ChristmasTown and ChristmasTime Return this Holiday Season at Ark Encounter and Creation Museum
Perennial Seasonal Light Displays and Nativity-focused Events a Favorite Northern Kentucky Tradition
PETERSBURG, Ky., October 2, 2023 – On select dates starting November 24, and continuing through December 30, Answers in Genesis will once again host its spectacular annual Christmas programs at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in northern Kentucky. Events run Tuesdays through Saturdays, 5-8:30 p.m., with free admission and $10 parking after 4 p.m. (Admission to tour the Creation Museum exhibits and walk inside the Ark requires a paid ticket during normal attraction hours.)
ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum and ChristmasTime at the Ark will display hundreds of thousands of dazzling lights. The museum will continue to feature a live nativity, held indoors Thursday through Saturday in Legacy Hall, alongside other drama presentations and the Encounter the Wonder SFX Show. Christmas Truths for Families, also running Thursday through Saturday, invites families to learn about the truth of Christmas and make a free ornament to take home. Select nights will feature animal meet and greets on the grounds.
At the spectacularly-lit Ark, its Answers Center will provide a warm place for guests to enjoy the stunning “Encounter the Wonder” animated show on a massive 70-foot LED screen, live Christmas concerts by resident artists TrueSong, and a Family Christmas Program featuring Answers Academy students. Outdoor events include Carousel Rides, Ararat Ridge Zoo and Amazing Animal Program at the Animal Actor’s Stage.
As explained on the Ark and museum websites, most of the holiday activities are free, while admission is still required for the Ark and museum exhibits, the planetarium program at the museum, the ziplines, camel rides and virtual reality experience at the Ark.
Ken Ham, CEO and founder of the attractions, declared: “Once again, we are excited to welcome guests to experience the wonder of Christmas at both the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum as they view the thousands of stunning lights. The Ark will feature a spectacular and constantly changing colorful light display illuminating the life-size 510-foot-long Ark, plus we’ll have an array of Christmas music and other programs happening in the warmth of the Answers Center. At the Creation Museum, guests will experience our traditional live nativity and the stunning, colorful lights that surround our beautiful lake.”
ChristmasTime at the Ark Encounter (exit 154 off I-75, Williamstown, Ky.)
The free ChristmasTime (parking is $10) family friendly event includes the following:
- A vast sea of bright multi-colored lights on the Ark’s expansive grounds.
- Christmas concerts with the Ark’s resident musicians TrueSong and a Family Christmas Program in the Answers Center.
- Live animal encounters, with animals from the Ark’s zoo, on the Animal Actor’s Stage
- Encounter the Wonder animated show
- Ararat Ridge Zoo
- Carousel Rides
ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum (exit 11 off I-275, Petersburg, Ky.)
Continuing a 15-year tradition, ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum invites families to enjoy free activities. Parking is $10.
Highlights include:
- The gorgeous Garden of Lights with large steel dinosaurs lit up — many guests say it’s one of the best Christmas light displays in the entire Midwest.
- The traditional live nativity will present the true meaning of Christmas, depicting Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus (Thursday through Saturday).
- Christmas Truths for Families, a program to learn about the truth of Christmas and make a free ornament to take home (Thursday through Saturday).
- The free “Encounter the Wonder” 4D show inside the Special Effects Theater; at the high-tech planetarium, the stunning “The Christmas Star” program is shown (ticket purchase).
Ham stated: “ChristmasTime and ChristmasTown are our gifts to the community during this special time of year. Not only will families have a wonderful time together, but their hearts and thoughts will be directed toward Jesus and the special gift he gives to us because of his birth, death and resurrection. We encourage everyone to invite their friends to visit our world-renowned attractions during this special time of year.”
More about the events can be found at the Ark and museum websites. A video clip of the beautifully decorated museum grounds is available at: https://youtu.be/-w77O2n5rXM.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Bible-defending) ministry based in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati. AiG’s Ark Encounter is a one-of-a-kind historically themed attraction with a massive Noah’s Ark at the centerpiece. Built according to the biblical dimensions in Genesis chapter 6, the Ark is 510 feet in length, making it the largest freestanding, timber-frame structure in the world. The Creation Museum, located west of the Cincinnati Airport, has welcomed millions of visitors since opening in 2007.
- 30 -
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional media resources, including press kit materials, photos and videos, visit www.arkencounter.com/press or www.creationmuseum.org/press. All photos and videos are made available for media use by Answers in Genesis.