Friday, November 22nd, 2019 marked the premiere of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland!
My good friend Brandon met up with me to take in the sights and sounds of this all-new Christmastime event. The park was like a Canada's Wonderland we had never seen before! It was decked out with wonderful Christmas light displays, musical performances, and other holiday activities for visitors to enjoy! An event you do not want to miss is the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5:30pm on International Street! It was truly spectacular!
In addition to the wonderful light displays and shows, the park also had some festive food options available only during Winterfest. Also, although not the main focus of Winterfest, they even had a few rides open for guests who were willing to brave the windchill (I was one of them).
Be sure to check out part one of photos I had captured of Winterfest in all its glory!
As we arrived at the parking lot parking lot, we were greeted by large nutcrackers there were set up in front of each toll booth in the parking lot.
From the parking lot toll lanes, you could see lights dangling down from where the waterfalls normally flow on Wonder Mountain.
Once 4:30pm rolled around, the parking lot opened. After finding a place to park, we ventured towards the front gates. It was a spectacular sight and a preview of what was yet to come.
Here is the view of International Street as we walked through the front gates.
Here is a close up of the Snowflake Lake (Royal Fountains) on International Street. The lights on all the trees and Wonder Mountain all looked great!
Here is one of the two 50 foot tall Christmas trees on International Street. They weren't quite fully lit up at this point as there was a tree lighting ceremony at 5:30pm.
Many of the shops found throughout the park were transformed to suit the Christmas theming of Winterfest. Pictured is The Mistletoe gift shop.
Here is a close-up view of Santa's Reindeer, which were parked on top of the front gate while Santa makes his stay at Canada's Wonderland for the next month.
Snoopy was making his way through when I captured this photo.
While many of the lamp posts featured shooting star lights, all of them had received oil lamp looking bulbs which looked really neat as they flickered just like the real thing!
Here is Snoopy in his Santa outfit before the Tree Lighting Ceremony took place!
International Street was just dazzling with lights!
Everything within sight received a festive transformation.
Displays such a this one were sure to get visitors in to the Christmas spirit!
The Victoria Falls on Wonder Mountain were replaced with a dazzling display of lights.
Here are more lights and decorations found on International Street.
Once rope drop occurred at 5pm, Brandon and I took a spin on Klockwerks, one of the four larger flat rides open during Winterfest. It was a chilly experience! As you can see, International Festival was transformed into Tinsel Town for the duration of Winterfest.
These decorative snowmen sure appeared to be in the Christmas spirit!
After taking a frigid ride on the Wilde Knight Mares (another of the four large flat rides open), I captured some photos of Elf Village (Medieval Faire). Many lights were strung in the shrubs and trees.
The diving structure on Arthur's Baye even got in on the festivities with strings of lights cascading down towards the water. As I would later discover, these lights were programmed with the Cool Yule Christmas performance on the stage located nearby.
Here is the third 50 foot Christmas tree to be seen at Winterfest. It was placed on the stage in Elf Village, next to Arthur's Baye.
As 5:30pm was approaching, we made our way over to where the tree lighting ceremony takes place.
As we were walking along, we passed by the What the Dickens?! sideshow outside the Canterbury Theatre.
Here is the opening scene of the Tree Lighting Ceremony! Below is a video I had recorded of the event.
After a few minutes of singing and dancing, a large countdown took place and the trees and the plethora of lights on International Street came alive!
It was an amazing performance and one that you need to see in person!
Once the tree lighting ceremony concluded, guests started to venture out on to Snowflake Lake, the skating rink at Winterfest.
Here we have the Season of Lights, a section dedicated to the various holidays celebrated throughout the months of December and January.
In the back half of the Grande World Exposition of 1890 section that was open was the North Pole, home to Santa and many of his deer and elves.
At St. Nick's Pics, visitors of Winterfest could get their photos taken with Santa.
Artificial topiary reindeer were set up in the North Pole section.
Also on display were some animatronic reindeer housed at the Reindeer Round-Up display.
Some of the topiary deer appeared to be signing some Christmas carols.
While in the North Pole, you could pick up some festive treats.
The lights on International Street looked spectacular against the night sky!
The back half of Tinsel Town was shimmering bright with all the lights.
The path behind Wonder Mountain was home to a display of lights that moved to music.
It was quite interesting to watch the lights flicker to the music that was being played.
There were even small houses set up along the path which looked very festive!
Down near the exit of Vortex, guests could take a photo at this giant light-up Christmas present.
