While many are putting the finishing touches on their costumes and gathering candy in preparation for Halloween, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s elves are already hard at work stringing lights for the Southeast’s largest drive-thru holiday light display, Speedway Christmas, which opens Nov. 19.
For more than a decade, Charlotte Motor Speedway has transformed into a Christmas wonderland, welcoming fans from across the country to a festive holiday escape featuring more than 4 million twinkling lights strung throughout a 3.75-mile drive-thru course. Many of the lights will be synchronized to lively Christmas music that guests can listen to on their car radio as they wind through the show.
To bring the elaborate show to life, crews will rack up an estimated 5,000 work hours stringing, testing and connecting lights. More than 800 individual displays, including some more than 80-feet tall (eight stories high), will be assembled over the next several weeks.
“Putting on an event of this magnitude is a huge undertaking, but visitors have come to expect the very best from Speedway Christmas, and our team always looks forward to delivering exactly that,” said Greg Walter, executive vice president and general manager at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Crews started setup immediately following the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 NASCAR weekend and they’ll be hard at work right up until opening night. The smiles on the faces of our guests as they drive through is well worth all the effort, and we’re proud to continue this wonderful Christmas tradition.”
Back by popular demand for 2021, Speedway Christmas will again feature the infield Christmas Village, where visitors can exit their cars amid the beautifully lit displays and enjoy a bevy of holiday activities from photos with Santa to shopping for gifts and making s’mores by the fire, every Thursday through Sunday night. Also on those nights, guests can enjoy a variety of popular drive-in Christmas movies – from “Elf” and “Christmas Vacation” to “The Grinch” and “A Christmas Story,” on the 16,000-square-foot Speedway TV.
TICKETS:
Speedway Christmas will open nightly from Nov. 19 through Jan. 16, with the exception of limited private bookings and Christmas Eve. Tickets are sold per vehicle (up to 15 passengers), starting at $30 every Monday through Wednesday night and $40 Thursday through Sunday. A new, dedicated Fast Pass lane will allow guests to skip the lines on busier nights for just $70 per vehicle. The new Fast Pass route will feature entry off Morehead Road at Entrance P behind the speedway.
Tickets are available online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or at the gate upon entry. Advance online purchases are recommended and fans should download their digital tickets before arrival.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Keep track of all of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s events, share their photos and join the conversation by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Fans can also keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
