Bible-based attraction will close stage shows
Holy Land Experience will reevaluate land use
Holy Land Experience, Orlando’s Bible-based attraction, will close its stage shows while reevaluating the use of its property near the intersection of Interstate 4 and Conroy Road.
“The change will refocus the park on its original plan and function,” Mike Everett, general manager, said in a news release. “The Scriptorium, which holds rare and unique biblical artifacts, and a scale model of ancient Jerusalem and the city of David, will continue to serve as the park’s main educational attractions.”
There will also be an evaluation of “the best and most efficient use of the property, assessing other economic opportunities, including redevelopment,” Everett said.
The shift from entertainment to education will kick in April 19, one week after Easter.
Holy Land Experience has been owned by California-based Trinity Broadcasting Networks since 2007.
Sale of the property is among the options that will be considered, Nate Daniels, Trinity’s marketing director, said Wednesday.
“There’s been a lot of development in the area,” he said. “We own a significant part of land around the park, not just the park
itself. There’s the possibility of selling a part of it and maintaining the actual park area.”
The Holy Land Experience property could be in high demand, said Justin Greider, senior vice president-retail lead for JLL in Orlando.
“The intersection they’re at is one of the strongest retail destinations in the entire market,” Greider said.
But a potential buyer would most likely not be another attraction, he said.
“I think that as Orlando’s experienced over the last two decades, the smaller attractions have become fewer and far between, and the larger attractions keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I think that that there’s a huge opportunity for, you know, what I would call retail uses.”
Nearby businesses include luxury-auto dealerships, office plazas, convenience stores and apartment complexes. It is about a mile away from Mall at Millenia.
The attraction, which opened in 2001, currently features musical and dramatic presentations, including elaborate productions inside the 2,000-seat Church of All Nations auditorium, the rounded, Roman-inspired building visible from the interstate. Last year, it added “David: The King of Jerusalem” and announced plans to debut “Esther: The Queen of Persia” in March.
It had held Christmasthemed productions last year as well.
“That theater is, you know, a really great venue,” Daniels said. “We have a lot of productions that we actually do there, so that will continue.” Live Church Orlando will still meet in that building.
Holy Land also had more intimate plays throughout the day, including an outdoor retelling of the resurrection of Lazarus.
The changes at the attraction will result in a smaller work force, including the actors, technicians and some operations folks. Severance packages were given to employees, tied to their tenures.
Holy Land Experience, in exchange for a property-tax exemption, offered free admission one day each year. The free days typically drew big crowds, sometimes reaching park capacity.
Day-to-day attendance is expected to decrease without the stage shows, Daniels said.
“With the pivot to the new education-focused theme park, we’ll re-evaluate our ticketing price point,” he said. A day’s admission currently costs $50. Holy Land Experience is no longer offering annual passes or group rates, he said.