{"id":479606,"date":"2025-12-16T10:14:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/479606\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T10:14:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:14:18","slug":"nationals-park-hosts-inaugural-winter-wonderfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/479606\/","title":{"rendered":"Nationals Park hosts inaugural Winter Wonderfest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Tis the season for family and holiday fun in the nation\u2019s capital, and the Washington Nationals are celebrating with the first-ever Winter Wonderfest at Nationals Park<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Presented by Events DC<\/a>, the spirited destination\u2014 open select dates through Dec. 30\u2014 blends the joy of the holidays with the best of Washington, immersing residents and visitors in a winter frosted land designed for all ages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about going downtown on these clear, beautiful nights, and the way the monuments are lit, it\u2019s incredibly special\u2014 it\u2019s our nation\u2019s capital,\u201d said Jonathan Stahl, vice president of Nationals Park Events. \u201cAnd Winter Wonder Fest combined with all of those elements\u2026makes Washington this incredible destination for the winter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

From racing down a six-lane snow tubing slide, to scenic train rides, illuminated LED seesaws, and local business exposure, the Washington Nationals\u2019 Southeast headquarters has turned into a holiday hub reflecting the heart of the city.<\/p>\n

\"\"The major league baseball stadium home to the Washington Nationals transforms into a winter frosted land on select dates through Dec. 30, bringing family-friendly fun and lasting memories through the inaugural Winter Wonderfest at Nationals Park. (Courtesy of Nationals Park)<\/p>\n

Creativity and collaboration meet in the midst of art installations, hands-on building, and a Northern-lights inspired light show, tailored to the kids \u2013 and kids-at-heart \u2013 who can also flaunt their best moves on the LED dance floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, sports enthusiasts can go head-to-head with winterized-thrills such as curling, snowball speedthrow, and a 9-course putt-putt mini-golf challenge, decked in white turf to resemble snow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe brought two little ones with us and they had a great time,\u201d commented one user on TikTok, who posted a recap video after attending the festival Nov. 28. \u201cThe perfect family friendly activity in D.C. this winter!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

An additional feature serving at the pleasure of the people is an exclusive \u201cApr\u00e8s-ski\u201d experience for the 21+ crowd, hosting fire pits, roasted marshmallows, and a hidden speakeasy in the Nationals batting cages with crafted cocktails and seasonal treats.<\/p>\n

One popular feature of Winter Wonderfest at Nationals Park is the hidden speakeasy in the Washington Nationals\u2019 infield, where adults 21 and older can enjoy crafted cocktails, seasonal sweets and other winterized delights. (Courtesy photo)<\/p>\n

For Stahl, the bottom line is striving beyond local tradition to immerse visitors in a multisensory experience that honors various aspects of the season right from home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to go out west to enjoy fire pits and s\u2019mores and raquelette\u2013you can do that on the infield,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve geared the entire theme of the event, from the activations to the food, to really embody that winter spirit,\u201d Stahl beamed. \u201cYou\u2019re truly walking into a winter wonderland.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than that, the organization leader hopes people walk away with a taste of the economic engine that thrives in Southeast, D.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coupled with an opportunity to increase foot-traffic and revenue for local eateries and businesses, he highlights the festival for showcasing the vibrance of \u201ca true year-round community destination\u201d boundless to one unique element.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[It] really is an exciting opportunity to showcase Nationals Park outside of baseball\u2013more people create more excitement and more energy,\u201d Stahl said, \u201cand you can\u2019t see that anywhere else in the world, but you can see it here in Washington, D.C.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018Tis the season for family and holiday fun in the nation\u2019s capital, and the Washington Nationals are celebrating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2398],"tags":[5,64475,64476,64477,4,415,3628,64478,19484,414,71,4222,64479],"class_list":{"0":"post-479606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-nationals","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-events-dc","10":"tag-jada-ingleton","11":"tag-jonathan-stahl","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-nationals","14":"tag-nationals-park","15":"tag-northern-lights","16":"tag-tiktok","17":"tag-washington","18":"tag-washington-nationals","19":"tag-washingtonnationals","20":"tag-winter-wonderfest"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115728723048549871","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}