Beloved New Line Cinema’s Holiday Film Elf™ Stars in ICE! Attraction at Gaylord Palms Nov. 15, 2024 - Jan. 4, 2025

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A longtime central Florida holiday tradition will showcase a brand-new theme this holiday season when ICE! - Gaylord Palms Resort's frozen yuletide attraction - debuts giant sculptures and scenes, hand-carved from 2 million pounds of ice, featuring New Line Cinema's popular holiday film, Elf™.

The 20,000-square-foot arctic attraction is the centerpiece of the annual Christmas at Gaylord Palms celebration, taking place at the 65-acre resort Nov. 15, 2024 through Jan. 4, 2025.

Each year, ICE! features meticulously carved frozen sculptures from popular holiday classics. The attraction made its Gaylord Palms debut in 2003 and is featured across six locations nationwide. This is the first time Elf™ will be featured at any ICE! attraction.

Tickets and special room and ticket packages are now on sale and available at ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com.

Inside ICE!, overnight and day guests will experience approximately a dozen different scenes, some soaring as high as 30 feet, as they follow Buddy the Elf's™ epic journey from the North Pole to New York City. Along the way, they'll encounter favorite characters from the film, including Papa Elf, Mr. Narwhal, Jovie, Walter Hobbs, and of course, Santa Claus.

Several scenes feature seating areas where guests can insert themselves into the story to create one-ofa-kind and sharable photo moments. For example, ICE! guests can join Buddy the Elf in his North Pole school classroom or sit next to him as he gets a shoeshine on the streets of New York City.

Creating ICE! each year is a team of nearly 40 world-renowned carvers that will travel more than 7,000 miles from Harbin, China, to Kissimmee, Fla. Known as "Ice City," Harbin is no stranger to elaborate ice carvings - it's home to the world's largest annual snow and ice carving festival.

At Gaylord Palms, artisans will carve approximately 6,700 blocks of ice - each weighing 300 pounds - into the larger-than-life, whimsical scenes. Carvers will use tools of all shapes and sizes, including chainsaws, chisels, tongs, handsaws, hand tools and grinders, to bring Elf™ to life. Colored ice is created by a chemist who mixes special food colorings to ensure the ice maintains its vivid color the entire season. It will take the team of artisans four to five weeks to completely carve the attraction. While inside, guests can see live carving demonstrations in the Carver's Showcase, where a master artisan carves throughout the day to showcase the craft.

ICE! concludes in a separate area dedicated to a Nativity scene, meticulously carved in a dramatic display of crystal-clear ice.

Each year, ICE! instantly becomes the coldest spot in the Sunshine State, as a state-of-the-art chilling system keeps the attraction at a frosty 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Guests are provided winter parkas to keep them warm inside the attraction, but additional clothing like hats and gloves are suggested.

"ICE! is a favorite tradition of many of our guests here at Gaylord Palms and we are excited to introduce them to the beloved world of Elf™ this Christmas," said Ross Barker, the resort's general manager. "The 9-degree attraction provides a one-of-a-kind experience for friends and family to enjoy together, and complements the many other family friendly activities, events, live shows and dining experiences we have planned this holiday season."

Snow Much More!

In addition to the ICE! attraction, a sleigh-full of events and activities will be featured across the 65-acre resort. Christmas shows and activities are presented in the atrium, while areas of the convention center transform into Alpine Village, a bustling, holiday hamlet with Bavarian-style storefronts, immersive activities and one of Florida's largest Christmas shops.

Here's a rundown of the sleigh-full of events and activities planned for the celebration:

