Kings Dominion WinterFest 2023
- Thread starter mtorange
- Start date
I could be wrong, but my family has made it a tradition to go to Winterfest on Black Friday every year since the event started, and I’ve always been under the impression that that was opening night for the event. I can’t remember them ever opening before Thanksgiving, but maybe there was a year or two where they did.
Just checked my records (thanks, datafication!) and perhaps it was because of how late Thanksgiving was, but they were in fact open the day before back in 2019.
Because last weekend was opening weekend, it’s hard to tell if there are cuts or if there will be more merriment characters this weekend, but I haven’t seen the Tannenbaums or the Ice Prince/Princess at all this year (yet). I’ve seen three out of four colorful elves (who have tricycles this year… fun!) and one of the French cookie trio members, but there’s a chance that their counterparts will be around this weekend, maybe?
I have also not ever seen a full list of characters to know who would be around or not, so I’m basing this off of the videos Happily Ever Novak did last year on all of the characters (which I highly recommend). They do a good job of explaining the lore behind each character.
I had a good time at Winterfest last night, but the event definitely feels a little stagnant this year. Except for a few small displays that have changed, there isn’t much in the way of anything new, which makes the many cuts throughout the event all the more apparent.
You can definitely feel the entertainment cuts. No brass band, no Holly Jolly Trolley, no parade, nothing in the Peanuts Showplace (same as last year) — all with no replacement. Cool Yule on the Bandstand no longer has the changing rooms where the cast changed costumes between segments, which is a shame because I always thought the costume changes were the most unique element of that show. And the Tree Lighting Ceremony cast seems significantly smaller, since it used to include the cast of both Cool Yule and Holly Jolly Trolley, which no longer exists.
Despite most displays looking as good as they ever have, I thought the Eiffel Tower was looking a little rough this year. The strands looked more spaced out this year than usual, a handful of lights were broken, and the Old Virginia side of the tower is missing its lights entirely. The centerpiece of the event shouldn’t be allowed to look this bad. What happened here?
Moreover, as the event becomes more popular, it’s clearer than ever that this event needs to expand — especially for the dining capacity. Every restaurant had its line spilling far out of the building and down the pathway, and we waited almost 30 minutes for a cup of hot chocolate. They really need to expand into at least that front plaza of Jungle X next year to get Outpost Cafe and Jungle Market Eatery added to the dining lineup.
One positive change I’ll note is the changes to the ride lineup. The view from Drop Tower is absolutely stunning — that view of the lights alone made last night’s visit worth it. And much to my surprise, Apple Zapple was running last night; I can’t remember it ever operating during Winterfest before, but it’s a fun addition.
Another positive change: the smoked turkey at Firehouse was absolutely delicious, and the portions were huge. Seems like Chef Maurice is keeping the magic alive when it comes to great holiday culinary at the park.
I realize this report sounds a bit negative, but I need to emphasize that it’s still a great event. The decorations and overall cheerful vibe of the park are still top-notch, and in my opinion are far superior to what I saw at Christmas Town last year (although I’m pleased with the reports that BGW seems to have stepped up the event this year). It’s just that most of the changes to this year’s event seem like losses, so I hope I’m not the only one saying these things and that the park ups their Winterfest game in 2024.
You can definitely feel the entertainment cuts. No brass band, no Holly Jolly Trolley, no parade, nothing in the Peanuts Showplace (same as last year) — all with no replacement. Cool Yule on the Bandstand no longer has the changing rooms where the cast changed costumes between segments, which is a shame because I always thought the costume changes were the most unique element of that show. And the Tree Lighting Ceremony cast seems significantly smaller, since it used to include the cast of both Cool Yule and Holly Jolly Trolley, which no longer exists.
Despite most displays looking as good as they ever have, I thought the Eiffel Tower was looking a little rough this year. The strands looked more spaced out this year than usual, a handful of lights were broken, and the Old Virginia side of the tower is missing its lights entirely. The centerpiece of the event shouldn’t be allowed to look this bad. What happened here?
Moreover, as the event becomes more popular, it’s clearer than ever that this event needs to expand — especially for the dining capacity. Every restaurant had its line spilling far out of the building and down the pathway, and we waited almost 30 minutes for a cup of hot chocolate. They really need to expand into at least that front plaza of Jungle X next year to get Outpost Cafe and Jungle Market Eatery added to the dining lineup.
One positive change I’ll note is the changes to the ride lineup. The view from Drop Tower is absolutely stunning — that view of the lights alone made last night’s visit worth it. And much to my surprise, Apple Zapple was running last night; I can’t remember it ever operating during Winterfest before, but it’s a fun addition.
