November 14, 2020

With the holidays fast approaching, the magic of the season comes to life starting Wednesday, Nov. 25 at Jackson County Parks + Rec’s 33rd Annual Christmas in the Park drive-thru holiday event. This free, magical winter wonderland includes 175 lighted and animated displays illuminated by more than 500,000 lights.

“Every year we add something new to the Christmas in the Park experience,” said Jackson County Parks + Rec Director Michele Newman. “This year, we’ve added an additional two nights, a 25-foot Santa at the BBQ grill – fitting for the BBQ Capitol of the World – and an expanded entrance tunnel experience, programmed to a sequence of dazzling colors and effects, to a spectacular 100 feet!”

While there is no charge for this drive-thru event, voluntary exit donations are accepted with a portion of the proceeds divided among 39 local charities. Thanks to the generosity of Christmas in the Park patrons, Jackson County has been able to donate over $1.2 million to more than 1,000 local charities, including the FOX4 Love Fund, since the event’s inception.

“The holiday season is a special time of year for many families and it is our goal to provide an experience that is fun, memorable and most importantly, safe,” said Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. “Our Parks + Rec staff is second to none with its talent and expertise to design, create and install this massive display as it has over the past three decades. We look forward to welcoming our visitors from the comfort and safety of their vehicles as we spread joy, not germs, and raise money for area charities.”

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the County encourages only those within the same household to be in the same vehicle when driving through the holiday display.

Christmas in the Park runs from Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Saturday, Jan. 2 The drive begins at the Frank White, Jr. Softball Complex located at 3901 SW Longview Park Road (Two miles south of I-470 off of View High Drive). Hours of operation are Sunday-Thursday 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.

Since opening in 1987, more than three million people have made the drive through Christmas in the Park a part of their annual holiday experience. For more information and directions, visit www.makeyourdayhere.com.