For the second year in a row, Conner Prairie is once again thrilled to have guests enjoy A Merry Prairie Holiday while experiencing this magical festival in a new, safer way.
Beginning Friday, November 27 through Sunday, December 20, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 22-23, Conner Prairie’s grounds will be transformed into a winter wonderland of lights and warm holiday fun. Guests will step into the past and explore holiday traditions while also creating new memories with their families.
A Merry Prairie Holiday has been modified in key ways this year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of guests and staff alike. This year our Welcome Center will be closed to reduce the opportunity for guests to congregate indoors. Midway games, as well as activities and visits at Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s Cabin, will not take place this year; however, Selfies with Santa will be available for children at the Featherstone Barn on a first-come, first-served basis.
Instead of children making gifts on-site in our North Pole Workshop, “Take and Make” crafts like leather bracelets and holiday ornaments will be available for purchase. However, guests can still take a ride on Kringle’s Carousel — the attraction has a new home in the Civil War Journey for the 2020 season!
In addition, the Winter Wonderland Stroll experience will be offered this year without wagon rides, and guests will have the chance to explore thousands of sparkling lights in the Reynolds Farm Equipment holiday lights displayed on the Conner Prairie grounds.
In a year when so much has changed, Conner Prairie felt it was important to uphold its holiday tradition and give families somewhere to celebrate safely together, explained Conner Prairie President and CEO Norman Burns.
“Our number one priority is the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and guests,” Burns shared. “But with so many central Indiana holiday events and activities canceled this year, we felt it was important to try still to deliver for our members and festival attendees. We believe this reimagined A Merry Prairie Holiday will allow people to experience the magic of the holidays together outdoors, in a socially-distanced way, and reconnect with the simple joys of the season.”
Tickets are being sold by day and time, allowing for better management of attendance numbers and safeguarding against crowds. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit their website.
Spanning more than 1,000 wooded acres in central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes nearly 400,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically themed destinations and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and learn more on their website.