NOLA ChristmasFest

Ice skating requires you to leave all b your belongings at a cost. But there are no secured lockers and anyone can steal from you. Thus my partner and I could not skate together. Last year, I just didn't skate. Next year, I am not attending. Why does a purse zipped up inside your jacket pose a risk. Also everything is over-priced. The magic is gone.

The price to enter went up from $20 to $25. They have two time slots for entry. If I'm correct, it starts from 11am to 4pm and 5pm to closing. Price came up and you can't stay the whole day if you want to. This year has less entertainment for the kids then usually and the snow queen or princess was not active and friendly as pass years character in costume. If this will be the same for the following year, I don't think I would take the kids there.

Had a wonderful time at NOLA ChristmasFest! I'm a sucker for all things Christmas-y so best believe I was all over this opportunity to attend. This event goes on for a little over 2 weeks but after my first time attending, I can see how packed this place gets on a weekend. If you can attend during a weekday then I highly recommend it.A few of the activities you can enjoy with your ticket purchase are the carnival rides, ice skating rink, sledding, faux snowball arena, gingerbread house, maze, and so much more.I really enjoyed the carnival rides since they have a few that are attractive for teenagers and adults. The carousel is also a great one for social media.For those of us who like to have a drink while enjoying any activities aka me, then rest assured you can purchase alcohol including beer, wine, and specialty cocktails.The Christmas tree area is really photogenic and I love the feel-good vibes you get.As tempted as you might be to try one of the gingerbread houses don't but they're super cool to explore! They even have a local vendor area to support local artisans. NOLA ChristmasFest is a great family friendly activity and hopefully y'all have a chance to explore.

Nola Christmas Fest is wonderful! It is a true great place for kids. To quote my little cousin "It's a great kid's place." You have everything here:-Ice skating (better if you know what you doing for ice skating, however two young ladies on duties to help out). This is actually included in your admission. You can rent lockers or buy socks for $2.- Mini Golfing. It's supe cute with 9 holes that you and the kids can both play.- Snow Ball Fights and Lego Building for Hiding- This is fun, but can be a little much for the tiny kids because some kids are trying to throw things with their full might. So be careful with kids in this and probably best to go in with them. The fort making with legos is pretty cool to though.- Maze... The maze is super funny to me, because its cute and small but the kids get so flustered when they make a wrong turn lol. Definitely go in with them.- Ice Slide... This was the highlight with the 4 year old with me. It was wonderful! Raft was use to slide down ice at different heights! Good for adult too.Also available is cookie decorating ($3), Tree Crafting (Free), Gingerbread House displays, Tree Displays, pictures with Santa Claus, Pictures inside a snow globe, snowman jump house. Also there are many rides, may not be a crowd pleaser with the younger kids, but if you have some kids into the rides they definitely will find a ride or two to enjoy.Also available is some snacks and even a bar for the parents. The parking situation.. There is construction being down in the area so much of the street parking will be a bit hard. The closest lot to the entrance is the Convention Center Parking lot which is $15. Also there are a few other lots further up.Great outing to take kids and let them have a great time. They will be worn out once you leave.

Maybe I am spoiled, or maybe I did it wrong, but ChristmasFest just didn't do it for me. I went on the Saturday after Christmas, so I am unsure if experiences are different for earlier dates. Lines were minimal at the ticket counter, I was able to walk right up to the Will-Call window to pick up the tickets that were held for me. Tickets were scanned by personnel upon entry, where we were informed that there is no re-entry. The lobby space had a large snow globe you could take selfies in, the line held a solid 20-30 min wait. We skipped this, but it appeared to provide a few minutes fun for the kids who don't get to experience snow. Through the massive ChristmasFest doorway, you're met with un-decorated convention center doors that lead you into the event. Many Christmas events I have attended in different cities across the country have transported me out of real life and into to a magical place of wonder. Not so much at ChristmasFest. While there were a lot of fun attractions, that's exactly how it felt... a bunch of attractions gathered under a roof. Each attraction was neat; but as a whole, it felt very modular and unfinished. The door leads you straight into the Christmas Tree forest. This area was one of my favorites. Luscious red carpet was laid out and speckled with beautifully decorated Christmas Trees. While the decor could have been more robust, it was a nice mood-setter. General Mood: Once you get past the trees, the space opens way up. There was a LOT of empty space throughout the room. I am assuming that amount of space is needed for larger crowds, but with a smaller crowd, it emphasized the lackluster decor and Christmas warmth. There were a few clusters of randomly placed trees, a couple of snowflakes hanging from the rafters, and some attractions had Christmas lights over them. The walls, ceiling, and floors were drab without backdrops, projections, or other means of "how can we make this NOT feel utilitarian?"Rides: There were quite a few cool carnival-esque rides for kiddos and adults. Despite the small crowds, all of the rides had a wait that seemed to be about 20-30 mins. I believe the waits could have been more manageable with better organization and systems. For the most part, the kids seemed to handle it pretty well. Other attractions: Maze, ice skating rink, movies, curling lanes, crafts, gingerbread houses, and snowball fight. I was actually most excited about the snowball fight, but that too was a little skimpy. I was envisioning a plethora of snowballs resembling a ball pit. While there were enough snowballs for everyone, it almost looked like "one snowball per person" rule was being enforced.Our favorite attractions were the tree forest, the ice slide (it's faster than it looks), and (surprisingly) the cookie-decorating station. Food: This is where I was most disappointed. The event provided a lot of stadium-style snacks for premium prices. Simple combos (hot dog, chips, drink) cost more than $11. We opted for a Papa John's cheese pizza- a personal size rubbery pizza that apparently was sitting in the warmer for a better part of the day. Worst ten bucks I have ever spent. There was also a Maui Wowie stand offering smoothies and packaged gas station-style snacks like mini powdered donuts and muffins. Booze: There are a few bars serving a nice variety of adult beverages that, believe it or not, cost less than the food. The eggnog daiquiri was the shining star. It was eggnoggy and boozie and not TOO slushie. The mistletoe drink is a cranberry champagne with berries and mint. A variety of beers, wines, and other cocktails provide something for everyone. Extras: Ice Skating Locker/Socks: $2, Cookie for decorating: $3, Balloon sword/corsage: $5, Face painting: $5. Nothing outrageous.Booths: There were some booths set up, not really Christmas-themed, but I guess it can be a fun place to grab a homemade soap or unique jewelry. Overall: If you have kids who will take advantage of the unlimited rides, this is a pretty great place to spend a day. The cost of the event, parking, and food seem a bit much for a "let's just check it out" excursion or if you've got little tots. Unless I bring a grip of kids who can entertain each other during waits in lines, I probably won't be back. The idea is brilliant, but execution was a bit of a fail.

