GCM Staff Report
Experience the magic of Christmas at OWA as Santa and his sleigh bring the North Pole to life. Celebrate the holiday season with OWA transformed into a winter wonderland featuring the North Pole Experience, complete with favorite events like Breakfast with Santa and the Elf Academy. Visit Downtown OWA for festive shopping and entertainment suitable for all ages. Explore new musical events at the OWA Theater, such as the holiday show "Elf Venture – A Race to Save Christmas," "Ella and Louis Sing Christmas," and Brandon Styles' new Christmas Murder Mystery Dinner Show, "Ho Ho Homicide."
This holiday season, OWA is embracing the spirit of giving as the official Toys for Tots headquarters in South Baldwin County. Downtown OWA serves as a collection point for local businesses to gather new, unwrapped toys, ensuring that the community's generosity directly impacts children in need this Christmas. With a 70-year history, Toys for Tots has become the premier charitable cause for children during Christmas, and its success in supporting countless children each year is attributed to the generosity of communities nationwide.
“We are excited to reintroduce cherished Christmas traditions to our community and introduce new additions like the Elf Academy and the latest holiday production at the OWA Theater, 'Elf Venture – A Race to Save Christmas,'" said Cathy Pavloski, Director of Marketing and Public Relations. "We are also thrilled to collaborate with the South Baldwin community and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program as the distribution center for our area."
Join OWA for festive holiday fun and partake in these delightful Christmas events that are sure to fill you with the holiday spirit.
- The North Pole Experience, available on Saturdays and Sundays from December 2-17 and December 18-23, from 1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m., offers a free journey into Santa’s workshop. Guests can warm up with hot chocolate, enjoy cookies, take photos with Santa, and create Christmas-themed crafts with Santa's Elves. While the North Pole Experience is free, there is a fee for photos with Santa.
- Breakfast with Santa at The Bohemian in Downtown OWA is a special experience where guests can enjoy a delectable breakfast spread and create a magical Christmas craft with friends during the Christmas season. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday from December 2 to 17, and then every day from December 19 to 22, starting at 9 a.m. Tickets are priced at $25.99 per person, while Tropic Falls Season Passholders can enjoy Breakfast with Santa for $20.99. Reservations can be made online at VisitOWA.com.
- The Elf Academy event, scheduled for December 9-10 from noon to 6 p.m., invites children to become Santa's helpers. The festivities begin with Christmas Carols ringing throughout Downtown OWA at noon, featuring a local choir group spreading holiday cheer. The Elf Academy encompasses various stations where participants perfect their Elf skills, including cookie decorating, reindeer food making, relay races, toy building, hot cocoa making, and caroling. The event concludes with participants receiving their elf hats and posing for fun pictures with the Elf cutout.
- On December 9, the Elf Ride and Reindeer Run takes place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the Reindeer Run at 4 p.m. and the Elf Ride at 5:30 p.m. This family-friendly evening, in collaboration with the YMCA of South Alabama, includes activities such as navigating an inflatable obstacle course, the Reindeer Run, and the Elf Ride, where individuals dressed as elves ride bicycles through the streets. Families can also take photos with Santa during the festivities.
- On December 9 at 7 p.m., the OWA Theater presents "Ella and Louis Sing Christmas," a magical tribute to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Tickets for this enchanting experience can be purchased online.
- The Sugarplum Festival, occurring on December 16-17 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., is a delightful holiday extravaganza featuring arts and crafts vendors, sugary treats, cookie decorating, a Gumdrop Scavenger Hunt, live music, and a family Gingerbread House competition.
- The OWA Theater presents "Elf Venture – A Race to Save Christmas" on December 16-17 and 22-23. This heartwarming tale follows four lovable elves on an adventure to rescue Christmas from an unexpected villain. Tickets are available online, and showtimes vary.
Please note that hours and dates for all activities are subject to change. Detailed information, reservations, and a full list of holiday events can be found online at VisitOWA.com/Christmas.