We turn our car down the twisting path and pass a sign reading “WonderLAnd Village.” Here stands a row of house facades, each decorated in bright and magical colors and lights; a beautiful celebration. One house, awash in blue and white lights, is decorated with a large menorah and Jewish star to represent Hanukkah. Another sparkles with reds and golds, and sits opposite a praying Buddha statue. Yet another is decked out in vibrant reds and greens, with the centerpiece being a cut-out of a family celebrating Kwanzaa. This tribute to other world traditions besides Christmas (which there is plenty of!) is truly touching and reminds me what the holidays are all about.
WonderLAnd, presented by Experiential Supply Co (Hauntoween, IT Experience: Chapter Two), is a beautiful drive-thru experience that celebrates the holidays with twinkling lights, classic Yule time music, energetic live actors, and gorgeous decorations. The twenty-minute experience (with a varying wait time to enter) is viewed solely from inside your vehicle with your masks up when the windows are down, as has become pretty standard practice for these kinds of events. Like October’s Hauntoween, WonderLAnd has guests drive single-file continuously through a myriad of spectacular displays meant to bring holiday wonder to attendees – and that are great for photos.
WonderLAnd uses the same location as October’s Hauntoween (the Woodland Hills AMC parking lot), maintaining their intuitive use of the space, and changing the path in the process. The experience is broken up into several different sections, each with its own aesthetic, music (which could be louder in places), themeing, and live performers. The North Pole is dotted with smiling penguins and polar bears; Light & Motion Lane lets guests drive through several tunnels, dancing with lights; and the WonderLAnd Forest invites guests to wave back to frolicking fairies. Unlike a larger-scale event like Holidays in the Park, which had some dark spots during the drive, WonderLAnd’s compact location ensures that it is brimming with holiday décor and never lacking for gorgeous visuals – a highlight being a tunnel of delicate silhouette cut-outs depicting winter scenes.
While Experiential Supply Co’s Hauntoween delighted children of all ages with ample amounts of candy, WonderLAnd dazzles with lights, nostalgia, and worldwide traditions. One of WonderLAnd’s strengths is the inclusion of WonderLAnd Village, which is a row of house facades, each decorated for a different world celebration. Guests will see a house adorned in Hanukkah blues and whites, or a cut-out of a family gathered for Kwanzaa. With the focus shifted away from candy and other tangible goodies, WonderLAnd instead spotlights the meaning behind the holidays we celebrate – togetherness.
The live performers are spread out, which breaks up the static displays nicely and injects the path with energy. WonderLAnd‘s decorations and whimsical props – like giant teddy bears, sparkling lights, and elf statues playing in the North Pole – are cute and playful. But the actual performers – dancing elves in the WonderLAnd Shoppe, playful fairies in the Forest, and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus – brighten the experience with liveliness. And, while kids can’t sit on Santa’s lap this year, they might still get a little treat from an elf as the Clauses wave them on their way for the night.
Experiential Supply Co offers a safe and impressively designed experience once again. WonderLAnd celebrates togetherness and inclusivity during a time when we most need it, and most miss it. Great for a fun family event or a special date night, WonderLAnd will amaze even the nastiest Grinch.
Find more information on WonderLAnd on their website, and purchase tickets HERE. Follow Experiential Supply Co on Facebook and Instagram. For more holiday events, check out our Event Guide and special Remote Experiences Guide.
