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 In
addition to the Pier-wide holiday décor, Chicago Scenic
designs and builds the annual family event Winter WonderFest
in Navy Pier's Festival Hall convention center. The 190,000-square-foot
attraction, which takes months of planning each year before
it is installed, is continually improved upon each year by
the joint efforts of Chicago Scenic and the Pier's event,
entertainment, and convention services staffs.
 To
give the hall a truly festive look, over 20,000 icicle lights
in 100-foot long swags of specially assembled sections are
strung across the ceiling. The halls are decked with over
500 brightly lit trees, many of which are decorated by corporate
sponsors and foreign consulates, that surround a 42-foot-tall
Christmas tree that is erected in the center of the hall to
delight visitors both young and old.
 Families
find plenty to do at this new holiday tradition in Chicago.
The main performance stage, under an edge-lit gazebo roof,
is home to the many performers that entertain guests with
holiday carols, puppet shows, and other live performances.
Kids find fun projects at the craft and cookie decorating
areas, and test their skills on huge inflatable climbing walls,
obstacle courses, and giant slides. The Reindeer Express,
a trackless electric train that takes kids and their parents
around the event, and a colorful carousel are also must-sees,
along with the traditional Santa's village, where Santa greets
kids from his giant gingerbread house. But perhaps the most
dramatic attraction at Winter WonderFest is the indoor Arctic
Ice Rink, complete with music, hot chocolate, and rental skates
for all.
This event
was so popular in its first year that the Pier drew in more
than three times the number of anticipated guests, and it
continues to expand the event each year.
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