Great American Family Brings Christmas Magic to Life With Holiday Festival
By Movieguide® Contributor
Great American Family is kicking off a new holiday tradition this year — the network just announced the first Great American Family Christmas Festival!
“Over the past decade, my team and I have envisioned a Christmas Festival that will attract people from far and wide and offer fans a chance to meet the stars of our movies and immerse themselves in a one-of-a-kind festive experience,” Bill Abbott, President & CEO of Great American Media, said in a press release.
The festival is set to take place at UBS Arena in New York and will feature “holiday movie world premieres, traditional lighting of the Christmas tree nightly, Instagram-worthy holiday experiences, celebrity meet & greets, ice skating, Santa’s Crafting Village, and live entertainment,” per the press release.
The Great American Family Christmas Festival is also being put on in partnership with CandyRock Entertainment.
“Between Islanders Ownership, who have an unparalleled commitment to the guest experience at UBS Arena, our Chief Creative Officer Candace Cameron Bure and her team at CandyRock Entertainment, and our terrific roster of talent, this partnership is poised to deliver the nation’s premier holiday event, not just this year, but for many seasons to come,” Abbott concluded.
Bure echoed Abbott’s statement, saying, “We all look forward to the holidays as a time to be together with our families and make new memories, and this is what the Christmas Festival is all about. We’re so happy to give families a new opportunity to experience joy, play together, and celebrate this season.”
Great American Family is also gearing up for its Christmas schedule, which will include AURORA CHRISTMAS, starring Jill Wagner and Jesse Hutch. Movieguide® previously reported:
Lauren Holly and Bruce Boxleitner are joining Jesse Hutch and Jill Wagner in Great American Family’s upcoming Christmas movie, AURORA CHRISTMAS.
Per Deadline, “The movie follows Erin (Wagner), who joins her dad Doug (Boxleitner) for a Christmas in the family’s former hometown of Aurora on a mission that is part business and major bucket list item for Erin to see the Aurora Borealis light up the Northern sky. Realtor Lori (Holly) and family friend and local tour guide Trevor (Hutch) create a Christmas inspired at every turn by faith, love, and hope, so much so that Christmas bells hung over decades in a forest grove ring an unbroken song, a harbinger of miracles to come.”
Wagner shared her excitement for the movie on social media.
She wrote, “God has blessed my life again by allowing me to work along side these actors. I admire them and I feel so honored to share my next Christmas film with them.”
“As we approach Year Four of our Great American Christmas franchise, we are proud of the family of actors we have assembled that are at the top of every viewer’s list of favorites. This high quality talent is just one of the elements that distinguishes Great American Family from other networks and content providers who are simply making movies that are set during the Christmas season,” Abbott said in a statement about upcoming Christmas programming.
He continued, “Our storytelling is filled with characters who revere family, faith and country and their journeys establish a foundation of hope and joy for so many viewers throughout the Christmas season.”
