The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex approached edgefactory with an ambitious vision: create a month-long holiday celebration that honored the space program’s legacy without relying on traditional holiday imagery. The catch? We had just a few months to conceptualize, design, and execute the entire experience. From storytelling and creative direction to AV production and installation we had to be ready for a December 1st opening.
The venue itself presented unique challenges. Operating outdoors along Florida’s coast meant contending with salt air corrosion and unpredictable high-wind storms. Layer on NASA’s rigorous safety protocols and this became a significantly more complex undertaking than a typical holiday event.
The Experience
We created a dual-layer guest journey that ran nightly throughout December, welcoming several thousand visitors. During the day, guests explored a series of interactive photo installations that traced the evolution of space exploration through NASA’s historic missions. Each scene was carefully designed to be both holiday-festive and authentically space-focused.
As evening fell, the experience transformed. We installed a large-format LED wall that displayed a custom long-form film weaving together the space program’s greatest achievements with seasonal storytelling. The narrative was supported by a synchronized lighting environment, programmable LED holiday lights blanketed the venue, choreographed to dance in rhythm with the film’s key moments. On peak attendance nights, we distributed holo-specs that transformed the twinkling lights into miniature rocket ships, adding an extra layer of wonder to the experience.
The creative challenge was threading the needle between celebration and authenticity. Mission patches became ornament designs. Musical cues incorporated familiar seasonal rhythms while keeping the focus squarely on exploration and discovery. Every element had to feel celebratory without defaulting to Santa, snowflakes, or traditional iconography.
The Result
A member of NASA’s PR team captured it perfectly: “The way you told this story was spot on and was an amazing journey through the years of the space program.”
The experience drove significant attendance increases during the holiday season and the partnership continued through the following year.
Highlight Reel
A quick reel showing the experiential transformation and what we installed at the venue.
