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“Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish
Come True,” filmed at Walt Disney World
Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, will
provide new opportunities to celebrate.
Outside the Christmas season,
Hallmark has built a portfolio of
experiences. The Hallmark Stars Live
tour runs this summer, with the company
taking part of its Christmas experience
on the road with a Christmas in July live
show. A Hallmark Christmas Cruise will
set sail in October.
“We have lots of thoughts about
inviting people in to help celebrate with
us throughout the year, whether that’s
Valentine’s Day, summer holidays, or
Mother’s Day,” Roy says. “We have a
roadmap full of ideas centered around
bringing our fans together. Experiences
are a growing way for fans to be a part of
our Hallmark family. We want to meet
multiple people in multiple places with
multiple ideas multiple times of the year.”
Seeing fans experience Hallmark
licensing is “an incredible opportunity,”
she says. In those shared moments—
among Hallmark stars, executives, and
audiences—there is joy, connection, and
community.
HALLMARK
HALLMARK
comforting style of Hallmark’s storytelling, with everything you’d
imagine if “you walked into the set of a Hallmark movie,” Roy
says.
Exclusive ticketed activities allow guests to see their favorite
Hallmark stars, attend Hallmark artists’ and writers’ workshops,
and enjoy premium dining experiences.
“We did a lot that first year. We took a big swing, but we
worked tirelessly to make sure this was worthy of our brand and
our beautiful fans,” Roy says.
Since then, Roy explains that fan feedback has shaped the
event. “People told us, ‘We want more.’ So, we’ve added more
Hallmark Stars shows and programming to our schedule. We’ve
added a community room for people to connect with other fans.
We made way more merchandise. We just keep adding because
people have said, ‘If I’m flying in for the whole weekend, I want
an entire weekend full of things to do,’ which is an amazing ask.”
Roy and her team analyzed the overwhelming enthusiasm
from Hallmark fans and have developed a third, all-inclusive
ticket package for 2026 named Make Memories.
The event is slated to run on weekends from Thanksgiving to
Christmas.
“In our first year, we had guests come from all 50 states and
from 23 different countries. It was incredibly exciting to see how
much our fans wanted to come and be a part of this world that we
had built.” The event confirms demand and proves Hallmark can
turn audience loyalty into visitation.
Anticipation is high for the entire 2026 event, with more stars
attending and fresh content to spotlight—some with an attractions
connection. New Countdown to Christmas movies, such as
Juliana Gilling,
Funworld’s
contributing editor,
began covering the
global attractions
industry in 1994. She
reports on innovative
people, projects,
and additions for
Funworld and the
IAAPA News Hub.
Juliana lives in the
U.K., where she is
a freelance writer.
Connect with her on
:
IAAPA.org/Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | Funworld
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