Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park will trade midsummer fireworks for holiday string lights July 18-20, 2025, when the Miami, Mo., property rolls out its “Christmas in July” weekend. For campground and RV park operators, the three-day overlay shows how a well-timed novelty event can boost occupancy and guest engagement during peak demand without adding new infrastructure.
The park will weave yuletide touches through a full slate of free activities while standard camping fees apply. Festivities open Friday afternoon and run through Sunday morning. Campsites are limited, so advance reservations are encouraged by calling 660-886-7537 or booking through the official park page for Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park, 32146 N. Highway 122, Miami, Mo.
Check-in begins at 2 p.m. Friday, July 18, when guests are invited to transform their sites into a festive village. Holiday décor is more than eye candy: prizes await the most creative displays, adding a competitive spark that keeps campers tinkering with their setups well into the evening.
Operators looking to replicate the concept may want to publish a one-page run-of-show for day one and cross-train housekeepers or grounds crew to greet arrivals—an easy way to prevent congestion at the gate while containing labor costs.
The party resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. with an ugly sweater runway in the park’s cultural center. By noon, the same venue hosts craft stations and holiday treats, while staff make anonymous rounds to judge decorated campsites.
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a storyteller shares Native American Christmas tales in the day-use area, connecting seasonal cheer with the region’s heritage. A 9 p.m. tree lighting in the campground sets the stage for a 9-to-10 p.m. drive-through tour so visitors can admire illuminated sites from the comfort of their cars.
Clear traffic flow is essential once headlights replace daylight, so laminated signs and color-coded parking zones can help staff keep emergency lanes open and tempers cool.
Planners eyeing incremental revenue could offer a prepaid Holiday Décor Starter Kit at check-in or rent 10-by-10 booths near the storytelling circle to ornament makers and local bakers, turning foot traffic into vendor fees and on-site sales.
Sunday, July 20, wraps quietly but decisively. Staff will deliver prizes to the two top-scoring campsites before 10 a.m., then ask all guests to stow decorations and check out by that hour.
A quick thank-you email with an early-bird promo code for next year’s event can lock in repeat business before travelers leave the parking lot.
For managers, the appeal is twofold: the program injects holiday excitement into the height of summer while providing a live laboratory for cross-training staff and testing new upsells. Posting the full calendar six to nine months ahead gives vendors and seasonal workers the runway they need, and designating the cultural center as an indoor backup ensures even a pop-up storm won’t cancel headline activities.
The roughly 1,105-acre park itself offers built-in storylines for complementary programming. Visitors can explore remnants of a 17th-century Missouria Indian village, the hand-dug earthwork known as Old Fort that sits on a flat area of the Pinnacles, and Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center, which interprets the homeland of the Missouria people and other Missouri tribes through exhibits and a slide show. Anglers will find Lake Wooldridge, an 18-acre fishing lake, while hikers can explore the Oumessourit Natural Area, which includes a freshwater marsh, fens, and both bottomland and upland forests.
Holiday-themed weekends like this one can turn ordinary campsites into repeat-booking engines while giving guests fresh reasons to spend—and return.