There are not many places you can go and play all day for only $20! I have brought my, now 9 yr old, since the fest opened 3 years ago and she LOVES it!Our faves this year are the Rock Climbing, Tilt a Whirl, and Maze. We also had fun with all the selfie stations and slides. There are a lot more food stations this year (see food & costs in my pics) with a little something for everyone.A couple tips, there is a lot of road construction but traffic seemed to be directed fairly easy. I parked in lot D for $15 (cash only) and it was directly across street from event. An empty Coke can gets you $5 off your admission!! Bring some extra dough for last minute Oh-so-cute Christmas gifts at the local vendors booths! Oh, and don't forget to fill out an exit survey and receive a FREE book!!Spoiler alert: I took a zillion photos so if you want to be surprised, dont peak! But if you want to be prepared, peak peak peak!!

This is a great event if you have children tall enough to ride the rides (to take advantage of the price of the ticket) and love Christmas. We headed over on a dreary Saturday after the actual holiday and were magically transported to a fun and festive afternoon in the convention center. There's a paid parking lot option across the street for $15. We saved some money by parking about a block away and paying for street parking. It might be hard to find street parking during peak hours though. While the actual floor space rented out for the event is huge, they did a great job of filling it with all kinds of activities. There's something for the whole family from ice skating to amusement rides to different photo areas. We were even able to enjoy a lovely merry-go-round ride with our infant. I really appreciated that they also had a breastfeeding station set up near the gingerbread house display, that was very thoughtful. Food-wise there are small stations all around mostly serving the same things. Of course, it's New Orleans, so there's adult beverage options. There was even a little lounge area by the ice skating rink with TVs by a bar showing sports. The snowglobe selfies area looked really fun. I'm not sure what else would work better, but the "snow" looked like shredded up plastic bags. I had a sinking suspicion the baby would have inhaled some, so we didn't try this photo stop out. Can't wait to come back again in the future when we have a kiddo who is tall enough to really enjoy all the activities. $20 may seem a bit expensive, but you could really entertain your kid(s) here all day!Pro-tips:-Although the event runs 12/20-12/31, Santa departs on Christmas eve. So if you'd like to get a photo with him (extra fee), then you have to head over to the event before then. -Just by the exit, there's a booth that was handing out free Christmas related children's books for filling out a simple survey. We did our anonymously and received a free hardcover book (there were several choices). What a lovely idea!

Not too bad for what it is.This is the new Christmas tradition that has happened at the Convention Center for the past few years. It's pretty neat- you walk in and there are all kinds of differently decorated Christmas trees, there are rides, little snacks, an ice skating rink and inflatable things for kids to jump around on.David and I liked walking through taking it all in. It's definitely geared more towards kids, but there's some cool stuff for adults to do. I really liked the carousel. David went on the snow mizer ride, which I avoided because it spins you around and I can't get down with that. The ice skating rink was really small and the line to ice skate was insane, so we decided to skip that. If we go again, we're going to go when they first open so that we can get on the ice when it's fresh and avoid standing in a long line.I had a good time and going definitely put me in the Christmas spirit, so I think it was worth the time to go.

The experience was excellent but my issue is the lack of rides they used to have many rides but they kept taking it down and there is little options to ride. Another problem I have is The high priced food and drinks a water bottle cost 4.50 and that's crazy to me.

Wasn't the Xmas market I expected at all, but an indoor makeshift carnival. It was enjoyable for kids, and if I lived here, I'd sure go again.