Canton, OH — The Ohio Christmas Factory returns Nov. 27 for 15 select dates through Dec. 23. New this year are a redesigned Spookytown, inspired by Grimm fairy tales, and a 21-and-up New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31. Returning are the Gingerbread Mansion, the Frozen Forest walkthrough, an indoor snowball fight and a light show on the building’s five-story entrance. The Ohio Christmas Factory is unique because the team behind the Factory of Terror haunted house built it inside the haunt’s building, with over 50,000 square feet of indoor, heated attractions. Tickets are $24.95 online for ages 13 and up and $19.95 for kids 3 to 12, plus fees, and meeting Santa is a separate $25 package per family or group.
Dates and Hours
The Christmas Factory runs on weekends from Black Friday, then every day from Dec. 18 to 23. It’s closed on Thanksgiving and from Dec. 24 to 26.
- Nov. 27 and 28, the Saturdays (Dec. 5, 12 and 19) and Dec. 20 to 23: box office 12 to 7 p.m.
- Fridays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18: box office 4 to 7 p.m.
- Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13: box office 12 to 6 p.m.
The event stays open 90 minutes after the box office closes, and areas farthest from the exit may start closing during that time. Tickets are timed, so you pick an arrival window when you buy, and a visit takes 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s open rain or shine, and everything is indoors except the box office line and the outdoor light show.
What’s Inside
All of this is included with admission, inside a large, old factory that’s heated in nearly every area but chilly in some spots on cold days, so dress in layers. A coat check sits in the gift shop.
- The light show: a 15-minute lights and effects show on the five-story entrance facade, from dusk to 11 p.m. Daytime visitors get an indoor musical light show set to carols.
- Gingerbread Mansion (Returning): a giant gingerbread house you can walk inside, plus a 3-D walkthrough.
- Frozen Forest (Returning): a walkthrough among ice- and snow-covered trees, with winter characters along the path.
- Indoor snowball fight (Returning).
- Illusions: the Tinsel Tunnel, the Merry Mirror Maze and a 3D Gingerbread maze.
- The Heroverse: Christmas trees themed to superheroes and villains, with photo ops.
- Characters: the Greenie Meanie, the Friendly Snowman, Big Guy Elf and the Snow Queen. Greenie Meanie photos are free and walk-up.
- For kids: the Elf Express slide from Santa’s Workshop, the Kids’ Fun Zone, Santa’s Teddy Bear Workshop, Letters to Santa, and the Naughty or Nice List, where Snitches the Elf hands out a certificate saying which list you’re on.
- Bars: the North Pole Tavern, One-Eyed Jack’s Pirate Bar, the Crescent City Christmas Parlor and Frosty’s Cafe, a hot chocolate bar with spiked versions. Drinks are extra, and guests 21 and up get a wristband after an ID check. Food comes from the My Dee Good Eatin’ food truck and a popcorn and food kiosk.
Spookytown
Spookytown is the one slightly spooky area, set away from the main section. Its new 2026 design is “inspired by Grimm Fairy Tales, with twists of a certain beloved claymation Halloween/Christmas crossover film and other creepy Christmas elements,” the Christmas Factory’s site says. It’s included with admission, and families with kids who scare easily can skip it. Without the Santa package, you may still catch a glimpse of Santa at story time on the Spookytown stage.
Tickets and Santa
- Ages 13 and up: $24.95 online plus fees ($28.74 at checkout), or $30 at the box office.
- Kids 3 to 12: $19.95 online plus fees ($23.59 at checkout), or $25 at the box office. Kids 2 and under are free.
- Meet Santa package: $25 per family or group online plus fees ($28.79 at checkout), or $28 on site. It’s the only way to meet Santa. One package covers the whole group’s photo session and all its digital downloads, but everyone still needs admission. The time on the package is when you join Santa’s line, with a wait of 0 to 45 minutes.
Each arrival window has a set number of tickets, and the box office can close early when they sell out, so buying online is the way to lock in a night.
Adults Only Night, Dec. 17
The Christmas Factory is 21 and up on Dec. 17, from 5 to 10 p.m., with the box office closing at 8 p.m. The $25 ticket ($28.79 at checkout) is the admission, so you don’t need a regular one too. Most of the event is open, food and drinks are extra, and Santa photo sessions aren’t offered that night.
New Year’s Eve at the Factory
New this year, a 21-and-up New Year’s Eve party runs Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., for $150 per person, with tickets not yet on sale. The price covers an open bar at the event’s themed bars, snack stations, a DJ and dance floor, the Christmas Factory “minus the characters,” dueling pianos in the North Pole Tavern, karaoke, a roaming magician, a first set of casino chips, a balloon drop and a champagne toast. Extra chips, 50/50 tickets and raffles benefit the Stark County Humane Society, which brings adoptable dogs and cats.
Factory of Terror, the Haunt Behind It
The Christmas Factory is at 4125 Mahoning Road NE, Suite B, in the back of the Factory of Terror haunted house building. Factory of Terror is an Iconic Top Haunt in my Top Haunts list, and the Haunted Attraction Association certified it a Top Haunt for 2025. Its 2026 Halloween season ends Nov. 13, two weeks before the Christmas Factory opens. The same production team runs the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory, and the Christmas Factory’s site says the team has 24 years of experience making Halloween events.
Factory of Terror ran a Christmas haunt in the Canton building, A Creepy Christmas: Krampus’ Wrath, on Dec. 9 and 10, 2022. When the Christmas Factory opened on Nov. 25, 2023, A Creepy Christmas moved to the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse, and it returns there on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, with hours not yet posted. Factory of Terror promises “Krampus, evil Santa, and all sorts of twisted elves.” More December haunts, including Blood Prison’s Christmas Incarceration in Mansfield, are in my Christmas haunted houses guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Ohio Christmas Factory scary?
No, except for Spookytown, which is slightly spooky, set apart from the main section and easy to skip.
How much is parking?
On Fridays and Saturdays, the Blue, Red and Green lots off Cliftmont Avenue are $5 per car ($6 by card). Parking is free on Sundays and on Adults Only Night, and the Purple Lot, 0.2 miles down Mahoning Road, is free every day.
Are there group rates?
Buying 20 or more general admission tickets, or 15 or more kids’ tickets, takes $5 off each ticket at checkout, except on Saturdays.
Are there fees at the box office?
Card payments at the box office add a $1 service fee to the ticket price.
The Ohio Christmas Factory runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 at 4125 Mahoning Road NE, Suite B, in Canton. For tickets and hours, visit ohiochristmasfactory.com.