Live Shows & Entertainment Highlight the Holidays

• Yule Be Amazed
  "Cirque: Spirit of Christmas" features high-flying stunts, acrobatic feats, and an original musical score. The show features Noel, a child trying to rediscover holiday cheer. Noel is visited in dreamlike chapters by acrobats, aerial performers and others who help rekindle the Christmas spirit.
• Storytelling Celebration, Set to Song
  Guests can experience a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of six storytellers in "The Greatest Story," a musical stage show and celebration of faith and everlasting love.
• Dreaming of a Bright Christmas
  The skies above Gaylord Palms' atrium come alive in the "Here We Glow A-Caroling Light Show" Suspended light curtains and the 60-foot-tall atrium Christmas tree come to life in this animated show, accompanied by a soundtrack of favorite Christmas carols.
• St. Nick Takes ‘Santa' Stage
  Guests can chat with the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus, to make sure they've secured a spot on his prestigious Nice List. Santa will meet guests inside Alpine Village from Nov. 15 through Dec. 24 - before he heads back to the North Pole for his annual, gift-giving journey.
• A Round of Applause for Mrs. Claus
  The jolliest hostess of all stars in Mrs. Claus' Christmas Traditions. Mrs. Claus entertains guests in Alpine Village with a sing-along and storytelling of the Christmas tale, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." She also shares Santa's favorite snack - milk and cookies - with guests.
• Mistletoe Melody Makers
  Guests can enjoy the sounds of the season with the Dickens Carolers, who will be strolling and singing Christmas classics at various times and locations throughout the celebration.
• Wintertime Animal Wonders
  Guests can get up-close to some of Florida's famous animals in Wintertime Animal Encounters and learn how wildlife in the Sunshine State adapts to the colder temperatures and contributes to the ecosystem during the winter months.

Tons of Fun at Interactive Attractions

• Snow Much Fun
  A snowy play space awaits guests in the Snow Factory. After climbing Snow Flow Mountain, guests hop in inner-tubes and speed down atop real ice. (Admission allows unlimited ice tubing rides on the date on the ticket.) Guests can also head over to Snowball Build & Blast, where conveyor belts deliver tubs of real snow for guests to make snowballs and toss them at targets.
• A Holiday Escape
  Guests test their wintry wits in the Naughty or Nice Escape Room. Trickster Jack Frost has added new names to Santa's Naughty List. However, if guests can sneak into Santa's office and solve a series of puzzles, Jack will remove their names from the Naughty List. Guests need to put on their holiday thinking caps, solve the mystery, and then dash away, dash away, dash away all!

Hands-On Holiday Fun

• Dough-licious Decorating
  In the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, guests let their Christmas creativity run wild while they adorn gingerbread treats. After they've reached confection perfection, they can enjoy a meet-andgreet and photograph with Nutmeg the Gingerbread Man.
• Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas
  Guests can get crafty in Elf Training Academy. One of Santa's top toymakers joins the fun as guests put their creativity to work and make a special keepsake gift to take home.
• A Very Beary Christmas!
  Build-A-Bear Workshop® has been adding a little more heart to life for more than 25 years! Visit Build-A-Bear® to experience the fun of personalizing furry friends and taking part in our one-of-akind Heart Ceremony. Add adorable outfits, sweet scents and fun sounds to make any furry friend the perfect gift or a cuddly Christmas keepsake!
• Seasonal Scavenger Hunt Fun
  Families can work together to find all the clues hidden in the Gaylord Palms atrium in the TwElf Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt. With a little elf magic, guests can find all the hidden surprises and solve the puzzles in their booklet.

Overnight Stays Sweeten the Holidays

• Rooms with a Yuletide View
  There's never a better time of year for guests to book a room with an upgraded atrium view. With balconies that overlook acres of Christmas décor, guests can immerse themselves in the festive surroundings. Select rooms even provide prime balcony viewing for atrium shows such as "Cirque: Spirit of Christmas" and "The Greatest Story."
• Ready, Set, Glow!
  The night will light up at Gaylord Palms with more than 3 million sparkling, holiday lights. In total, more than 100 decorated Christmas trees will be on display, including the centerpiece, 60-foot-tall tree in the main atrium, and elaborately themed trees along the atrium's Christmas Tree Trail.
• Early ICE! and Alpine Village Access for Overnight Guests
  Gaylord Palms is offering perks and special access to overnight resort guests so they can wait in line less and enjoy more. These perks include:
  • "Chill Pass" privileges to the ICE! attraction, offering front-of-line access and shorter wait times. "Chill Pass" is free for eligible overnight guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.
  • An invitation to "Extra Cool Hour," which provides early entry into ICE!, the Snow Factory, and select Alpine Village shows and activities one hour before they open to day guests. "Extra Cool Hour" is free for eligible guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.

