ACTOR CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY LIGHTS THE LEGO® CHRISTMAS TREE AT LEGOLAND® CALIFORNIA RESORT!

Children’s Charity, The Playmakers, Receives $10,000 on Murray’s Behalf From the Family Theme Park!

CARLSBAD, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2019) – Snow filled the air and fireworks lit the sky as Chad Michael Murray, the star of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas’ new original movie, “Write before Christmas,” helped Santa pull the switch to light the world’s largest LEGO® Christmas tree at LEGOLAND® California Resort during the 17th annual tree lighting ceremony in Carlsbad, California.


Murray, best known for his popular role as Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill and Edgar Evernever on the hit show Riverdale, spent the day enjoying all the rides, shows and attractions at Park with his family before heading to LEGOLAND California’s famous the 30-foot tall LEGO Christmas tree for the evening’s festivities. Prior to pulling the switch that turned on more than 11,000 twinkling LED lights, Murray was presented a LEGO UniKitty ornament as an invitation to return when the largest expansion in LEGOLAND California history opens in the Spring of 2020, The LEGO Movie World®. Guests at the ceremony were given a first look at the new ornaments that adorn the enormous tree which features more than 400 LEGO decorations and is created from 245,000 green DUPLO® bricks.


At the ceremony, LEGOLAND California Resort donated $10,000 on Murray’s behalf to The Playmakers, a nonprofit organization serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds with emotional, physical and social challenges. The Playmakers, created and represented at the ceremony by former NFL player Greg Roeszler, teaches children character skills and encourages self-worth by introducing youth to volunteerism and the concept of teamwork.


The tree lighting ceremony is part of the Park’s winter celebration, Holidays at LEGOLAND California Resort. Guests can feel the LEGO cheer from Nov. 23 through Jan. 5 with twinkling lights, holiday treats and live entertainment! The annual holiday celebration features a jolly new show in Fun Town, Santa’s Top Elf! Guests can giggle and cheer as the elves at the North Pole work together to make all the children’s toys just in time for Santa’s big night. Kids and families can also rock out to the Park’s official pop rock Holiday Glee Club the Yule Tides as they perform new and classic carols that will be sure to put everyone into the holiday spirit! Guests wanting to snap the perfect holiday card photo can pose with life-size LEGO models of Santa and his reindeer or with their favorite costume characters which include LEGO Santa, LEGO Toy Soldier and new this year, the LEGO Gingerbread Man! Plus, families can ring in 2020 with San Diego’s biggest Kids’ New Year’s Eve Party on Dec. 31. All Holiday activities are included with regular Park admission. All Holidays activities are included with regular Park admission. For information, visit: LEGOLAND.com.
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LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND® California, SEA LIFE® aquarium, LEGOLAND® Water Park, LEGOLAND® Hotel and LEGOLAND® Castle Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including the new LEGO® City: Deep Sea Adventure submarine ride where guests experience more than 2,000 real sea animals including real sharks, rays and tropical fish. The Park also includes LEGO® NINJAGO: Master of the Fourth Dimension 4D film, NINJAGO™ The Ride where guests experience 3D imagery, high-tech sensors and use hand movements in a striking motion to master their skills before battling the Great Devourer, LEGO® Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display and The LEGO® Movie 4D A New Adventure™. SEA LIFE aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living creatures and incorporates LEGO® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. LEGOLAND Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft Rive plus Pirate Reef and LEGO Legends of Chima Water Park comprising 10 acres of water fun! The nation’s first LEGOLAND Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, kingdom, LEGO® Friends and LEGO® NINJAGO™! New this year, LEGOLAND Castle Hotel features 250 rooms, fully themed as Knights and Dragons, Royal Princess and Magic Wizard. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).

About Merlin Entertainments plc
Merlin Entertainments plc is a global leader in location based, family entertainment. As Europe's number one and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates more than 120 attractions, 18 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 25 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable experiences to more than 65 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its 29,000 employees (peak season).
THE LEGO® MOVIE © & ™ DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., & The LEGO Group. LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. © 2018 The LEGO Group. BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. (s19).