Holiday Magic at City Creek Center

One of the Storybook Lanterns

Today I went to the holiday unveiling tour at City Creek Center, and am so excited to share all of the fun and unique things they have going on now through Christmas! They have everything centered around a lantern theme. View a short video at the end of this post.
"I have fond memories of the holiday customs my parents established when I was growing up," said Linda Wardell, General Manager of City Creek Center. "In turn, it has been a joy to play a hand in creating the enchanting experiences at City Creek Center that will now become happy holiday traditions for many other families." 

Visit with Santa in
Santa's Lantern

Pictures with Santa: Every day from now until Christmas (excluding Sundays), you will be able to visit with Santa in Santa's Lantern and have your picture taken with him. The unique thing about this visit with Santa is that there is NO WAITING IN LINE! Check in to get your place in line, leave your cell phone number, and go shop and enjoy the rest of the holiday festivities (listed below) while you wait. You will receive a text message when it's your turn to visit with Santa. Visit with Santa, and then go to the picture pickup area to get your pictures. The best thing is, it's no all in one small, crowded area! They have spread it out so that you don't have to fight your way through the crowd! Brilliant!
Santa will be at City Creek Center November 15 through December 24 for family photos. Santa is available Monday through Saturday 10:00am to 9:00pm. Santa generally breaks* for milk and cookies at 1:00pm-2:00pm and at 5:00pm-6:00pm. *Break schedule subject to change.
Special Santa events:

• Signing Santa, Thursday, Nov. 29 – Deaf children can visit with Signing Santa from 2 to 6 p.m.
• Santa Paws, Thursday, Dec. 6 – Santa’s canine friends are welcome to visit and have their photo taken with Santa from 6 to 9 p.m.

Storytellers: Throughout the holiday season, Storytellers will be performing at City Creek Center on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 3 p.m. until closing at the Grand Tree, on the Skybridge and at the Fireplace. This is another of one of my favorite things about the holidays at City Creek.

• Thursdays from 3 to 9 p.m. Nov. 29 through Dec. 20
• Fridays and Saturdays from 3 to 10 p.m. Nov. 16 through Dec. 22
• Monday, Dec. 24, from 1 to 6 p.m.

Christmas Tree

In Richards Court (by Nordstrom) stands a 30-foot-tall tree that weighs 1,975 pounds and has 12,450 lights wrapped around it, which is enough lights to wrap 50 average-sized trees.

Holiday Fountain Displays

The fountain in Richards Court, Transcend, will complement the holiday décor and feature three new holiday shows: “Carol of the Bells,” “The Nutcracker” and “Let it Snow.” One of these shows will play every hour on the hour throughout the holiday season when the Center is open. A feature fountain show with all three of these songs will play each night at 7 and 9 p.m.

Linda Wardell,
General Manager of City Creek Center,
shows off one of the Storybook Lanterns

Storybook Lanterns

Four storybook lanterns featuring four different family-favorite holiday stories are positioned throughout the Center. Stories featured are: “The Nutcracker,” “A Christmas Carol,” “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The scenes in the storybook lanterns were crafted using traditional methods like carpentry and sculpture, as well as innovative techniques like rapid prototyping (a zoetrope-like rapid succession of static images that create the illusion of motion). These are DARLING, and one of my favorite things about the holiday season at City Creek this year.

Wreaths

Four 18-foot wreaths hang throughout the Center, each featuring a 6-foot-tall lantern in the middle. Each wreath weighs 1,500 pounds and has 9,500 lights, for 38,000 lights all together. 

Main Street Skybridge Display

When driving to City Creek Center, make sure to drive up or down Main Street, especially at night, to see the beautiful holiday display on the sky bridge. When you are in City Creek Center, walk across the Skybridge and listen to one of the storytellers on Thursday, Friday or Saturday (see schedule above).

Make sure to tag #enjoyutah on Instagram when you are at City Creek Center this holiday season so that we can see that you are enjoying City Creek Center as much as we are this holiday season!