'Enchant' Christmas light spectacular returns to Tropicana Field in St. Pete
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The world's largest Christmas light spectacular is making its return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
The winter wonderland opens in St. Pete Friday and crews are working around the clock to get things ready, Ted Maguire, Enchant’s local marketing manager, said.
"We’re very close to being finished," Maguire said. "Maybe 85% of the way, but as you know, Santa and his elves have a little bit more work to do," he said.
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A couple hundred people have worked for more than a year to construct the story and the sets, Maguire said.
"There’s lot of people here in Tampa Bay employed by Enchant working hard to make the magic happen," he said. "A lot of hard work and a lot of ideas and creativity go into making this magic happen," Maguire said.
Enchant is in eight cities and has nine locations, but Maguire said St. Pete is the first location to see Enchant’s new show, "Santa’s Magic Timepiece."
"Santa delivers all of these toys all over the world in just a few hours. How does he do it? With his magic timepiece," Maguire said. "That’s how he slows down time, but unfortunately, it’s broken, so everyone that comes out here gets a passport and has to help Santa put together his timepiece."
If you help Santa put together his timepiece, you’ll be entered into a drawing to visit the set of a Hallmark Channel movie, one of Enchant’s sponsors.
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Enchant will also include a 100-foot-tall holiday tree, an ice-skating trail, live entertainment, Santa visits and a village marketplace with crafts, gifts, culinary treats and holiday cocktails at the Tipsy Tree Lounge.
There will also be more than four million lights with more than two million feet of electrical wire. Crews created a blackout curtain covering the dome of the Trop to create a night sky as well.
The event's presenting sponsor, The Hallmark Channel, will be offering guests a variety of custom experiences, according to officials. This includes the Hallmark Channel Holiday House where guests can relax and take photos.
Enchanted will take place from November 25 to January 1, 2023, officials said. tickets for adults will start at $35, kids tickets will start at $20 and tickets for seniors and military start at $32.
Guests can customize their Enchant visit by choosing to add-on ice skating, VIP elf guide or upgrading to the VIP Access ticket option. Organizers said skating has a limited capacity and VIP options have to be purchased in advance.
For more information and a full list of Enchanted hours, visit enchantchristmas.com/st-petersburg-fl-tropicana-field-guest-information. To buy tickets, click here.