The two-acre slice of Hook Park in Charlestown that was recently home to Boston's Wicked Haunt Fest has been transformed into a winter wonderland by the same creative team.
Boston’s Winter Fest, which debuts Friday, Dec. 6, at 3pm, has similar elements to other holiday festivals like Snowport and SoWa Winter Festival—seasonal food vendors, elaborate decor, local shopping—with an interactive bent. Families can ice skate on the pop-up rink, kids can meet Santa on weekends and see inside his workshop, and visitors can catch live music and performances on the central stage. A vendor village, meanwhile, is mostly populated by local Charlestown businesses.
Of course, there are plenty of photo opportunities, as well. The 32-foot Christmas tree onsite is affectionately dubbed “the tree you can see from 93,” and founder Carl Rugato even hopes to orchestrate snowfall most evenings.
“I’m going for that awe moment when you walk in the gate,” says Rugato, creative director and a Lynnfield native who conceptualizes these immersive experiences at Hood Park. “Kids’ reactions are, like, gold for the soul. When you see a kid light up,” all the effort that went into setup is worth it, he says.
You’ll walk through a massive lit-up castle complete with a blue, Cinderella-style carriage. Nearby, a small, greenery-laden structure with built-in mistletoe encourages date-night smooches. There is a Veuve Clicquot-sponsored Après Ski Gondola Lounge and a heated Bent Water Brewing beer garden among the seasonal food and beverage stands, as well as adorn-your-own hot cocoa.
It was always Rugato’s plan to host both a Halloween and a holiday pop-up at Hood Park, he says. Many of the structures have been repurposed. One of the haunted houses is now Santa’s Gingerbread Workshop, while another has been transformed into a heated lounge. Instead of pumpkins and skeletons, the grounds are now filled with large-scale ornaments, reindeer and glowing candy canes.
Rugato’s background is in special effects, theatrical sets and installation construction. His company, Rugato FX Entertainment, puts on these immersive shows. Rugato says he’s leased the space for three years and plans to make both Wicked Haunt Fest and Winter Fest annual traditions. With the right excitement from the community, he says the possibilities for the space are endless.
“My previous job had me traveling all over the place for touring shows. I compiled a lot of skill sets that ultimately gave me the ability to be able to pull something like this off,” Rugato says. “I traveled the whole world to figure out what to do and then I came back home to make it perfect.”
The details
Winter Fest is located at 100 Hood Park. Entry is free. Parking is free for 3 hours at the Hood Park garage, and it's walkable from Sullivan Station on the Orange Line.
The festival opens Friday, Dec. 6, and runs most days in December (closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day) and weekends in January through January 25. The full schedule is available on the Winter Fest website.
Ice skating is $20 per hour for adults and $15 per hour for children under 10. Skate rentals are available for $10 per hour, or you can bring your own skates.
A meet-and-greet with Santa is $15 per child and comes with a gingerbread cookie to decorate. Caretakers should bring their own cameras to capture the moment. Santa will be in his onsite workshop weekdays from 3–7pm and weekends from noon–7pm.
