Looking for a family-friendly holiday celebration during your December stay with us here at the historic Goodwin?
Well, we’ve got good news: You’re a mere hop, skip, and a jump away from the Holiday Light Fantasia in Goodwin Park, one of the area’s best-loved seasonal traditions!
Opened on November 23 and running through January 1, 2018, the Fantasia treats motorists to a two-mile-long extravaganza of holiday lights: more than a million of them, in fact, composing a glittering wonderland of multicolored designs, iconic characters and scenes, and oodles of festive flash and flair. It’s earned quite the reputation over the years: In 2016, more than 90,000 visitors took in the installations firsthand.
The Holiday Light Fantasia Schedule
Whenever you happen to be calling The Goodwin your home-away-from-home in Hartford, the Holiday Light Fantasia will be beckoning: It’s open daily, including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. You can enjoy The Goodwin Park light displays from 5 to 9 PM Sundays through Thursdays and from 5 to 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. (And heads up if you’ve got kids in tow: From 5 to 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, Mr. Santa Claus himself pays a visit to the proceedings.)
The Channel 3 Kids Camp
Created back in 1999 by Frank Maratta, the Holiday Light Fantasia is managed by the non-profit Channel 3 Kids Camp, which provides an educational and recreational summer retreat in Andover, Connecticut for children ages 3 to 25 regardless of financial limitations. Proceeds from admission fees to the Fantasia—it costs $15 for a car, with higher rates for limos and buses—go to support this worthy program, which also accommodates kids and adults with special needs.
Hunt for Flurry at the Holiday Light Fantasia
Besides admiring the lavish and creative light displays—and touching base with the North Pole’s famous ringmaster on Fridays and Saturdays—you’ve got the added incentive of searching for Flurry during the Holiday Light Fantasia. Find this friendly and festive pooch among the twinkling lights, and you just might win yourself a free iPad. If you see Flurry, just fill out the online form to enter the contest; the sharp-eyed winner will be chosen on January 8.
Drive-Thru Bedazzlement at the Holiday Light Fantasia
In The Goodwin, you’ve got wonderfully convenient lodgings for the seasonal spectacle that is the Holiday Light Fantasia. Enjoy a December escape to our magnificently restored Hartford hotel, and immerse yourself in some holiday cheer over in Goodwin Park as you do!
