A review of Winter Gleam: Portland’s newest holiday light display
One of my greatest joys this time of year is seeing all the bright, shining holiday lights. This year, we had the great opportunity to check out Portland’s new holiday light display, Winter Gleam at Oaks Amusement Park.
Oaks Park is one of Portland’s best attractions. And for me, it holds a bit of the romance and nostalgia of a bygone era. One of the country’s last trolley parks still in operation, it was once the Coney Island of the PNW. Over the years, it’s evolved and adapted to stay current and fun, all while holding onto its original charm.
But much of Oaks Park is seasonal, open mostly during the warmer months. The roller rink stays open through the winter months. But the roller coaster and rides, mini golf, and midway games typically all shut down to hibernate until spring.
This winter, Oaks Park is doing something new though. For the month of December, you can see the amusement park lit up and adorned in a cheerful holiday light display. Here’s my review of Winter Gleam at Oaks Park, and our night out seeing the holiday lights.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are my own.
A review of Winter Gleam
Winter Gleam really brings together all the best parts of my favorite holiday light displays. They’ve got a train and carousel, like at the zoo. And their Vendor Village is like a little Christmas market, offering handmade goods from local artisans.
Plus, there’s food carts at the center of it all, where you can get cocoa and boba, and wings or fries. We absolutely loved the light and fluffy mini doughnuts, which you can get in cinnamon and sugar or pumpkin spice!
We also came across some of our favorite Christmas characters, so we felt like we were in a Christmas theme park. And of course, we got to meet Santa Claus in his workshop! But we can’t forget the lights themselves.
Winter Gleam may not feature quite as many lights as some holiday light displays in the area. But what they’ve got, they got right. There were three light tunnels, including one the train drives through. The trees were draped in bright colors, and a set of wings made of twinkling lights offered a cute spot for a selfie.
And the rollercoaster and rides lit up against the dark night sky brought an extra element of magic to the whole experience, bringing out the romance of an amusement park. When you bring it all together, Winter Gleam is the whole package.
⭐️ Purchase tickets to Winter Gleam at Oaks Park here ⭐️
A family friendly event
While we were wandering the grounds, one thing that struck me was how well Oak’s Park aimed this event at families with young children. Most holiday light displays are usually family-oriented. But there were three things in particular that stood out to me at Winter Gleam.
1. It’s a great value for families with younger children
Adult ticket prices to Winter Gleam are fairly similar compared to other walk-through holiday light displays in the area, give or take a little. But there were two major things that make Winter Gleam a great value for families with younger children.
First, kids 5 years old and under get into the event for free. (Contrast that with other holiday light displays that are only free for 2 and under.) And second, this was probably most significant for us, you get unlimited rides on the historic carousel and train included with your admission.
I know some toddlers who would spend their entire evening riding the carousel and train over and over again, if allowed! And Oaks Park’s vintage carousel is a one of a kind, something you don’t want to miss.
2. You’ll meet some of your favorite Christmas Characters
Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie, the Grinch, and the Abominable Snowman were all wandering amongst the twinkling holiday lights of Winter Gleam. And of course, Santa was there too!
We stopped in to visit Santa in his workshop there at Winter Gleam. The kids got to take photos with Santa, and he asked what they all wanted for Christmas. Afterwards, we had the option to take home a printed photo or a digital copy.
Towering tall upon his stilts, Jack Skellington was pure magic and elegance as he waved hello to us in greeting. And we saw Oogie Boogie weaving in between the intricately hand-carved animals on the carousel.
But my favorite Christmas character of all was the Grinch. The Grinch’s voice was spot on, and he stayed in character the whole night through. Every time we saw him, he was quick with smart remarks that kept us giggling and smirking all night.
3. It was easy to find warmth even on rainy nights
I love going to see all the holiday lights this time of year. But let’s face it, it’s freezing in the dark, rainy nights of December! And no matter how many layers we bring, I always find myself worrying about if the little ones are staying warm enough.
The night we visited Winter Gleam, it was raining. No surprise here in the PNW. But we did find several covered areas to get out of the rain, including the Vendor’s Village, Santa’s Workshop, the carousel, and the train.
We all got hot cocoa to warm us up from the inside. And there were even a few heat lamps near the food trucks and the Vendor’s Village we enjoyed huddling under. We brought our umbrellas, but found we didn’t need them much. It was pretty easy to stay warm and cozy at Winter Gleam.
A few tips and notes regarding Winter Gleam at Oaks Park
When can I go see Winter Gleam?
Winter Gleam will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening for the month of December. Gates open at 5 pm. Last admission is 9:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and 9 pm on Sunday.
What’s so special about the Oaks Park Carousel?
The Oaks Park carousel is stunning, an antique at this point, that dates back to some time in the early 1900’s. Sources seem to vary on the exact year.
But whatever the official date of its completion was, it’s found on the National Historic Register today. It’s nick named the menagerie, or the Herschel Spillman Noah’s Arc Carousel, since many of its hand carved animals appear in pairs.
This carousel features 46 hand carved animals in total. In addition to your classic horses, you’ll find some fun and unique animals on the carousel, including a dragon, zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. But the most rare of all its animals (as far as carousels go) is the kangaroo.
For the Winter Gleam event, most of the carousel animals were in a festive spirit, sporting cheery red Santa hats. And that was just the cherry on top for me!
Parking at Oaks Park
You will need to pay $5-8 for parking at Oaks Park. Parking can be paid by card on a kiosk or by QR code near the entrance. Save yourself a little back and forth, and be sure to take note of your license plate number before you leave your car!
A Surprise Bonus: Christmas Ships on the Willamette River!
We had an unexpected bonus that night at Winter Gleam. We got a little peek through the trees at the Christmas Ships Parade floating along the Willamette River!
It wasn’t the clearest or most unobstructed view. Although we didn’t necessarily search Oaks Park for the best vantage point either, since we had come for Winter Gleam and not the Christmas Ships.
But we’ve talked about watching the Christmas Ships Parade for years now, and just haven’t made it yet. So we were excited about the little bit we did see.
Final thoughts on a review of Winter Gleam
To wrap up my review of Winter Gleam, at the end of the night, it delivered everything I expected and hoped for in a holiday light display. We saw Santa and his friends, rode the train and carousel to our hearts content, sipped cocoa, and enjoyed the sparkling lights.
I even got myself a cute set of Christmas earrings from the Vendor Village. Although, I’m still wishing I would have gotten a second order of those doughnuts!
I’m looking forward to seeing how the event grows in the coming years. And I’m sure in a few years time, Winter Gleam at Oaks Amusement Park will become another one of Portland’s cherished holiday staples.
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