Petco Park set to transform into holiday wonderland

Petco Park will soon begin its transformation into Holiday Wonderland, offering an interactive experience for guests of all ages for 12 nights in December. Beginning on Friday, December 5, San Diego's newest holiday tradition will take visitors on a journey through the iconic scenes of the holidays.

Upon entry at Petco Park's Home Plate Gate, guests will be transported to a magical Winter Wonderland filled with falling snow, flocked trees, reindeer and glistening lights. As they continue up to the main concourse, visitors will enter a series of interactive lighting vignettes, starting with a sneak peek into Santa's Workshop at the North Pole, where elves will be seen hard at work on this season's most popular toys and gifts. Next stop: Candyland, where guests will be greeted by a candy princess on LED-lit dance floors, surrounded by a rainbow of trees and brightly colored displays. The last stop on the concourse will be Christmas Morning, where guests will walk under a snowball fight in falling snow, through the front door of a house and into a living room just visited by Santa.

Each of the lighting displays will be a complete sensory experience, featuring a custom soundtrack and surprises around every corner. Holiday characters will be roaming the event and interacting with guests throughout the experience.

From the concourse, visitors will proceed to the playing field, where they will be awed by a 40-foot-tall Christmas tree adorned with nearly 16,000 lights and more than 250 ornaments, surrounded by activities for the whole family. Kids can feed live reindeer at the Reindeer Corral, build a snowman or tube down a 15,000-square-foot hill of real snow, or ride the Polar Express around the bases. Families can take a photo with Santa on the field and enjoy the community stage, featuring performances by local theater groups, school groups, dance studios and choirs.

Also on the field, adults will enjoy the cocktail lounge where they can sip holiday-themed drinks in a festive setting. A seasonal holiday concessions menu will be available for purchase.

As the Holiday Wonderland experience comes to a close, guests will exit through Padresville featuring player and alumni appearances at select times throughout the month, Padres-themed holiday merchandise and special offers on 2015 Holiday Gift Packs.

Opening to the public on Friday, December 5, and continuing for three consecutive weekends, Holiday Wonderland will be open from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Holiday Wonderland will have special hours during the final few nights leading up to Christmas (Monday, December 22 to Wednesday, December 24).

Adult admission is $15 and child admission is $10. Kids under three will be admitted free of charge. Military, group and event discounts are available. Parking in nearby lots will be priced at $10. All activities are included with the price of admission, with the exception of family photos with Santa ($25 includes a photo printout on-site) and Polar Express rides ($5 per ride). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.padres.com/holiday. Tickets are not date-specific. Once a ticket is purchased, it can be used for any date Holiday Wonderland is open. The Padres would like to thank the following partners for helping to make Holiday Wonderland possible: Jerome's Furniture, Petco, Alaska Airlines, Mammoth Mountain and Bedgear Performance Bedding.