What’s on this Christmas in and around Oxfordshire- 2021
HO HO HO
Here is your most comprehensive list for Christmas events/Grottos/illuminated trails (with details) in and around Oxfordshire 2021
OXFORDSHIRE:
- The after-dark illuminated trail sparkling at Blenheim Palace This has to be THE biggest Christmas event in Oxfordshire. A family ticket for the trail (plus parking) costs £84 (80£ annual pass holders), so its not cheap by any means but is the most wonderful time of the year when over a million lights, lasers and seasonal sounds fill the air with festive fun through the Palace’s picture-perfect gardens. They are also running the netcracker story in the Palace rooms. Your valid Annual Pass can give you free entry to the story of The Nutcracker in the Palace before 4pm but after that, combi family ticket (plus parking) costs £140
- Christmas Fairytale 2021: Start your journey from the North Pole to the South Pole. You will meet some interactive dancing penguins, visit the Toymaker in his cosy log cabin and see Santa’s sleigh ready to launch into a clear night sky of twinkling stars. Then you will walk through the Secret Forest to meet Father Christmas himself in his charming Grotto, which evokes an atmosphere of Christmas past. Other Christmas activities include a festive-themed hunt and mulled wine and mince pies for the parents, as well as a chance to see the beautiful Christmas lights.
Tickets: £7.75 for Adult/Older Children tickets (i.e. those not receiving a present from Santa); £13.99 for Child Christmas Fairytale tickets (i.e. those receiving a gift from Santa) - Santa’s Grotto at Millets Farm: There will be lots of fun in our NEW North Pole Post Office writing your letter to Santa, then Reindeer Ronnie will be on hand to greet you in our Reindeer Stables to make the all-important Reindeer food- ready to sprinkle out on Christmas Eve. Once your family has been to see the big man himself! Its onto our toy workshop, where every child will decorate a Christmas stocking and get to choose their very own special toy to take home! Not forgetting the adults, who will each receive a delicious treat baked specially in Mrs Christmas Kitchen.
Tickets: 2 Children & 2 Adults- £44.00 - Christmas Grotto at Yarnton: You & your family will have the chance to create the perfect reindeer recipe needed to help keep Father Christmas’ reindeer’s up to strength on Christmas Eve, then you will also be able to join in with writing a letter to Santa, that you can either give to him when you see him, or save to take home! You can then go through the glorious Christmas Grotto to explore the magical views and soak in that festive atmosphere.Once all that is done, you will then be taken into Santa’s lodge, where you can talk to Santa about all your Christmas wishes and even sing some lovely carols with him and our excited elves. You then finally enter the gift room where you can choose a wrapped gift to take home.You can play within beautifully bespoke Magic Garden soft play for the entire session.
Tickets: UNDER 2 – £11.95, OVER 2 – £14.95, ADULT £3 - Christmas at Didcot Railway Centre: Grab your tickets, make tracks to Didcot Railway Centre and Steam Into Christmas! Santa is letting his reindeer take a rest ahead of Christmas Eve and he will be in a special train full of presents in a wonderfully decorated Victorian station. Climb aboard a train of vintage carriages with a private compartment for each group and listen for the whistle and whoosh of steam as the train sets off on a journey to meet Father Christmas. He has a gift for every child, helpers to entertain the family and has arranged a second steam train to take visitors (and their presents) on a festive journey, ready to explore the rest of the 21-acre living museum.
Tickets: £16.65 to £18.50pp - Waterperry Gardens: Help Rudolph find his friends who are lost all around the gardens and collect a Christmas prize! £3.00 per child (admission ticket applies for adults). Children must be accompanied by an adult for whom the garden entrance fee applies. The trail runs from 20 November through till the 23 December, 10am till 5pm daily. On Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 November from 11.30am till 2.30pm on both days, get a little taste of the North Pole with actual reindeers! You’ll get the chance to learn all about these unique creatures and their natural habitats (normal garden entrance fee applies).
- The Story Museum is pulling out a storytelling show for children aged 5+ and their families, all wrapped up in music & song. A mother and her son share traditional tales of clever Grandparents (as if there’s any other kind), donkeys, wishes, and cunning mice that will be music to your ears. Join them as they explore how a star can suddenly appear and strike an unexpected chord.
Tickets: £10 Per Person - ‘Believe – Santa’s Magical Reindeer Grotto’ at Westgate, Oxford– children will be entertained by the very special reindeer Norbert, as they make reindeer food in readiness for Christmas Eve, and have a one to one with Santa! All children will receive a wrapped gift of an age-appropriate book to take home.