Holiday Dining for Resort Guests: Eat, Drink and Be Cranberry

Overnight guests at Gaylord Palms also have exclusive opportunities to enjoy holiday dining experiences:

• Breakfast with Charlie Brown and Friends is a character dining experience, exclusive to overnight guests, with pals from the Peanuts gang including Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy.
• Thanksgiving Dinner, scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, is a plentiful buffet at Villa de Flora, located in the heart of the garden atrium. Traditional Thanksgiving favorites will be featured for overnight resort guests, along with dishes inspired by cuisine from Spain, France, and Italy.
• Resort guests can enjoy Christmas Dinner on Dec. 25 with a dazzling holiday feast at Villa de Flora restaurant featuring chef stations, holiday traditions and modern Mediterranean cuisine.
• Overnight resort guests can ring in the New Year in style on Dec. 31 at Villa de Flora with the New Year's Eve Buffet, with a bountiful buffet featuring fresh and seasonal food inside the glass-enclosed atrium.

One-Stop Christmas Shop

• In Alpine Village, one of the largest holiday shops in the Sunshine State opens each year just for the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. Market Square features wall-to-wall holiday gifts, collectible

Year-Round Fun

In addition to the fun of the Christmas celebration, guests can enjoy many year-round amenities. In addition to the 4.5-acre indoor atrium, the resort features Relâche Spa and also Cypress Springs Water Park - a 3-acre water wonderland open exclusively to overnight resort guests

Resort Amenities & Resort Packages Are Sure to Please

Also being unwrapped for 2024: "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" packages that include special room rates and admission to select events. Guests are encouraged to book their experiences early, as advance online reservations are required for all ticketed events. Admission is limited to many of the holiday experiences and showtimes. For tickets, more information, or to book an overnight stay, guests may visit ChristmasatGaylordPalms.com.

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About ICE!

The annual ICE! events bring to life beloved Christmas stories hand-carved by master artisans from Harbin, China at resorts around the United States. Created and designed by Gaylord Hotels, ICE! debuted at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn. in 2001. ICE! has been visited by tens of millions of visitors who travel to each resort to see more than 2 million pounds carved into beloved scenes and characters, two-story ice slides, photo-worthy tunnels and archways, and more. ICE! takes place at each Gaylord Hotels resort across the United States, including Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md., Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn., Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, Colo. and Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas, in 2024, ICE! makes its debut at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas. More information can be found at ICE.marriott.com.

About Gaylord Palms Resort

Gaylord Palms Resort features 1,718 guest rooms and more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space. Guests can explore the resort's 4.5-acre garden atrium with its winding waterways, waterfalls, plants and Florida wildlife. Other resort features include gourmet dining, a full-service spa, the 3-acre Cypress Springs Water Park and a host of special events during the year. The resort is located within minutes of the area's world-famous theme parks and attractions.

About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment (WBDGTE), part of Warner Bros. Discovery's Revenue & Strategy division, is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, and licensing of location-based entertainment, live events, exhibits, and theme park experiences based on the biggest franchises, stories and characters from Warner Bros.' film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGTE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. With best-in-class partners, WBDGTE allows fans around the world to physically immerse themselves inside their favorite brands and franchises.

Warner Bros.' Elf™: ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc.

About Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear is a multi-generational global brand focused on its mission to "add a little more heart to life" appealing to a wide array of consumer groups who enjoy the personal expression in making their own "furry friends" to celebrate and commemorate life moments. More than 500 interactive brick-andmortar experience locations operated through a variety of formats provide Guests of all ages a hands-on entertaining experience, which often fosters a lasting and emotional brand connection. The brand's newest communications campaign, "The Stuff You Love," commemorates more than a quarter-century of creating cherished memories worldwide. The Company also offers engaging e-commerce/digital purchasing experiences on www.buildabear.com including its online "Bear-Builder" as well as "HeartBox" and its age-gated adult-focused "Bear Cave." In addition, extending its brand power beyond retail, Build-A-Bear Entertainment, a subsidiary of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is dedicated to creating engaging content for kids and adults that fulfills the Company's mission, while the Company also offers products at wholesale and in non-plush consumer categories via licensing agreements with leading manufacturers. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenues of $486.1 million for fiscal 2023. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com.

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