robbalvey Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 Bonfante Gardens Announces Second Annual Holiday Lights Event! Holiday Lights Adds Magical Ice Rink and Extended Days GILROY, Calif. – (Oct. 11, 2005) – Bonfante Gardens Holiday Lights™ returns to Gilroy for an expanded second season full of holiday fun and excitement. Holiday Lights runs 14 days and continues to be the only Bay Area theme park open for holiday season entertainment. Guests can enjoy ice skating, thousands of twinkling lights, a decadent holiday feast, holiday shopping, Santa’s Workshop, themed rides and more! New this year, Bonfante Gardens adds a 40-foot by 80-foot ice rink, where families can lace up ice skates and create memories to last a lifetime. “We’re thrilled to offer families two additional days of glittering lights, ice skating, holiday food and the gardens lit at night! Bonfante Gardens is a fun and breathtaking place to celebrate the holidays with family” says Barb Granter, vice president of Bonfante Gardens. Bonfante Gardens Holiday Lights opens Friday, November 25 and runs weekends only through Dec. 18 (Dec. 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18th) as well as the week before Christmas (Dec. 19 -23). The evening event runs 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and includes: North Pole Ice Palace – A new 40-foot by 80-foot ice rink inside the park allows families to glide, twirl and spin during 30-minute skate sessions. Skate sessions are $8 for adults and $5 for children 10 years of age and younger and include skate rental. Guests who bring their own ice skates can skate for free. All-You-Can-Eat Holiday Feast -- A traditional “All-You-Can-Eat Holiday Feast” in brightly decorated Snowflake Palace serves up mouth-watering roasted turkey, ham, stuffing and other savory holiday trimmings. The feast is served nightly for an additional fee on a limited, first-come first-served basis. Holiday Themed Rides -- Magical, holiday-themed rides are all part of the fun! “The North Pole Express”, a holiday train ride around the park, is the fastest way to get to the North Pole to see Santa! The “South County Holiday Drive” gives families the chance to drive vintage cars through the 12 Days of Christmas! Santa’s Workshop -- Kids of all ages should plan a visit to Santa’s Workshop, a winter wonderland where guests can gather around arts and crafts tables, create their own bit of holiday magic, get a picture taken with Santa and more! North Pole Mailboxes – Kids can mail their “wish lists” and letters to Santa via “North Pole Mailboxes” located throughout the park. Candy Cane Lane -- Sycamore Bridge at the park’s main entrance is illuminated from head to toe with dazzling candy cane displays that lead guests to gentle snowfalls and a decorated tree in the heart of Sugar Plum Plaza. Holiday Shopping and Dining – Find the perfect holiday gift in a variety of stores or enjoy holiday favorites like roasted marshmallows, chestnuts and hot spiced cider while strolling through the park Gingerbread Corner -- San Juan Patio gets a new look this year as lit gingerbread displays spread holiday cheer! Park guests can enjoy Bonfante Gardens Holiday Lights FREE with the purchase of a 2006 Bonfante Gardens Premium Pass. The Premium Pass includes unlimited admission, free parking and discounts at select food and merchandise locations at Bonfante Gardens throughout the 2006 season. The 2006 Bonfante Gardens Premium Pass can be purchased online at www.bonfantegardens.org or by calling 408-840-7100. Admission Prices for Holiday Lights: Single-night admission combo tickets (includes the Holiday Feast) are $38.99 for adults and $28.99 for children ages 3-10. Single-night only admission tickets are $26.99 for adults and $19.99 for children ages 3-10. Holiday Feast Meal for 2006 Bonfante Gardens Premium Pass Holders is $12.99. Single-night admission for 2006 Paramount’s Great America VIP Passholders and previous 2005 Premium Passholders is $14.99. Discounted single-night admission and combo tickets can be purchased online at www.bonfantegardens.org or at the front gate. Holiday Lights tickets can be purchased after Nov. 1. For more information about Bonfante Gardens and Holiday Lights, visit www.bonfantegardens.org or call 408-840-7100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalrusMan Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 Uh...... Big woop? They need another coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 ^It's actually pretty fun. I'll be going this year for sure. Anyone else going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Benny Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 I'm bummed I never made it there before I moved out to the east coast, it looks like a beautiful park. Still, the idea of ice skating in CA makes me chuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 15, 2005 Author Share Posted October 15, 2005 Uh...... Big woop? They need another coaster. Might be "big whoop" to you, but it seems as though there are plenty of people on the board that might find this kind of thing interesting. I agree they need another coaster, but this isn't really a "thrill park" and personally, I kind of hope it stays that way. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 (edited) I have about 50+ photos of last year's Holiday Lights event in the pictures section of http://www.phishybrewer.com Take a look! Hope to see some folks there Edited October 15, 2005 by PhishyBrewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Benny Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 I agree they need another coaster, but this isn't really a "thrill park" and personally, I kind of hope it stays that way. I agree. There aren't many non-Disney family parks around any more and it's nice to have a place I can take my 4 year old neice. If they were to get a new coaster I think a junior woodie would fit in well. With PGA so close there's no way they can really compete in the coaster department (not like they need to compete since they're owned by the same company). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Menefee Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 (edited) I have a bunch of pics from last years event as well, I just gotta work on posting them up later this evening with a huge update Im working on. The combination of Bonfante and Santa Cruz in a weekend is hard to beat IMO. Some of you guys should really add this park to your summer trips if you ever get out to California, it's very unique. I've got a truckload of pics from SFMW's FF and the 2005 California State Fair going up so I'll post up a few TR’s and link to the rest of the photos soon. Sean- Edited October 15, 2005 by Sean Menefee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 Uh...... Big woop? They need another coaster. Might be "big whoop" to you, but it seems as though there are plenty of people on the board that might find this kind of thing interesting. I agree they need another coaster, but this isn't really a "thrill park" and personally, I kind of hope it stays that way. --Robb I agree, Robb. I checked out this little park a few years ago with some friends, and we thought it was quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Their car ride is one of the best anywhere, I think, and Quicksilver Express is a fun family coaster. What they could use, though, is a good flume ride for those hot Gilroy summers, and maybe a good dark ride. (It would be really cool if they re-created the old Lost Dutchman Mine ride from the long-gone but not forgotten Frontier Vllage in San Jose.) One of the other posters is right--add Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Bonfante, and you've got a good weekend getaway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 To bad PGA isn't open in December. Bonfante, PGA and SCBB... That would be some awesome threesome action going on for the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalrusMan Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 Don't get me wrong, I like the park, but I just think that at this point it's a waste of a very fun mine train, and very cool mini car track, and some cool trees. But I think in the future they can expand to become something like a Holiday World, they just need the rides. Excelent area, the city dwellers can get out of the city a bit and see the plants for the little kids and older folk and the teens would have the thrill rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Benny Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 To bad PGA isn't open in December. Bonfante, PGA and SCBB... That would be some awesome threesome action going on for the weekend I never understood why some parks in CA close for the winter. Granted it's colder, but it never gets cold enough where you couldn't enjoy a few coasters. It's not like how it is in the northeast where a lot of parks stay open practically up until the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 To bad PGA isn't open in December. Bonfante, PGA and SCBB... That would be some awesome threesome action going on for the weekend I never understood why some parks in CA close for the winter. Granted it's colder, but it never gets cold enough where you couldn't enjoy a few coasters. It's not like how it is in the northeast where a lot of parks stay open practically up until the snow. The Bay Area tends to be rather foggy and damp in the winter. Not great theme-park weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalrusMan Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 Yeah, the Bay Area parks aren't like the SoCal parks. Up here the temps are in the high 50s and low 60s during winter and mostly foggy until at least noon sometimes it stays foggy the whole day. It just wouldn't be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 Yeah, the Bay Area parks aren't like the SoCal parks. Up here the temps are in the high 50s and low 60s during winter and mostly foggy until at least noon sometimes it stays foggy the whole day. It just wouldn't be worth it. And as Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalrusMan Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 Yeah, the Bay Area parks aren't like the SoCal parks. Up here the temps are in the high 50s and low 60s during winter and mostly foggy until at least noon sometimes it stays foggy the whole day. It just wouldn't be worth it. And as Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Amen to that. Not all of California is bathing suit weather all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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