Tinsel Town looked quite beautiful with its tinsel and lights all strung overhead the pathways!
Be sure to continue onto Part 2 for more photos from the premiere night of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland!
The third and final day (September 22nd) of the 106th Acton Fall Fair started out sunny and then turned gusty, which it would stay that way all day. By early afternoon, the dust began to pick up on the baseball diamonds at the back of Prospect Park, making visibility poor at times. Despite that, it was still a great time! Be sure to check out the final photos that I had captured of this year's Acton Fall Fair, below!
The Miniature Horse Show had began at 11am. It was happening right behind where the Heritage Acton booth was located. There were many participants.
The Antique Tractor pulls were also taking place on the track in the late morning/early afternoon.
Sundays at the Acton Fall Fair are generally quiet. But there was still tons of fun to be had!
Throughout the afternoon, various participants of the Miniature Horse show were riding around in carts, demonstrating their ability to control their ponies.
Here is a close-up shot of the Manufacturer ID Plate for the Starship 3000.
During the final hour of the Fair, the admission gates close. So, quite a few people take advantage to tour the fairgrounds before it all gets packed up. Here is a lady riding a three-wheeled bicycle while towing a canoe. That was definitely quite unique.
The Mulligan Wheel was giving its final rides of the fair. I decided to ride it one final time before it was packed away.
The remaining people were starting to filter out as the fair was coming to an end.
Some children were getting in their final rides of the day before heading home.
The Tilt-A-Whirl was sitting silent as it awaited its turned to be packed up and taken to the next fair.
Nearly one hour after the fair had closed for another year, the rides began to be quickly packed up. Here is the Sizzler getting prepared for transport.
Here is the Sizzler packed up onto a single semi-transport. It is a rather compact ride.
The Mulligan Wheel was also being dismantled at that time.
Here is one final look down the midway at the 106th Acton Fall Fair as the staff of Albion Amusements were busy taking down the rides and games. It was another great fair! See you next year!
If you missed or would like to have another look at photos from the first and second days of the 106th Acton Fall Fair, be sure to check them out here! :-)
Day two (September 21st) of the 106th Acton Fall Fair was another fun day! The weather was yet again nice and warm, allowing many people to come take in the sights and sounds of the fair. In the afternoon, my good friend Travis came up for a visit to see the Acton Fall Fair. We checked out the venues and rode a few rides together, as he hadn't been to the fair in four years. Overall, it was another great day! Photos from day one of the fair can be viewed here.
After arriving at the Acton Fall Fair in the morning, I headed into the Dufferin Community Centre to look at more of the entries.
Here are the jams and preservative entries.
Over here are the photography contest entries.
There were many baked goods and antiques entries at the fair this year.
After looking at the home craft entries, I headed over to the Poultry barn. There, the judges were judging the chickens and ducks.
On Saturday, the midway rides do not open until 11am.
The midway rides sat quietly as they awaited the 11am opening.
Nearly an hour later, the midway and fairgrounds were bustling with fun and excitement!
The Carousel was greatly enjoyed by the young children visiting the fair.
Zero Gravity was thrilling a few passengers in the early afternoon.
The Avalanche always seem to draw a crowd regardless of the time of day!
A ride on the Scooter bumper cars is a fun time for visitors of all ages!
Children of all ages enjoy taking a try at the Balloon Popping game as they can win a prize every time they play.
The lawn tractor pulls are one of the highlight events on the track at the Acton Fall Fair. They continued well into the evening.
Saturday evening is the busiest time to visit the fair. The warm weather helps draw even larger crowds.
Travis and I rode three rides together, which included the Tilt-A-Whirl, Berry-Go-Round, and the Mulligan Wheel.
The midway always comes to life as the sun sets off in the horizon.
The Orbiter was quite a blur as it hurtles passengers in to orbit.
The Cuckoo Haus fun house was quite bright and was extremely popular during the day.
The warm summer-like evenings are the most enjoyable times to visit the fair.
After Travis headed home, I captured this vibrant shot of the midway.
Here I am on my favourite midway ride, the Tilt-A-Whirl!
The Scooter bumper cars boasts a colourful array of lights.
The lights on the Himalaya were quite flashy. It's too bad that a few of them were burnt out.
The strobe lights on the Zero Gravity were flashing mid-way through the duration of the ride.
Here's a view of the midway from the Tilt-A-Whirl before taking my final ride of the night on it.
After another great day at the Acton Fall Fair, it was time to head on home! Photos from the third and final day of the 106th Acton Fall Fair can be viewed here!
