Stars On Ice

We went to see Stars on Ice at Hershey Park, and here are my thoughts:

First, what is Stars on Ice? It's a performance by Olympic and World level skaters where there are no points/scoring, just everyone doing what they love for the joy of doing it. It's similar to the Olympic Figure Skating Exhibition Gala, which is also highly enjoyable to watch - check out ones from previous Olympics on YouTube.

The show started at 7 and the finale was starting at 9:30 when we left because it was too loud and too late for the kids. I normally do not duck out of performances early, but I for some reason thought this was a one-hour event (hence taking my toddler and preschooler who both like figure skating but also have an 8pm bedtime). I did not expect it to be nearly three hours. It was an amazing performance, but my children have never been out that late before (and this was after a day in Hershey Park, where we took it pretty easy but still it takes a lot of energy to be in an amusement park). There was an intermission around 8pm for like 15-20min, and that's when I realized we were at the halfway point not the end. 

Bring ear protection for kiddos - the cheering is quite exuberant. We had some super fans right behind us and wow, they cheered so the performers could hear them. And we were in the balcony. There were marriage offers shouted out. So much exuberance.  

Bring glowsticks for kiddos - great entertainment and also nice when the place gets dark between acts. And quiet! Don't pay the concession pricing for glowing toys - bring your own.

Plenty of restrooms it seems - ask an attendant for the locations so if there's a line you can go to another.

Did we need separate parking for the stadium if we already had park parking? Unclear. We got it to be safe. We spent the day in the park then left for dinner and checking into a hotel then returned for the show.

Don't get the front row of the balcony if you have kids or have issues with heights. It's a thin barrier and you're kinda high up.

No bags allowed unless you have little kids who need supplies (diapers, spare clothes, etc). Handbags have to be literally the size of your hand. Check the venue site for exact details. We brought a string backpack and they just waved us through.

You can't bring in food, just like the park rules, but you will need snacks for your kids, so take that as you may. There are concessions at concessions prices.

Did I enjoy going? HIGHLY. It was SO GOOD. I very much enjoyed my time. Would like to go again but if I bring my kids it would need to be a daytime event, not an evening one. A bit too late for kiddos, but we didn't hit traffic on the way out since we left a little early. But the finale would have been pretty cool to see. But the whole thing was enjoyable. I liked it a lot.