Christmas at The Galt House Hotel is now in its sixth year of delighting the young and young at heart. The Peppermint Express Kiddie Train, Dancing Bellmen, light shows, the Snow Fairy Princess and the big guy himself—Santa Claus—all return to the downtown Louisville hotel to bring the Christmas spirit to the tens of thousands who visit each year.
For many, the event’s enormous Gingerbread House has become a must-see, and dozens of people make their own—albeit smaller—houses for the annual Gingerbread House Competition. Now, there will be a gingerbread “neighborhood,” where guests can visit and mingle on their way to the Christmas at The Galt House main area.
“The Gingerbread House and the Gingerbread House Competition are going to be in their own room,” said Amanda Lambert, spokesperson for The Galt House. “All of the house entries will be surrounding the giant Gingerbread House, so when you walk into the room, you’re going to be hit with this gingerbread aroma.”
This year’s theme is based on the game Candyland, so bright colors and oversized candies will be seen throughout not only the Gingerbread Room but the entire event.
It’s no easy feat creating the 10- to 12-foot-tall house. According to Lambert, it takes four chefs roughly 72 hours to bake the gingerbread and prepare the candy. The entire process, including assembly of the edible structure, takes about 600 hours.
“Everything is handmade,” she said. “All of the candy will be handmade; even the windows are made out of candy in the Gingerbread House.”
The new Gingerbread Room will have kits with which visitors can fashion their own gingerbread houses. Staff will be on hand to assist, and guests can take their creations home in a decorative box.
These are just a few of the additions to Christmas at The Galt House. Lambert said more than 100,000 people went through the event in 2014, and that’s doesn’t include those who stay at The Galt House Hotel and pay a visit to the holiday wonderland.
According to the event’s website, Christmas at The Galt House has been featured on the Travel Channel, named as one of the American Bus Association’s Top 100 events for four consecutive years, and included in the Top 10 Holiday and Winter Festivals & Events for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 by the Kentucky Travel Industry Association.
“For it being still a young event, it’s really gaining a lot of momentum,” Lambert said. “Every year, we try to make it bigger and better.”
Christmas at the Galt House runs through Dec. 27. For more information, check out ChristmasAtTheGaltHouse.com.