Enchant Christmas is billed as “the world’s largest holiday light event experience” and doubles down on that claim with a feature it calls the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze. That illuminated labyrinth, and many more Christmas-y activities, will visit the Milwaukee area for the first time since its 2016 inception when it comes to Franklin Field at Ballpark Commons starting this Friday, Nov. 24, and running through Dec. 31.
The decision to bring the enchantment to our neck of the woods put us in exclusive company. Only four other cities will get the Enchant Christmas treatment this year: Las Vegas; Scottsdale, Ariz.; San Jose, Calif.; and St. Petersburg, Fla. That also makes us the only 2023 location with a realistic expectation to have actual snow on the ground for the experience.
“It is such an honor to be selected as one of only a handful of cities that will host this spectacular event,” said Michael Zimmerman, founder and CEO of ROC Ventures, which owns Ballpark Commons. “Enchant Christmas is going to be a remarkable holiday memory for all in attendance. It’s also a good chance for our local residents and businesses to show families from around the Midwest how we celebrate love and good cheer here in Milwaukee.”
The whole thing really is a rather involved affair, but let’s start with the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze, which contains millions of the little twinklers. Not only that, but anyone willing to brave its pathways will find hidden surprises, festive characters and even storytelling elements as they wind their way through.
As for what else you’ll find:
- An ice-skating trail with LED dance floor
- Live entertainment
- Interactive games
- Visits with Santa
- An artisan village
That last item includes a range of vendors providing visitors with the opportunity to enjoy holiday treats and pick up a gift or two (assuming they go before Christmas or don’t mind belated giving). Among the locals showing up are Art Z Faces face painting, Everything’s All Light Candles, Flip’s Mini Donuts, Happy Dough Lucky, Hooked MKE Jewelry, Gallery Panda Neon Art and Tots on the Street
According to the release, we can also expect something called a “lightbulb cocktail,” which merited a Google search that turned up the following:
Enchant Christmas has also announced a series of theme nights to amp up the experience:
- Sunday, Dec. 3 — Paws n’ Claus offers the full Enchant Christmas experience with the added perk of being dog-friendly for one night only. Bring your best fur friend and give a full-belly meal to a shelter dog through a partnership with iHeartDogs. This offer requires the purchase of a special ticket that includes one human and one dog. This ticket must be purchased in advance, and no tickets will be sold at the door. Additional human tickets may be purchased. (Learn more)
- Thursday, Dec. 7 — Military Night to honor, salute and show our appreciation to all military personnel for their service. For every ticket sold on Military Night, Enchant Christmas will donate $1 to each local USO to help provide individualized support to our service members. (Learn more)
- Sunday, Dec. 7 — Ugly Sweater Night, with contests and prizes throughout the night. (Learn more)
- Thursday, Dec. 14, 21 — Ladies Nights featuring Enchant Christmas' first-ever Paint Nite. Become an artist within hours as you paint a stunning holiday canvas. Painting starts at 7 p.m. In addition, visit the village to shop for your favorite holiday essentials and gifts including candles, makeup, skincare, fashion and jewelry. (Learn more)
- Friday, Dec. 15 and Thursday, Dec. 28 — College Nights will welcome students, faculty and alumni of colleges and universities, with school colors encouraged. (Learn more)
Head to the Enchant Christmas website to pick up tickets (starting at $34 for general admission), find other useful information and shake your fist at photos of people enjoying the experience without layers upon layers of cold-weather clothing.
