Heavy/Hallmark Kevin McGarry, Andie MacDowell, Tyler Hynes, Nikki DeLoach, Erin Krakow, Andrew Walker, and Lacey Chabert are among the scheduled stars for the new Hallmark Christmas Experience
This holiday season, nearly 40 Hallmark stars, from Tyler Hynes to Lacey Chabert, will descend upon Kansas City for the first-ever Hallmark Christmas Experience, the company announced on May 15, 2024. From November 29 through December 23, an immersive experience for fans will be held each weekend at Hallmark’s longstanding company headquarters, featuring holiday activities, shopping, food, and celebrity appearances.
Tickets go on sale starting at 10 a.m. Central time on May 16, with two packages available to “elevate” the experience with photo ops, “reindeer games” with the stars, and VIP treatment, ranging in price from $259 to $699, according to the event’s website.
Given that Hallmark’s first-ever celebrity cruises, taking place in November, sold out within hours when they were announced in August 2023, packages for the Hallmark Christmas Experience may also go fast. Hallmark has said that those who don’t gain access to the packages will have a chance to buy single tickets, priced between $5 and $99, this summer.
Different Hallmark Stars Will Appear Each Weekend of New Christmas Experience
Hallmark“Three Wise Men and a Baby” stars Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker and Tyler Hynes, who will star in a December 2024 sequel, will all make appearances at the new Hallmark Christmas Experience
The participating Hallmark stars will be split up, with seven to 10 celebrities appearing each weekend for festivities and photo ops. To get around the many holiday movie stars planning to attend Christmas Con in New Jersey the second weekend of December, the Hallmark Christmas Experience will primarily feature stars from its series “When Calls The Heart” and “The Way Home.”
At the time of publication, the lineup for each weekend was as follows:
Weekend One (November 29 – December 1, 2024): Jonathan Bennett, Warren Christie, Erin Cahill, Tyler Hynes, Kristoffer Polaha, Ashley Williams, Jesse Schram, Wes Brown and Cindy Busby
Weekend Two (December 8 – 10, 2024): Lacey Chabert, Benjamin Ayres, B.J. Britt, John Brotherton, Paul Campbell, Taylor Cole, Nikki DeLoach, Heather Hemmens, Ginna Claire Mason, Kimberley Sustad, and Andrew Walker
Weekend Three (December 13 – 15, 2024): Brendan Penny, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, Pascal Hutton, Erin Krakow, Viv Leacock, Chyler Leigh, Andie MacDowell, Kevin McGarry, Chris McNally, and Kavan Smith
Weekend Four (December 20 – 22, 2024): Rachel Boston, Brooke D’Orsay, Brennan Elliott, Aimee Garcia, Niall Matter, Barbara Niven, and Victor Webster
Packages Will Give Fans Upgraded Access to Celebrities & Special Holiday Experiences
The Hallmark Christmas Experience will take place outdoors at Crown Center in Kansas City, right outside of Hallmark’s headquarters, which a busload of Hallmark stars visited for the first time in the summer of 2023.
At the weekend event, fans and families can visit free of charge to shop a “Holiday Hallmarket,” featuring Hallmark products and one-of-a-kind gifts from Hallmark artists, as well as as a Christmas Market with local and artisan gifts.
Other free activities will include picture-perfect light displays, a card-sending station, a Crayola community mural, tree lighting ceremonies with special guests and holiday light shows. The public can also pay to ice skate at the Crown Center rink, a local holiday tradition for many families and there will be a “festive food hall” with holiday treats.
In addition to those immersive activities, Hallmark fans who purchase limited-availability ticket packages will access additional star-studded experiences.
For $259, the “Be Merry” package provides access to a special “Look Behind the Lens” experience in which “Hallmark stars and creators take you behind the scenes of your favorite Hallmark movies and series with first-hand accounts of the stories and characters you know so well,” per the website. “Be Merry” ticket holders also get to attend “Reindeer Games” with the featured stars of each weekend, a commemorative weekend lanyard, a ticket to the “Light Walk,” a limited edition art print, a food and drink voucher, and discounts at the holiday markets.
For $699, the “Find Magic” package includes everything in the “Be Merry” package, but also includes photo ops with participating stars, workshops with Hallmark artists, a pop-up bar including a free glass of wine, a “Home Sweet Hallmark Movie-Thon” featuring Hallmark classics in an indoor surround-sound theater, access to an outdoor VIP lounge, and first access to Hallmark-themed suites at the Westin Kansas City.
Those who purchase packages will also have a chance to upgrade their experiences to include Breakfast With Santa, a “chef-curated brunch, including Bloody Mary and mimosa bar, at The American,” a four-star restaurant overlooking the Hallmark Christmas Experience, or a “signature dinner” at the restaurant with a starter, main course, dessert, and wine pairings throughout the meal.