Another positive change: the smoked turkey at Firehouse was absolutely delicious, and the portions were huge. Seems like Chef Maurice is keeping the magic alive when it comes to great holiday culinary at the park.
I realize this report sounds a bit negative, but I need to emphasize that it’s still a great event. The decorations and overall cheerful vibe of the park are still top-notch, and in my opinion are far superior to what I saw at Christmas Town last year (although I’m pleased with the reports that BGW seems to have stepped up the event this year). It’s just that most of the changes to this year’s event seem like losses, so I hope I’m not the only one saying these things and that the park ups their Winterfest game in 2024.
My opinion echoes much of this but I will add that if I am not mistaken we lost country kitchen and taco shack with no replacement so dining capacity is actually down from last year. If they don't want to expand the event footprint maybe add back those two in some form and move one of the food trucks. But that brings up the question can KD staff that? I am honestly not sure.
Wait, is Country Kitchen officially closed this season? If so, that's honestly absurd...
It looked closed when I went by last night but I didn't look in to be 100% certain but if it was closed last night then I don't see a situation where it will open
It has indoor seating! It's inexcusable for it to be closed. It looked closed when I saw it last Friday, but I assumed it was opening weekend issues or due to the fairly low crowds that day. If it is actually shuttered, that's ridiculous.
I thought it was just closed for the night too, but sure enough, it’s not listed on the app. Super bizarre.
It was closed all summer too. Could there be some issue with the building?
It was closed all summer too. Could there be some issue with the building?
It's in Candy Apple Grove and the 2023 directive at Kings Dominion was to ensure that CGA looked like as much of a ghost town as humanly possible?
That's right where Country Kitchen is in fact not open for WinterFest. I've been to WinterFest all 5 nights this year (through tonight), and though they generally keep both the indoor and outdoor patio lights on, the restaurant is closed.
I know a number of people are upset regarding the lack of a parade this year. But for me personally, I'm most upset by closing one of the best indoor restaurants in terms of seating occupancy (which happens to reside in an "open" section of the park). And as mentioned already, the reason the Christmas menu has been moved to Firehouse BBQ this year, is because the Country Kitchen is closed. In fact, the last time I've seen Country Kitchen actually open was back in early August.
During Haunt I bumped into Chef Maurice and had a lengthy conversation regarding some of the operational issues like this. And he explained that it's unfortunately from lack of (finding) staff for the food and beverage department, which has been an issue for most of the year, where they have to prioritize which restaurants they can actually open on a day-to-day basis.
I know a number of people are upset regarding the lack of a parade this year. But for me personally, I'm most upset by closing one of the best indoor restaurants in terms of seating occupancy (which happens to reside in an "open" section of the park). And as mentioned already, the reason the Christmas menu has been moved to Firehouse BBQ this year, is because the Country Kitchen is closed. In fact, the last time I've seen Country Kitchen actually open was back in early August.
During Haunt I bumped into Chef Maurice and had a lengthy conversation regarding some of the operational issues like this. And he explained that it's unfortunately from lack of (finding) staff for the food and beverage department, which has been an issue for most of the year, where they have to prioritize which restaurants they can actually open on a day-to-day basis.
I would have much rather seen them close the diner or even Grain and Grill. Leave Firehouse with it's year round menu and open Country Kitchen with a holiday menu. I mean I know that clusters the restaurants in a closer area but I would take it in exchange for more indoor seating.
Yeah, it seems obvious to me that:
- All accessible restaurants with indoor seating should be scheduled to be open
- Additional restaurants without indoor seating should be open if crowds require it
- All constantly-open restaurants should have special WinterFest menus
Yeah, closing Country Kitchen because of staffing while reopening Dogwood’s is a head-scratcher for me. I’m sure Country Kitchen’s more complex menu and keeping the dining areas clean requires more staff, but Country Kitchen has such a large indoor dining capacity that if I were in charge, I’d cut several other locations before I cut Country Kitchen. Lose Dogwood’s, lose Juke Box, lose frankly any handful of smaller outdoor-only restaurants, and funnel those resources to keeping one of the park’s largest and most well equipped indoor restaurants open and operating efficiently.
We took a visit last night (Friday Dec 1). No crowd. I guess the rain scared them all away, which made for a delightful visit. The shows could use some refinement and polishing. Mistletones were outstanding. Tinker's needs to create focus. Too many performers with mics. At times is was a jumbled mess. As usual, the lights blow me away, especially along Candy Apple Grove. Santa was a blast. We had a great time interacting with him, especially because there was no one behind us, so we didn't feel rushed to move along. My only compliant is the abysmal beer selection. There are many regional and local craft brews. KD could do much better. Last year had outstanding beer choices.