Jolly Creek to Provide Pandemic-Friendly Holiday Fun Starting This Weekend!

​The holiday season is finally here! It’s time to celebrate with decorations, lights, delicious food, family, friends….Oh yeah, and also face masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer…. 
 
Just because the holiday season looks a little different this year doesn’t mean it’s going to be any less fun! Introducing Jolly Creek – an outdoor, socially-distanced holiday event specifically designed to promote safety, fun, and opportunity for the Central Florida community. With festive music, beautiful light displays, and a focus on cleanliness and safety, Jolly Creek is exactly what the 2020 holiday season needs!  
 
Running select nights from November 20 – January 2, Jolly Creek offers a variety of fun, festive activities for the whole family! Here’s what’s included with your general admission ticket: 

Included With Your Jolly Creek Ticket 

Live Entertainment

Main Stage Music

Jolly Creek offers a variety of quality, live entertainment. The main stage will feature amazing musical acts, some of which come from local theme parks and attractions: 
 
Jolly Creek Society Orchestra:Fresh from the Grand Floridian, this amazing group will play classic Christmas favorites each night of the event. ​

Mistletones: On select evenings, you can enjoy this a capella group singing holiday hits. You might recognize some of their voices from the Frog Choir at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. 

The Vocalitas:A bilingual, all female trio; this group adds a mid-century jazzy feel to their festive set list. 

The main stage area does have distanced seating available. There are plastic chairs and bleachers – both of which are easily and regularly sanitized. But if you’d rather enjoy the rest of the event, it’s easy to hear the music from almost anywhere. So you can take a stroll through the lights or create your own ornament (more on that later) while listening to some amazing music!

​Characters

The live entertainment doesn’t stop at the main stage. Walk-around elves are constantly entertaining and interacting with guests, guiding them through the event, and playing in the snow! These cheerful, bubbly characters add even more light to the already happy atmosphere.

Santa

Of course, the elves wouldn’t make much sense without SANTA! St. Nick will appear on a secondary stage for distanced selfies and interactions. The best part about Santa’s meet and greets is his new home. He is literally sitting on an airboat decorated with poinsettias and Christmas lights. It’s Florida Santa at his finest!

Light Displays

The entire Holiday Village (main attraction) area of Jolly Creek is FILLED with beautiful Christmas lights! From candy-caned trees to light canopies to (perhaps familiar) set pieces, there’s plenty to enjoy as you stroll around the Village. I had to do more than one loop to make sure I noticed all the details!

Scavenger Hunt 

Scattered throughout the Holiday Village are six stuffed alligators. Find five of them and you’ll win a special prize!

 ​Holiday Marketplace

Each evening, Jolly Creek will feature a selection of local vendors and artists in their Holiday Marketplace. While the exact vendors may vary, there’s a pretty good chance (since they said that would be there every night) that you’ll find the Machado Farm Foundation’s fundraising tent selling specialty soaps and other items.

The Machado Farm Foundation is dedicated to the health, safety, and happiness of farm and exotic animals in need of a forever home. With 5 acres of available land, they provide a loving sanctuary for these special animals. 

The foundation is also dedicated to the education and enrichment of the local community. While children’s education programs are currently under development, the foundation does provide low cost face masks for all.

Premium Activities

For a fee, guests can add the below activities to their evening at Jolly Creek.

Craft Station

If you’d like to create your own festive craft (or you just want to make a solid attempt at something recognizable), you can purchase one or more inclusive craft kits. Kit options include ornaments, nutcrackers, and even earrings! Prices vary depending on the item selected. 

Once you choose your kit, you can move into the designated area to create your masterpiece. Santa’s helpers will be there to assist- but will remain gloved and avoid touching your items by using tools to distribute craft materials. ​

Also available at the Craft Station – S’mores Kits! Besides the original chocolate variety, you can try the cookies and cream or peppermint bark flavors! There’s even a gluten free option for those with special sensitivities. 

After choosing your flavor, you can roast your own marshmallows on a real fire!

Holiday Food and Drink 

If you need a bit of refreshment, Jolly Creek has plenty of food and beverage options available. We tried their signature Feast Tots – including turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberries. It was a unique twist on the pizza fries phenomenon – definitely tasty and satisfying! 

If tots aren’t your thing, Jolly Creek also features its own version of the “Holiday Sandwich” with turkey, stuffing, and cranberries. 

If you’re not excited about either option, there’s still a menu full of possibilities. Take a look! ​

Airboat Rides

Depending on the weather and other conditions during your visit, Jolly Creek may be able to offer airboat rides in partnership with Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures! We were able to preview this, and it was an awesome experience! 

Never having been on a airboat before, I hadn’t realized how agile these vehicles are on the water! It was so much fun to zip around the lake, looking for alligators. While we weren’t successful in that particular quest, we did see several birds. 

Fair warning: be prepared if you’re going to do an airboat ride! Bring a jacket as it will be much colder on the water than it is inside the Holiday Village. And make sure you grab the provided hearing protection before boarding. The boat is very loud (sounds reached over 100 decibels during our ride)!

Community Support

Just as its sister event, Scream N’ Stream, donated $2,288 of their proceeds to the Second Harvest Food Bank; Jolly Creek will also give a portion of its earnings to this important local nonprofit. Find out more about how Second Harvest Food Bank is supporting the Orlando community at www.feedhopenow.org.

Discounts!! 

If you don’t like paying full price, Jolly Creek offers two special discounts for essential workers and attraction annual passholders. 

• Essential workers can use the code ESSENTIAL to get 15% off of the online ticket price. Please be prepared to show your employee ID, business card, or other proof of employment upon arrival. 
• Local attraction annual passholders can save 10% by using the code AP. When you arrive at Jolly Creek, please show your valid Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Legoland, or Fun Spot pass.

Jolly Creek Special Events 

Paw-liday Nights

On December 21, Jolly Creek will host a special paw-liday where guests can bring their canine friends! Dogs will be allowed into the Holiday Village and main stage viewing areas. You can even get a picture of your dog with Santa Claus! Breed and weight restrictions will apply, and guests will need to provide a record of vaccinations. 

New Year’s Eve 

If you’re looking for the perfect way to bid 2020 goodbye, Jolly Creek will be throwing a pretty great party! All of the event’s traditional offerings will be available, plus included hor’dourves, soft drinks, hot beverages, and a complimentary glass of champagne for a midnight toast! 

Private Rentals

Did you know you can rent Jolly Creek’s Holiday Village area for your upcoming event? Packages start at $650 for the basic access. Upgraded packages can include entertainment, refreshments, and other amenities. Distanced capacity is limited to 200 people. Contact info@jolly-creek.com for more information. 

Freaky Thoughts 

​Jolly Creek provides a fun, responsible way to celebrate the holiday season while supporting local artists and small businesses. What really sets Jolly Creek apart from other holiday events, however, is the incredible entertainment and atmosphere. The elves are so playful and fun. They remained in character throughout the evening. And the live music was absolutely astounding. Acts like the Jolly Creek Society Orchestra aren’t just talented musicians playing holiday hits; they are Orlando favorites with rich theme park histories and nostalgic memories attached. The presence of the orchestra along with the Mistletones and Vocalitas made this event a special night to remember.