Christmas Factory

Written By Scott Simmons

The Ohio Christmas Factory in Canton, Ohio is a multi-million dollar holiday season attraction created by the owners and creative team behind the nationally recognized Factory of Terror haunted attraction. This family-friendly event allows guests to explore 50,000 square feet of themed environments, interactive experiences, character interactions, photo-ops, and much more… including multiple holiday bars, each with their own themed beverage options.

The Needs More Fog team produced a festive and fast-paced promotional video for this rapidly-expanding event AND provided UV scenic painting within the interior of their NEW interactive Gingerbread House attraction. Check out the video and photos below:

Ohio Christmas Factory Video

Producer: Scott Simmons Video Crew: Glenn Syska, Adam Grant Editor: Glenn Syska

3-D Gingerbread House Scenic Paint

Artists: Mollie Himes, Heather Heitzenrater Concepts: Melissa Sapienza-Garrett

The Ohio Christmas Factory is Northeast Ohio’s immersive holiday experience: a 50,000 + square-foot, fully indoor and heated space located at 4125 Mahoning Road NE in Canton (inside the building that houses the Factory of Terror). (Visit Canton) Created by a veteran production team with decades of experience in immersive event design, Ohio Christmas Factory delivers a festive celebration — not fright — blending lights, decorations, interactive areas, and holiday cheer.

Guests are greeted with a dazzling 15-minute light show, synchronized to holiday music and projected onto Ohio Christmas Factory’s five-story entrance façade — a visual spectacle that sets the tone for the visit. Inside, the atmosphere shifts to cozy and magical: visitors wander through elaborately themed spaces including a giant gingerbread house (complete with a 3-D walkthrough), a “Frozen Forest,” and seasonal displays filled with festive décor.

For younger guests (and the young at heart), Ohio Christmas Factory offers a variety of interactive and family-friendly activities: snowball-fight zones, elf slides, candy cane forests, letters to Santa, holiday-character meet-and-greets, and photo-op stations abound — all designed to create memorable moments.

For adults or older teens, the experience includes holiday-themed bars and beverages. Multiple bar areas (including “Winters’ Wonderland Bar” and “North Pole Tavern”) offer festive cocktails, craft beers, and hot drinks like hot cocoa, adding a seasonal twist for grown-ups.

For the 2025 season, Ohio Christmas Factory has undergone substantial upgrades — reports indicate between $400,000 and $500,000 in improvements have been invested into the attraction to expand its offerings and guest experience. This continued reinvestment underscores the event’s evolution from a novel holiday event into a serious seasonal destination.

Ohio Christmas Factory typically runs from late November (Black Friday) through December, with multiple nights per week open for visitors and a special “Adults Only Night” for 21+ guests. Admission grants access to the vast majority of attractions, though premium activities — like meeting Santa or Santa’s VR sleigh ride — may require additional tickets. (Ohio Christmas Factory) Visitors should allow roughly 1.5–2 hours for the full experience, though with so much to see and do, many choose to linger longer.

Ohio Christmas Factory delivers a complete holiday package: a visually rich and family-friendly environment, interactive fun, seasonal indulgences, and the flexibility to appeal to both children and adults. Its indoor, heated setup makes it especially appealing during winter — providing a festive, cozy retreat from cold weather. With thoughtful design, variety, and continuous investment, OCF is carving out a reputation as a go-to holiday tradition for families looking to celebrate the season in style.

Scott Simmons

Since 1999 I have overseen the design and production of nationally recognized haunted attractions, escape rooms, theatrical experiences and a historic dark ride. Best know for my work as Creative and Marketing Director for the SCAREHOUSE seasonal haunted attraction and the intense and adult immersive experience THE BASEMENT, I have now launched an experiential and content production company NEEDS MORE FOG

My themed attractions have been featured on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Travel Channel, and the Daily Show while also receiving acclaim from iconic creatives such as Guillermo del Toro, Michael Dougherty, and Elijah Wood. My creative team and I also collaborated directly with Universal Pictures, Legendary Entertainment and Weta Workshop creating the first immersive experience based on the film KRAMPUS.

I have also supervised all elements of concept, design, and production for a variety of immersive experience including escape rooms, special events, theatrical experiences and the total re-theme of THE OLD MILL at Kennywood.

I also produce highly engaging content for ScareHouse and other haunted attraction's social media platforms, with our trailers and "behind the screams" videos generating over eight million views on YouTube.

Frequently asked to present at conferences and in media interviews about topics such as the booming "Scream Economy" and haunted attractions, immersive experience design, generative AI, digital content creation, and murderous bunnies with axes.

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