I had the opportunity to visit Enchant Nashville for opening night. It was amazing! With over 4 million lights, 150 Christmas trees, a story themed walk-thru light maze, ice skating, shopping, live entertainment, dining, and, of course, Santa, there is a little something for everyone to get into the holiday spirit. Enchant Nashville will be shining bright at First Horizon Park until December 30, 2022.
I started the evening at the opening ceremony hosted by Eddie the Elf. Carolers, dancers, Vice Mayor Shulman, elves, and Santa all played a part, then the 100 ft centerpiece Christmas tree was lit. Gorgeous! All (except the vice mayor) will be a part of Enchant for the entire 5 weeks.
After the tree lighting, I ventured down the stairs to the ballfield level to the light maze. They have a nice floor installed and there is a long ramp available for strollers and wheelchairs. Be sure to pick up your Maze Passport. You will wander through the light maze to find all 9 reindeer, stamp your passport, then enter for a chance to win the Hallmark Channel trip sweepstakes. You will find food and drink options and ice skating on this level as well.
Being flu season, I was thankful to have some hand sanitizer with me with everyone using the same stampers – Enchant does not provide any hand sanitizing stations but there are plenty of restrooms on the pedestrian walkway level for hand washing.
I went back up the stairs to find the shopping village. It is on the pedestrian walkway level where you enter and goes around the whole stadium. There is a wide range of vendors from Rickey’s Jerky (personally highly recommended!) to My Cluck Hut to Music City Creative Print Shop and so much in between. Additionally on this level, Carolers were on the entertainment stage; elves were giving VIP tours and spreading cheer; and Santa was set up for photos with the little ones. While the line for Santa photos seemed long, there will be multiple “Santa’s helpers” set up in separate rooms, so the line should move quickly. I got to peek in one of the rooms – you will have a private audience with Santa with a nice tree backdrop for the photo. When you get tired of shopping, there is a room to sit and eat, a bar, entertainment stages with seating, face painting, caricatures, and several food options.
Tickets are a bit pricey – $34 per adult and $20 per child, and ice skating is an additional $18 each – but there are a few deals to be had. There is a discount for military and seniors, also a Night Owl ticket option to enjoy the last 2 hours of the show for $25 per ticket. On Wednesdays, you can get a free child ticket for each adult ticket purchased.
I’m seeing a lot of people posting negative reviews about opening night and I’d like to address what I can. There were a few kinks. Our elf guide was saying the talent was just allowed in, like a day or two ago, because installation was delayed (like everything is these days) so they are still figuring everything out. I’d give it a good week for them to work everything out and go early – when it opens – to avoid the crowd, and I think it will just get better and better.
I didn’t have to wait in line – with Music City Moms, I got in without having to wait so I wouldn’t miss the tree lighting – but I know there was a long line and that was one of the biggest complaints. People didn’t know about the bag policy and that held things up. They did eventually open a second entrance and I think that helped a lot. Read their Know Before You Go Guide to help answer all kinds of questions.
I saw complaints about the pricing of drinks and the stuff inside. I got a bag of fresh kettle corn for $8 and hot chocolate for $6. I didn’t think that was too much for event prices. It is a cashless event, so bring your debit card, credit card, or mobile wallet like Apple Pay and Google Pay if you plan to buy anything inside.
I also read people complaining that lights were out. There are 4 million lights there, a few of them might be out. I can’t even keep them all lit on my 6 ft. Christmas tree at home! I saw one very small section that wasn’t lit and a few little spots here and there. It certainly didn’t take away from the experience. Watch this video review from Every Day is Saturday and you can see for yourself.
I hope that you will make Enchant Nashville a stop for your holiday fun this year. Let the kinks get worked out and it will be a magical evening for your family.
Enchant Nashville is located at First Horizon Park, 19 Junior Gilliam Way, Nashville, TN 37219.