Tickets: child tickets £12.00 + £1.20 booking fee, adults £5.00 + 50p booking fee - Santa Steam Special at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway : All trains will begin their journey at Princes Risborough with Santa welcoming everyone onboard. We will then travel with Santa to his North Pole station where we will halt-a-while for refreshments and a much anticipated visit to Santa’s workshop to pick-up that important first Christmas present! On the return journey Santa will pass through the carriages to ensure his Elves have pleased all the young folks with their presents. The whole experience from leaving Princes Risborough Platform 4 to arriving back again will take around one and a half hours.
Tickets: Open Carriage Seating – £16 per Seat. ‘Babes in arms’ (under 1 year) do not need a ticket. Includes refreshments at Chinnor and a thoughtful present for each Child 1-12 years. £95 fixed price for the entire Compartment for up to 6 people - THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride at Cholsey and Wallingford Railway
The magical journey will begin just like the blockbuster motion picture, with THE POLAR EXPRESS™ arriving at Cholsey and Wallingford Railway to begin your special adventure to the North Pole and back again. You’ll meet all the beloved characters from the iconic film. As you carry on further North, you may encounter some stray Caribou on the track and other magical events, as well as sharing the original THE POLAR EXPRESS™ tale read to you by our singing chefs. You’ll enjoy a tasty cookie and our famous hot chocolate as you pull up to the home of Santa Claus, the North Pole. Santa will arrive in your carriage and you’ll receive a beautiful silver sleigh bell from Santa’s sleigh to treasure forever. Arriving home to Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, you can write him a letter in Santa’s workshop and visit the gift shop for treasures to remind you of your trip.
Tickets: standard £24.95 – £27.95, premium £36.95 – £39.95 plus £4.75 Booking Fee per Order - Bicester Avenue Garden centre have just sent emails to members for tea and breakfast with Santa, with tickets starting from £13.95, so it should be open to general public soon. Santa’s grotto is also coming with child tickets from £12.00 and accompanying adults free.
- Oxford Castle including Santa’s Grotto experience- Listen to a Christmas story told by Santa and sing a Christmas carol with Santa.Then write a letter to Santa and post it in to post box. Decorate a Christmas ornament and receive a Festive Bag that you can keep.
Tickets: £17.95 per child (2y+), £6.95 per under 2y, £15.95 per adult.
Also, some daytime Guided Tours led by the costumed guides with lantern light
BUCKS/NORTHANTS:
- Green Dragon Eco Farm– Farmer Christmas returns on his giant red tractor for 2021! You will be guided by Green Dragon Elves through Farmer Christmas Land – an exciting enchanted place full of festive fun and activities. Children can search for gold tokens in Santa’s Snowpits, walk through the Enchanted Forest, meet Christmas animals, make special reindeer food to take home for Christmas Eve, write a wish for the Wishing Tree, decorate gingerbread (yum!), and even feed real Reindeer. And of course, meet Farmer Christmas too – sit up on his tractor and receive a Christmas gift.
Tickets: £16.95 per child (2y+), £9.95 per under 1y, £5.95 per adult. Farm admission is not included – but you will receive a 33% discount on the day of your experience! - Christmas at Waddesdon will be back with magical lights and the gardens aglow. Soak up the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas with hand-selected stalls all housed in charming wooden chalets, surrounded by twinkling trees. As twilight falls see the gardens sparkle brightly with spectacular light displays bringing our extraordinary landscape to life, in partnership with Luminism.For the first time ever, see the Parterre illuminated by a dazzling light show, highlighting the geometric shapes of the bedding
GREAT VALUE FOR NT members!!
Tickets: Off peak – £17 Adult, £8.50 Child, National Trust: £5 Adult, £2.50 Child
Peak £19.50 Adult, £9.75 Child, National Trust: £7.50 Adult, £3.75 Child - Bucks railway centre: See Father Christmas whilst enjoying a steam train ride and watch a pantomime – all in one amazing Christmas experience!
Tickets: Bronze tickets £17.50pp (shared standard compartment)
Silver tickets: £19.50pp (whole standard compartment for 6-8 people)
Gold tickets: £21.50pp (whole First Class compartment for 6 people)
Babies: £5.00 (under 12 months) - Thrift Farm, MK: Treat your little ones to an unforgettable Christmas adventure. See Father Christmas in his traditional, magical grotto, choose a special gift and decorate scrumptious gingerbread, all included in your ticket price!
