Thursday, November 16, marked the grand opening of this year’s Winterfest of Lights in Ocean City, Maryland. A tradition spanning more than three decades, every year Winterfest draws visitors to Northside Park for dazzling, awe-inspiring holiday light displays of all kinds, with various themes and storied showcases. Several exhibits even entertain onlookers with moving features, all accented by jovial seasonal musical soundtracks provided by Radio Ocean City.
Winterfest of Lights kicked off the season with the official lighting of their immense 50-foot tree and even offered free admission to first-night attendees. This year’s installment also saw the triumphant return of the Winterfest Express Tram to help folks better navigate the 58-acre setup. The tram now provides multiple trolly stop-off points throughout the grounds, allowing riders to embark and disembark accordingly.
Of course, you can still walk through the different light displays if you opt to do so. Or you can even do a combination of the two—riding the tram part of the time and getting off for a better up-close look at certain displays or sites. And this year there’s even more to explore in the way of lighted displays.
As always you can also enjoy plenty of other onsite attractions and endeavors as well. These include getting chocolate and other treats, posing for photo ops with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoying hands-on family crafts, getting souvenirs at the gift shop, and so much more. This year, visitors also get to cast votes for their favorite decorated tree display by the Art League of Ocean City.
In addition to Winterfest follies at Northside Park, this year also marks the return of the Holiday Model Railroad Display at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center Welcome Center. A still-new endeavor that is now celebrating its second year, visitors of all ages may come out on select evenings between November 16 and December 31 to enjoy this impressive model train setup. Furthermore, it is a fun scavenger hunt folly with plenty of hidden features to be uncovered, much to the entertainment of every onlooker. Admission is free, but donations are always welcome and benefit the Ocean City Beach Patrol.
Both Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park and the Holiday Model Railroad are open now through the end of December from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Winterfest will be open Wednesday through Sunday up through December 24 and then nightly between December 25 and New Year’s Eve. General admission to Winterfest is $6 for visitors 12 and over. Click here for more information about Winterfest and here to learn more about the Holiday Model Train Garden.
Additionally, there will be plenty of other holiday happenings to enjoy throughout Ocean City, Maryland, and the greater Worcester County area this season. Many events are slated to commence on Thanksgiving weekend.