Moody Gardens debuts 15th Annual Festival of Lights and ICE LAND: Ice Sculptures, A Caribbean Christmas for holidays
It’s that time of year when Moody Gardens® hosts their fan favorite to welcome the holiday season.
On November 12, the 15th Annual Festival of Lights, one of the largest holiday lighting events on the Gulf Coast, will kick off with Santa parachuting out of a plane and plenty of Christmas cheer infused with a Caribbean flair at 4 p.m. The event is free to the public.
Guests will be treated to the Salvation Army’s Harbor Lights Choir, a local school’s children choir, and a trio of Caribbean dances. During the Caribbean dances, guests can celebrate the holiday season Caribbean style with the Galaxy Band featuring the music of Trinidad, Jamaica, Tobago, St Lucia, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Antigua and the US Virgin Islands. Dances will include styles of Samba, Reggae, and Soca.
Families can welcome Santa at 5 p.m. when he parachutes down from the North Pole to help prepare Moody Gardens for the grand lighting of the Festival of Lights trail. After mixing, mingling and a few dazzling performances, Mr. Claus will flip the switch to turn on the millions of light bulbs that make up Festival of Lights at 6 p.m. and in doing so, officially kicking off the holiday season on Galveston Island. 
Festival of Lights will continue to shine throughout the holiday season everyday including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day through January 8. Hours run from 6 to 10 p.m.
Admission to the Festival of Lights is $10.95, this also includes use of the outdoor skating rink that sits on the trail. Ice skates are available to rent for $7 or guests can bring their own. While experiencing the Festival of Lights, guests can also enjoy the Texas-sized Arctic Slide. It is $7 for one slide, $20 for 10, and $25 for all day slides.
Moody Gardens introduced a signature new theme with ICE LAND: Ice Sculptures, A Caribbean Christmas in its third year for the attraction.
The award-winning CAA Harbin Ruijing Carving Teamof master ice carvers from Harbin, China created over 100 towering ice sculptures from 2 million pounds of ice. Guests will embark on a breathtaking underwater journey from the shores of Galveston Island through the Gulf of Mexico.
Explore the oceans depths , discover sunken treasure and see Christmas surprises along the way. An ice slide takes the form of a towering oil rig and gives an opportunity to venture through the beautiful Flower Garden Banks for encounters with spectacular schools of colorful tropical fish, eagle rays, turtles, dolphins, Hammerhead sharks and more on the way to their Caribbean island destination. There is even an opportunity to enjoy some festive holiday spirits inside of ICE LAND at Shiver’s Ice Bar.
In addition to the regular Festival of Light tickets, there are combo packs available letting guests make the most of their visit. The Holiday Pass ticket is available for $34.95 per person and allows guests entrance into Festival of Lights, ICE LAND: Ice Sculptures, A Caribbean Christmas, and an attraction of their choosing.
Food Drive Thursdays will also offer guests the opportunity to enjoy the Festival at a special discount in recognition of helping those in need this holiday season. Guests can bring a non-perishable food item every Thursday throughout the Festival (excluding Thanksgiving) and receive a two-for-one admission into Festival of Lights. The food will be donated to the Galveston County and Houston Food Banks.
For more information, please call 800-582-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org.