New Holiday Event

Campy Christmas immersive experience debuts in Dallas Arts District

Camp Christmas will debut at Annette Strauss Square on November 22.

Photo courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center

AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas is getting some of that Christmas spirit with a new immersive winter holiday experience for 2024. Called Camp Christmas, it will take patrons on a journey through eras of winter holiday celebrations past and present told through extravagant interactive installations.

Dubbed a "Meow Wolf meets mall Santa's Wonderland," the event will take place at Annette Strauss Square for a month — running from November 22-December 29 — and promises to transform the venue into an over-the-top winter wonderland, showcasing the fantastical, colorful, and whimsical side of the holiday season.

Created by renowned artist and designer Lonnie Hanzon, Camp Christmas was originally staged in Denver in 2019. It eventually partnered up with Denver's Center for the Performing Arts, which hosted it in 2023.

Hanzon has been recognized for Christmas installations at Neiman Marcus, Houston Zoo Lights, and floats for the Denver Parade of Lights. For the Denver installation, he and a crew of 30 artists worked for six months, creating thousands of Santa figurines, lights, objects, plus 44 decorated trees.

The "camp" in the name is no coincidence: The installation takes a larger-than-life approach to holiday traditions, with quirky festive décor, interactive experiences, and themed environments ranging from dazzling winter scenes to nostalgic Christmas memories. For example, one element at the Denver event consisted of "pun trees" such as the gold Christmas tree decorated entirely with Regis Philbin heads.

The Dallas event will feature a series of themed holiday rooms, each filled with lights, decorations, and interactive activities. A Santa Claus will be on hand, with special times available for Spanish and American Sign Language speakers.

Visitors can choose from three options:

Classic Camp Christmas, which allows for fixed time entry
Guided Camp Christmas, offering guided visits at specific times
Camp Director Tour, special guided tours led by Hanzon himself

Prices start at $20; children under 2 are free. For more information on hours and to purchase tickets, go to attpac.org/campchristmas or call the AT&T Performing Arts Center box office at 214- 880-0202.

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Dallas amusement park purchase leads this week's most popular stories

Adventure Landing

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Editor's note: The top news in Dallas this week includes a new owner for longtime amusement park and a slew of restaurant openings. Plus, a Dallas neighbor earns a top safety ranking, and we look back at the biggest entertainment stories of the year. Below are the most popular Dallas stories of the week. And for holiday weekend fun, go here.

1. Dallas acquires 30-year-old amusement park for $13 million. An amusement park in Far North Dallas was purchased by the City of Dallas to be developed into a community park. The Dallas City Council voted during its December 11 meeting to buy Adventure Landing, with a goal to keep the park in business.

2. Dallas neighbor is proclaimed the second safest city in the U.S. One of Dallas' buzziest suburbs is also one of the safest in the U.S.: It's none other than Frisco, which was declared the No. 2 safest city in America for 2025 in a new study by personal finance advisors MoneyGeek.

3. 7 new restaurants open in Dallas in a single week. Dallas is brimming with an unexpected bounty of openings. From sweet crepes and rolled ice cream to a unique dual-restaurant in Frisco, these are the absolute newest places to check out.

Le Bistrot Bar Sardine is now open in Snider Plaza. Kayla Enright

4. Acclaimed restaurant team to open Centro on the Square in McKinney. There's an exciting new restaurant coming to McKinney from a team with serious cred: Called Centro on the Square, it'll open in Historic Downtown McKinney at 112 E. Louisiana St.

5. Alamo Drafthouse saga leads Dallas' top entertainment stories of 2024. The biggest movie drama of 2024 in Dallas starred the theaters themselves. Here's a look back at our most-read entertainment stories of the year.

amusement parks safest cities openings alamo drafthouse most popular stories