Carver’s Edaville Family Theme Park Announces It Will Reopen in November
Beloved Carver, Massachusetts attraction Edaville Family Theme Park is set to reopen for the holidays later this year – but the question is, what happens after that?
The park posted to its official Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. on August 2 that it will reopen from November 10, 2022 through January 1, 2023 for the holiday season “with the classic Christmas lights, rides, food and more,” the post read.
Edaville’s annual Festival of Lights has long been its biggest draw of the year, with millions of holiday lights decorating the park and train rides around the park to see them in all of their splendor.
After being unable to open in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Festival of Lights returned in 2021. However, the park has not been open during the summer months since 2019.
The park faced some criticism last year during the holiday season, however, for charging $25-$30 per person for anyone two years old or older, and for not having the Thomasland portion of the park available; that section is a special arrangement Edaville has with HiT Entertainment, which owns the Thomas the Tank Engine brand.
“We are working hard on plans including a new pricing model to make the park more accessible to all, a new comprehensive website with real-time data on rides and vendors, and ensuring that the guest experience is a great one,” the post continued.
In April of this year, the news broke that owner Jon Delli Priscoli was putting the park up for sale, reportedly for $10 million. He himself had invested more than $25 million in upgrades to the park in recent years.
“Our preference would be to see that the park continue on,” he told the Boston Globe. “It needs new energy, new vision.”
Delli Priscoli said he did plan to open the park “one last time” before its sale, so perhaps this upcoming winter season is what he was referring to with that statement.
The park did open for a special 75th anniversary event this past April, but that was a ticketed event put on by the Maine Locomotive & Machine Works, which had leased out the park for the celebration.
We reached out to Edaville for clarification on whether the park is still for sale or has been sold, and what other future plans there may be. We will update this story when that information becomes available.
It does sound as if a major change is happening for the future, however, as the park is updating its online and social media presence.
“Stay tuned for the new website, social media, and public announcement at the end of August 2022. Thank you for your support and patience as we prepare for the future!” the post concluded.