Wild Adventures unveils "Christmas Wild & Bright" season festivities

Kasmira Smith, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
Updated ·3 min read

Sep. 14—VALDOSTA — Wild Adventures Theme Park unveiled its soon to be largest Christmas holiday season festivities to local leaders and supporters Thursday morning.

Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright has been in the works since the early March 2023 announcement of the new Oasis Outpost attraction. The holiday event will become available for all local, region and community visitors to experience from Saturday, Nov. 18, to Sunday, Dec. 31.

"Our brand new Christmas event Wild Adventures Christmas Wild and Bright is the biggest holiday event that we've ever done at Wild Adventures. It represents a significant investment to create an event that not only families in our local and surrounding communities can come visit but it's going to bring in tourism from throughout Georgia, Florida and even Alabama and South Carolina," Adam Floyd, the director of sales and marketing, said.

Wild Adventures Theme Park is located at the halfway point between Atlanta and Orlando, Fla., off Interstate 75, and it is home to more than 35 family and thrill rides, hundreds of exotic animals, dozens of concerts and special events each year and Splash Island Waterpark, named as one of the "Top 30 Waterparks" in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

New additions to Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright include a major centerpiece Carol of the Animals Lake Show. Vice President and General Manager Jon Vigue said the lake show is the feature he's most excited for in the upcoming season event."My favorite part of the expansion is definitely the light show and Carol of the Animals.

It's impressive, and it's big in the middle of the park," Vigue explained. "We just recently set it up and it even blew my mind. I'm really excited about what that's going to look like when we open."

One of the park's main goals with the expansion is to create a year-long experience for families and visitors to make traditions and memories when they visit, specifically around fall and winter seasons.

More features within the upcoming festivities guests will see and interact with is an animated Christmas tree light show; Santa's Outpost, featuring snow storm parties; free hot chocolate and pictures with Santa Claus; and the Gingerbread Village, where guests can receive sweet treats next to a life-sized gingerbread man.

"One of the things that sets Wild Adventures Christmas Wild and Bright from other events in the area is just the scale of it. It is the biggest thing that not only Wild Adventures has done, but it's the biggest event in our region. You're going to have to go hours away from Valdosta to just see anything on the scale that you would see here at Wild Adventures," Floyd said.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Tourism Authority Executive Director David DiSalvo hopes that the season festivities will bring more guests to the area to celebrate and enjoy the park and the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County businesses and community.

"We have wonderful hotels with great accommodations. We have wonderful events that will be taking place downtown and throughout the county.

We will have a tree lighting ceremony this year at the new courthouse, so I think there is a lot of opportunity for us to own a holiday," DiSalvo said.

Several local officials from the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County were present during the unveiling announcement.

To learn more about Wild Adventures Theme Park, please visit, www.wildadventures.com to experience Nov. 18 through Dec. 31.