighting Ceremony with carols performed by Maple View Middle School. From there we enjoyed the laser light show, which was really fun for kids as well as adults. The live laser show “Lights Aglow – Laser Spectacular” has laser beams that dance on a giant projection screen and throughout the mist-filled air so guests are surrounded by colorful light, animated images all perfectly choreographed to make sure everyone gets in the holiday spirit. The show includes popular and classic Christmas music that will get everyone dancing around while enjoying the show. After the shows, we headed to TOY LAND to experience Holiday with Lights that is perfect for littler kids. Then we headed to the snow tent to giggle and collect snow on our hats.
Throughout December kids can visit to create special Holiday crafts, write letters to Santa and then drop those letter in a unique “Direct to the North Pole” mailbox. And, I love that Santa will be available each day for kids to meet and greet and give him their wishlist, as well as getting a memorable picture. We had a great meeting with Santa and then it was off for some big-kid rides. Although our little one could ride everything in TOY LAND and of course the holiday carousel, there were some really fun fast-paced rides that were perfect for my older two who love rides of all kinds. We rode hang gliders together, hopped on a rocking ship, and did some loop-de-loops on a high speed roller coaster.
After that, we went on some kiddie rides and let the little one do a few activities before she got too sleepy.
TOY LAND has two new show Holiday with Lights:

“Toy Time Fun” – Mrs. Claus has turned over Christmas party planning to tow jolly toys, Ann and Andy. Despite the chaos and confusion, dancing and laughs ensure the party is a huge success.

“JOY! A Sweet Candy Adventure” – an interactive audience treat that is perfect for young kids. In the show, Jack Frost can’t keep the candy makers at the North Pole from delivering delicious treats when “JOY! A Sweet Candy Adventure” warms even the coldest hearts.
Other events:
Toys For Tots toy drive – happening Dec 3, 8, 9 and 10. Guests who bring a new, unwrapped toy to Wild Waves can purchase a $15 ticket for use on that same day! And for those who just want to drop off a toy to help a child can do that during non-operating days by dropping by the Human Resources building at the park. Donations will be accepted until December 10. Mistletoe, Reindeer in Training is also new this year. You can follow along on Twitter and Instagram as Mistletoe the reindeer goes on a special mission directly from Santa. Every year Santa sends out a few select reindeer to learn about the true holiday spirit and work toward being the back up team for Santa’s sleigh.

This year Mistletoe is working side-by-side with team members at Wild Waves to serve the guests. He’ll out in the park meeting and greeting, available for pictures and he’ll also be helping to work around the park. If he makes the cut then Santa will ask him to join his team of reindeer who will deliver presents all over the world to good little boys and girls. In order to show Santa how Mistletoe is doing, guests are encouraged to take pictures with Mistletoe and post on Twitter and Instagram with #HolidaywithLights @wildwavespark. On December 23 Santa will make one last visit to the park to let Mistletoe know if he made the team! About the park: Wild Waves Theme and Water Park is Pacific Northwest’s largest combination theme and water park. It offers 70 acres of classic thrill rides plus the region’s best outdoor water park. Wild Waves Theme and Water Park features more than 50 rides and slides including the 75-foot tall, 50-mph TimberHawk-Ride of Prey wooden coaster and massive, triple-tube Mountain Dew Slide Complex. Location: Wild Waves Theme & Water Park 36201 Enchanted Pkwy S, Federal Way, WA 98003, just 25 minutes from downtown Seattle. Ticket prices are available at www.wildwaves.com