Christmas Town runs on select dates from November 13, 2026 through January 4, 2027, and the park includes it with admission. The event page states the hours as park open to park close. The dining page prints the clock a day-use plan needs. Christmas Town food and beverage locations open at 4:00 p.m. on event nights.
The park sits at 10165 N. McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL 33612.
The park clock, day by day
The park publishes a per-day calendar for December and January. December 19 through December 23 run 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. December 24 runs 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. December 25 through December 30 run 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. December 31 runs 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. January 1 runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., January 2 runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., January 3 runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and January 4 runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Christmas Day closes at 10 p.m., and the five nights after it close at the same hour. The 4 p.m. food start against a 10 p.m. close gives six hours of lights, shows and food cabins. The 9 a.m. gate gives seven hours before the food locations open.
A room between checkout and the 4 p.m. start
A hotel that checks out at 11 a.m. and a park whose food locations open at 4 p.m. leave five hours with luggage in the car. A day room covers that gap with a printed start and a printed end.
Dayuse listed 13 priced Tampa cards on the 22 October 2026 read. Prices below carry the booking fee inside the total. Measured straight-line from the gate, the Sleep Inn near Busch Gardens - USF sells $100 on an 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. window and again on 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 4.0 miles. Quality Inn & Suites Tampa near Fairgrounds and Casino sells $71 on 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 5.1 miles.
The 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. window at the Sleep Inn holds the room two hours past the 4 p.m. food start. A guest can leave the bag at 10 a.m., shower at 3 p.m. and reach the gate with the room still held.
What runs inside the evening
The park strings nearly 70 miles of lights across the property for Celebration of Lights. Christmas on Ice runs November 13 through January 4 at the Moroccan Palace Theater. The page states that seating is first come, first served and that doors may close before showtime when the theater fills. The Holly Jolly Express runs November 13 through January 4 over the park's 65-acre veldt, past giraffes, rhinos and zebras. A Very Merry Cirque runs select dates from November to January.
Rudolph's Winter Wonderland and Santa's North Pole Experience both run November 13 through December 24. The Three Kings Journey runs select dates through January 4 at Dragon Fire Grill. The menorah is lit at 6 p.m. nightly from December 4 through December 12, between the Moroccan Palace and the cheetah habitat.
The opening night and the tree
November 13 runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mix 100.7 broadcasts live from Cheetah Hunt Plaza from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the tree lights at 7 p.m.
The rest of the set, by distance to the gate
The other priced cards within nine miles, at straight-line miles from 10165 N. McKinley Dr: Clarion Pointe Tampa-Brandon $71 on 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6.4 miles; Hotel Flor Tampa Downtown $148 on 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6.7 miles; Le Méridien Tampa, The Courthouse $138 on 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 6.8 miles; Aloft Tampa Downtown $116 on 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7.1 miles; The Westin Tampa Waterside $138 on 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7.5 miles; Quality Inn and Conference Center Tampa-Brandon $66 on 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 7.6 miles; Four Points by Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore $112 on 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 8.8 miles; TownePlace Suites by Marriott Tampa Westshore/Airport $139 on 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 9.2 miles.
The latest closing window among those cards is the Four Points 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. slot at 8.8 miles. It holds the room through the 4 p.m. food start and five hours of the evening.
What the platform sells
hotelslots.org sells four time slots: Morning 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., Afternoon 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Evening 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Overnight 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. The platform advertises 30 to 75 percent off nightly rates, no booking fees, and 103,857 properties across 46 states. Its FAQ carries one line on the state question: a few states (FL, HI, IA, WA) restrict day-use bookings under state travel laws. The Florida directory path answers with a 404 and a 2-byte body.
A reader can price the room against the printed hours. The 4 p.m. food start and the 10 p.m. close give six hours on the peak nights. The 9 a.m. gate from December 19 gives twelve hours to a 9 p.m. close.
Printed figures for the run: select dates November 13 to January 4, a 4 p.m. food and beverage start on event nights, a 10 p.m. close from December 25 through December 30, a 1 a.m. close on December 31, and 13 priced Tampa day cards from $66 to $185 with the booking fee inside the price.
