Aquatica Orlando’s Illuminate debuts as company tries to rebound from disappointing quarter

No one is swimming at Aquatica Orlando on this warm November night.

The lazy river and the kiddie pool are both strangely quiet.

Instead, the park’s paths are cast in a holiday glow with Christmas lights and lanterns shaped like animals in the water park’s new lantern festival called Illuminate.

“For the first time ever, we are transforming Aquatica into a nighttime dry experience where we’re not going to focus on water slides and pools. Instead, we’re going to focus on light, storytelling, and connection,” Park President Brad Gilmore said during a media event Tuesday night.

Kids can write letters to Santa, cook s’mores over a fire pit or ride a miniature train while mom and dad sip spiked hot cocoa for a little merriment of their own.

Aquatica Orlando’s Illuminate — the special ticketed event — is debuting this holiday season as Orlando makes the pivot from Halloween to Christmas in record time.

Disney World’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party starts Friday and runs through Dec. 21, while Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland all gear up for special holiday entertainment and food.

For United Parks and Resorts, the Orlando-based company that owns SeaWorld and Aquatica, the final months of the year are an important time to make up gains.

The company released its third-quarter earnings Thursday that showed attendance down 3% — to 6.8 million — compared to the same time last year, and revenue falling 6% to about $512 million.

“We’re obviously not happy with the results we delivered in the quarter,” CEO Marc Swanson said on the earnings call as the company blamed bad weather, a drop in international tourism and other factors for the dip.

Swanson kept an optimistic tone as he said the company gets into Christmas mode and opens new rides in 2026 — including in Orlando.

“We are focused, confident in the investments we are making,” he said.

Aquatica Orlando’s Illuminate runs on select nights from Nov. 8 to Jan. 31.