Oh, What Fun! Holiday Festival
The annual winter festival brings holiday magic to Lake Nona
Dec. 7 – 24, 2022
November 22, 2022
Gather friends and family and get ready to experience the magic of the holidays as Lake Nona Town Center transforms into Peppermint Square and packs a ton of holiday fun into three enchanting weeks. There’s something to do every night of Central Florida’s most wonderful holiday festival – Oh, What Fun! You won’t want to miss a moment!
Free Family Fun
First things first — you’ll want to jingle all the way over to one of the Oh, What Fun! photo ops to take a Christmas-card-worthy shot to send out before the holidays officially arrive. Head to one of the photo walls or giant lighted ornament, snap a photo with Lake Nona’s iconic Disco Dog statue, adorned in a holiday scarf or pose together in front of the 24-foot Christmas tree, lit nightly at 6 p.m.
Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list while perusing the Holiday Market Way with rotating vendors at five kiosks, inspired by iconic holiday markets around the world. They’ll be selling beautiful keepsake gifts and holiday décor that anyone would love to receive.
Take a walk through the Evergreen Tree Trail, which starts near the entrance to Peppermint Square, with glittering Christmas trees decorated by local Lake Nona businesses. The trail ends at the Lake Nona Wave Hotel where you can vote for your favorite tree and enjoy some special seasonal cocktails.
In the evenings, Peppermint Square will be host to the holiday’s hottest dance party emceed by Peppermint the Penguin live on the Beacon. Pick up some snacks and drinks, catch snowflakes during the nightly “Lake Snow-na” snowfall and do some shopping along Holiday Market Way.
On Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m., Lake Nona will celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with the lighting of the menorah and an evening of cultural events and fun for the family. The evening will celebrate the festival of lights with a fire performance, blessing, live DJ, stilt walker, children’s activities, face painters and more.
Don’t Miss These Festive Holiday Events
What’s the holiday season without a visit to the Big Man himself? This year, Santa’s Cottage is more fun than ever, where kids can join Santa and Mrs. Claus for a 30-minute sing-along, story time and photo op after the event. Click on the button below to reserve your spot!
If your little ones are more hands-on, head to the Kid’s Craft Corner at the Marriott’s outdoor patio for guided classes where kids can make holiday crafts, like hand-painted ornaments, snow globes and more.
Ribbon and Crescent Park, located in Lake Nona’s Laureate Park neighborhood will host a special movie night featuring two holiday favorites — “The Polar Express” (Dec. 14, Ribbon Park) and “How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)” (Dec. 21, Crescent Park) —Bring a picnic, a blanket, and your whole crew to enjoy these festive evenings on the lawn. The events begin at 5 p.m. and movies start at 6 p.m.
Even More to do at Oh, What Fun!
If you haven’t picked out the perfect tree for your front window yet, the Ciro & Sons Peppermint Forest Christmas Tree Lot will have the perfect blue spruce or Fraser fir direct from North Carolina. The Peppermint Forest will open Nov. 25 and will continue Thursdays through Sundays as long as supplies last. Flocking, tree valet and home delivery are available.
Come support your local school groups on Thursday evenings as they showcase their musical and performance talents to celebrate the holiday season at the Town Center Stage.
Friday nights, enjoy the Santa’s Toy Box Live Acrobatics Show, a 20-minute, modern circus-style performance featuring aerialists, gymnasts, dancers, balancing acts and more — all with a holiday theme with multiple showtimes each night on Dec. 9, 16 and 23.
Saturdays are not to be missed at Oh, What Fun! with a new event each week from 12 – 5 p.m. at Lake Nona Town Center. Take photos with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear at the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan on Dec. 10. The next week (Dec. 16), bring your four-legged friends to a pet parade and costume contest, and on Dec. 24, enjoy Christmas Eve Pajama Day for a fun community pillow fight and kids zone with inflatables.
On Sundays, Lake Nona transforms to Lake Snow-na with a snow slide (Dec. 11) and Christmas Creatures animal encounters (Dec. 18) to learn about cold-weather animals and get up-close-and-personal with some of them.
Click here for more details and showtimes.
With so many things to do, the holiday spirit will blanket Lake Nona during Oh, What Fun! from Dec. 7 – 24. There’s something new every night of the week, so don’t miss a minute!
Join us in Lake Nona as we celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!