Elk City, OK – Christmas in the Park is winding down, and this Saturday night, December 20, is your last chance to enjoy all the weekend activities in Elk City’s Ackley Park.
The Christmas light display will still shine nightly from sundown to sunup through New Year’s Eve, but Saturday is the final night for the full holiday experience from 6 to 9 pm. That includes rides on the Mistletoe Express bus, the Holly Jolly Trolley, the Centennial Carousel, the Candy Cane Express Train, plus horse drawn carriage rides and free miniature golf.
It is also the final night for kids to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus inside Santa’s Workshop.
Christmas in the Park takes months of planning and weeks of work. Decorating begins right after the Western Oklahoma Historical Society Flea Market each October. Park crews transform Ackley Park into a winter wonderland with more than one million lights and countless decorations.
The tradition dates back to the 1980s, when Elk City merchants decorated downtown for Christmas. After a visit to Chickasha’s light display, a local business owner pushed for something similar here. Ackley Park was chosen, and Christmas in the Park was born. Merchants originally sponsored displays, and by the early 1990s, the City of Elk City took over the project entirely.
Over the years, Christmas in the Park has drawn thousands of visitors from across Oklahoma and beyond. If you want to experience the rides, Santa visits, and full lineup of activities, Saturday night, December 20, is your last chance.
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