Hallmark has long brought people together through greeting cards and those heartwarming movies, celebrating holidays, seasons, and life’s special moments. Now Hallmark brings audiences inside its world through its new branded experience division. The company aims to leverage its strong emotional connections with potential guests by creating destination events that are an attraction within their own right.
Experiences are a natural extension of Hallmark’s mission. “Our brand is all about bringing people together, helping people make memories, and this is another way we’re doing that,” says Lindsey Roy, senior vice president of strategy and brand at Hallmark.
With the debut of the Hallmark Christmas Experience in 2024, the brand began a new holiday tradition for fans—the chance to be merry and find holiday magic at the Crown Center, right outside Hallmark’s Kansas City, Missouri, headquarters.
“We did not start small,” Roy explains. “We were very careful with our attention to detail.” Their goal was to create an experience that lived up to the Hallmark name and met audience expectations. Hallmark structured the seasonal experience around two core elements: an outdoor program and an indoor, ticketed offering at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center Hotel.
The free-to-enter outdoor immersive environment captures the charm of a Hallmark movie town square, featuring a Christmas market, tree-lighting shows, card-sending and gift-wrapping stations, festive food and drinks, light walks, and holiday photo opportunities. The experience mirrors the cozy, comforting style of Hallmark’s storytelling, with everything you’d imagine if “you walked into the set of a Hallmark movie,” Roy says.
Exclusive ticketed activities allow guests to see their favorite Hallmark stars, attend Hallmark artists’ and writers’ workshops, and enjoy premium dining experiences.
“We did a lot that first year. We took a big swing, but we worked tirelessly to make sure this was worthy of our brand and our beautiful fans,” Roy says.
Since then, Roy explains that fan feedback has shaped the event. “People told us, ‘We want more.’ So, we’ve added more Hallmark Stars shows and programming to our schedule. We’ve added a community room for people to connect with other fans. We made way more merchandise. We just keep adding because people have said, ‘If I’m flying in for the whole weekend, I want an entire weekend full of things to do,’ which is an amazing ask.”
Roy and her team analyzed the overwhelming enthusiasm from Hallmark fans and have developed a third, all-inclusive ticket package this year named Make Memories.
The event is slated to run on weekends from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
“In our first year, we had guests come from all 50 states and from 23 different countries. It was incredibly exciting to see how much our fans wanted to come and be a part of this world that we had built.” The event confirms demand and proves Hallmark can turn audience loyalty into visitation.
Anticipation is high for the entire 2026 event, with more stars attending and fresh content to spotlight—some with an attractions connection. New Countdown to Christmas movies, such as “Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True,” filmed at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, will provide new opportunities to celebrate.
Outside the Christmas season, Hallmark has built a portfolio of experiences. The Hallmark Stars Live tour runs this summer, with the company taking part of its Christmas experience on the road with a Christmas in July live show. A Hallmark Christmas Cruise will set sail in October.
“We have lots of thoughts about inviting people in to help celebrate with us throughout the year, whether that’s Valentine’s Day, summer holidays, or Mother’s Day,” Roy says. “We have a roadmap full of ideas centered around bringing our fans together. Experiences are a growing way for fans to be a part of our Hallmark family. We want to meet multiple people in multiple places with multiple ideas multiple times of the year.”
Seeing fans experience Hallmark licensing is “an incredible opportunity,” she says. In those shared moments—among Hallmark stars, executives, and audiences—there is joy, connection, and community.
