The Capital Region’s largest indoor holiday event!

When Bryant Luizzi took his oldest, then a baby, to visit Santa at the mall, he found the experience more of a struggle than the lighthearted good time he’d hoped for. “There was a long line down the mall, and the wait led to a lot of crying and whining,” he says. “And the picture prices were ridiculous. I felt like getting pictures with Santa should be a highlight of a family’s holiday, not an endurance test.”

Bryant wanted a better way for families to have some Christmas fun together. Just three years later, his “hobby” of Wintertime Wonderland -- which opens this year on Saturday, November 20 at 195 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham -- is the Capital region’s largest indoor Christmas event, and Bryant says visitors will find lots of new treats in 2021: an antique Coney Island carousel, the Grinch and his dog Max, and a giant ornament, to name just a few. Thanks to sponsors, tickets have been lowered to $10 from $15, and benefit local charities. Though the show is only open for a few weeks, the preparations -- everything from construction and setup to elf choreography -- keep Bryant and a team of six to eight helpers busy all year long. During the season, Wintertime Wonderland employs 80-100 in the making of the magic. “Everybody flies in from the North Pole just for this, of course,” he chuckles. “I have a wonderful team that makes it happen. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Veterans, health care workers and first responders get free admission on designated Wednesdays -- check the website or Facebook for dates and details. A sensory-friendly version will be presented on December 22. Thousands of visitors savored the experience last year, and “knock on wood, as far as I know there wasn’t one person who didn’t like it. This is absolutely my favorite thing, and I’d like to see it last for decades. I hope my own kids want to take over and run it.” The tour ends in a hall of creative vendors, the better to get some shopping out of the way.