Photo TR: Kennywood's Holiday Lights 2013!

[GwaziBSRider1]

Hey everyone! I've been wanting to visit Kennywood for Holiday Lights for a few years now, but this thing called college always got in the way. I finally had the chance to go up there this evening and it was absolutely wonderful. Like some of the other Holiday events at parks around these parts, the rides aren't the focus. The park is beautifully lit up and the attention to detail was incredible. It's absolutely worth it to walk around, look at the lights, and eat some really good food. The only problem I have with the event is that it's too small. The entire park isn't open to walk around and I think a few more rides should be opened up. I would love to see Kennywood expand this event in the future.

 

And now for the photos! I apologize for the quality of some of the photos. My camera isn't the best for evening and night photos.

I have always loved Kennywood's new main entrance.

Some of the local wildlife were even involved with the event.

The tree at the entrance was beautiful.

I always feel welcome at Kennywood, but even more so today.

The wreath at the ticket gates was a nice touch.

I think every tree in the park had lights on it.

You must be made of electricity to ride this train.

Hi Santa!

Too bad these were the only snowflakes we saw today.

Kennywood's the only place where you can be festive under a highway! Well, unless you're a holly jolly hobo.

The attention to detail was incredible.

This plaza has always been very nice, but today it's magical.

A new costumed character for the Holidays! He even had a little baker walking around with him. Too bad she ran from the camera!

Almost as cute as Kenny Kangaroo!

You don't realize how many trees there are until you see a bunch of them wrapped in lights.

More beautiful lights.

A festive way of saying "This part of the park isn't open. Go away."

Just in case you thought this was a Christmas only event.

They even built walls around the old Carousel building to keep it warm and toasty inside.

The Grand Carousel was even more beautiful than usual. I loved hearing the organ playing Christmas music instead of the usual tunes.

This was the most festive of all of the decorations. It simply SCREAMS Christmas.

The beautiful trees between the Pagoda restaurant and the Lagoon.

Even the fountain in front of the train was all lit up.

The Gingerbread Express was ready for passengers. I don't believe I've ever seen Kennywood use both locomotives at once.

Walking around is simply wonderful.

The light displays were fantastic. I probably missed a ton of them too!

A festive separation between us and Thunderbolt.

I'm not a fan of the Kennyville area, but it's beautifully decorated.

The dining area is especially cheerful because there isn't a terrible show on the Kennyville Stage!

Santa uses the Thunderbolt to start his journey into the sky.

As beautiful as the Lucky is decorated, it's odd that it wasn't open for business.

Lovely lights for the Turtle.

Santa's sleigh is here to prevent anyone from getting lost in Lost Kennywood.

What I want for Christmas is a restored Noah's Ark. Please, Kennywood?

Elves are handy for shooting presents out of cannons.

You can also find snowmen in snow globes.

Apparently, Kennywood is a great fishing spot for Santa. Who knew?

The best lighting in the entire park.

Even the charitable well is lit up.

The Parkside Cafe was fully decorated inside and out.

In case you get lost.

Antarctica is quite lovely this time of year.

If you need an elf slave, Kennywood's got you covered.

A view of the lagoon. It was really odd seeing it drained.

The lights around the lagoon were synced to music. It's extremely difficult to get a nice picture of them when they're synced up to Trans-Siberian Orchestra!

Holly jolly food.

A nice hefty stocking for Jack Rabbit. I saw some retracking in progress, but it was impossible to get a decent picture of.

If only we would had some snow!

Santa and Kenny were on the Racer platform. Too bad there was such a long wait to go see them.

This was a lovely area in the park.

Even the lemonade stand at the Log Jammer was lit up. For some reason, the queue was open for Log Jammer.

After the show was over, the lights were still pretty.

The pizza place had lots of great decor. It was rethemed to Mrs. Clause's bakery.

This giant snowman sat in the place of a fountain at the alternate Kiddieland entrance.

Even snowmen asses get too cold sometimes.

Lil' Phantom was beautifully lit up. If I'm not mistaken, it also got a new paint job.

My primary reason for visiting: the Holiday version of Ghostwood Estate.

The Holiday preshow involved some playful elves. Apparently we're here to shoot ghosts of Christmas past and present.

I was very surprised to see the room light up so much. There was a Christmas tree and stockings hung on the fireplace as well.

The ride left a lot to be desired. It was pretty much just the ghosts wearing Santa hats with some extra decor. The operations were HORRIBLE today. The cars got backed up like crazy on the platform.

By the time we got to the train, it broke down.

We really didn't feel like waiting for it.

The George Washington statue by the Kangaroo was replaced by a Christmas tree.

Leaving the park was just as beautiful as entering.

This elf knows when TPR has been naughty or nice!

Goodnight, Kennywood! I'll definitely be back next year! I hope you all enjoyed my TR!

[YoshiFan]

Great photos, it really looks like Kennywood did an awesome job of decorating the park with so many lights everywhere. Hershey also puts Santa and reindeer on the lift on Comet similar to Thunderbolt.

[kidcoaster 2]

Great report, one of these years I will make it down there.

[GwaziBSRider1]

Thanks, guys! Hopefully it will be even better next year.

[DanM64]

Great report, thanks for sharing! I'd love to attend this event some day.

[mattnz]

I'm loving how parks are opening up for Christmas events, and this one looks just stunning!

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Kennywood in 2011, and agree they should open up more rides for this event. They have so many quirky rides that would fit the holiday flavour.

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ Definitely! I really think Kennywood should put the effort into opening Exterminator, Noah's Ark, and Gran Prix for the Christmas event. Gran Prix just makes sense to me because everybody loves bumper cars. Holiday versions of Exterminator and Noah's Ark would just be awesome.

[jml142]

Kennywood did have the bumper cars open in 2011. It wasn't popular and the ice and snow made the floor dangerous.

I don't think we'll see Exterminator opening anytime soon for Holiday Lights. I'm sure the cold has something to do with that. Lost Kennywood, though, would be stunning in lights with the Whip running and perhaps even Wave Swinger.

I could see Noah's Ark being added in the near future though.