Tickets: Child (Age 0-15 years old): 22£, adult 12.50£) - Santa’s Grotto with Peter Rabbit at centre.MK: Santa has asked Peter Rabbit and his woodland friends to help him prepare for the big day. Visit Santa’s Grotto and step into the wonderful World of Peter RabbitTM along the way. Experience an incredibly exciting, immersive theatrical Christmas adventure, brought to life by actors playing the part of Peter Rabbit and his woodland friends. The excitable Squirrel Nutkin will be up to mischievous tricks whilst you decorate your Christmas Elf biscuits with Mrs.Tiggy-Winkle and don’t forget to keep those eyes peeled for that cunning Mr. Tod! Will you be brave enough to join him in his twinkly lair and take a peep inside his cooking pot?
Tickets: Child (from £12.50), Adult (£4.99) - Escape to Gulliver’s Land at Christmas time for a festive family adventure. Explore the magical Winter Wonderland, look out for Elfie mischief, fairy fun and snowy surprises, selected festive rides and attractions for all the family. Santa will be making appearances throughout the day! Children choose their own gift from the Elf Workshop
Tickets:There are 3 different Christmas packages to choose from at Gullivers Land, starting from 19£pp (height 90cm+) - Enchanted Christmas at Evenley Woods, Brackley: Through a series of wood lined pathways you will help the elves to create the lost magic of Christmas. With the help of the letter writing elf, send a special message to the North Pole. Make a Christmas decoration with crafting elf, ask wishing elf to help you make a wish for someone else and write it on a leaf to set sail. Create a parcel of sparkling reindeer food to take home and sprinkle a path to your door for Rudolf and his friends. and of course…join Mother & Father Christmas to toast marshmallows & sip hot chocolate around the campfire.
Tickets: £13.95 for children- normal entry price applies to adults - Once Upon A Christmas at Odds Farm park: Father Christmas invites you to join him and his Elves for an enchanting group story-time at After meeting Father Christmas and stopping for a festive photo keepsake*, you will take a magical stroll deep into the sparkly, wintery Enchanted Woodland, to arrive at the North Pole, with a stop at The Toyshop on the way!
Tickets start from 17.95£pp - Explore the sensory Winter room and Christmas train at the Riverside Hub. Decorate a gingerbread man, paint a keepsake to hang on your Christmas tree, meet Father Christmas in his grotto, choose a quality Christmas gift, tuck into popcorn or candy floss and enjoy all the Hub’s wonderful play facilities
Tickets: Schooldays: Babies 3 – 12 months £13, 12 months + £20, Adults £7.50
Weekends and school holidays (ALL SOLD OUT) - Vintage 1940s Christmas Grotto at Bletchley Park: Meet Father Christmas in the unique vintage Christmas grotto in the beautifully decorated Mansion and receive a lovely Christmas gift to take home. Children can collect a free toy trail from admissions to help Father Christmas find his lost toys scattered around Bletchley Park and break a secret code
Tickets: £9.50 per child for the Grotto. Accompanying adults need to purchase standard admission tickets (£21 for adults, £12.50 for children aged 12-17 and free under 12). - Laps of Light and illuminated ice rink at Silverstone: Follow Santa’s light-filled journey around the world in our bigger, brighter & even longer lap for 2021. Tickets start from £30 per vehicle and access to the Lodge is included with the purchase of LAP of LIGHTS ticket. There will be a number of fun, festive activities. To make your experience even more festive add on the new ICE TRAK experience and skate your way along the Pit Lane. Prices for Ice Skating start from £8 per adult and £6 per child.
- Christmas Wonderland with The Shetland company: On selected dates, enjoy Christmas Ride and Pamper £20 (20-30min), Christmas Sleigh Ride £12 (adult) £8 (child), Meet Father Christmas £5 (10min slots)
WARWICKSHIRE:
- Childrens play village, Warwickshire: The Christmas visit with Santa will be a 2.5 hour long visit. Santa and the elves need all the help of the children to grant the Princess’ wish and bring festive cheer and spirit to her heart. The Magical Princess will illuminate the twinkling Village lights and the Christmas Tree star, and Santa will greet all children and families along with the Princess and his elves. Santa will invite all the children to join in for some festive songs and activities as the story of the Princess’ Wish…The Tale of Santa & The Christmas Toy Soldier unfolds and Christmas would not be the same without some songs and dancing. The session will close with a story from Santa in his sleigh with all children receiving a gift from Santa and plenty of opportunity throughout your visit to take a beautiful photograph to remember your visit.
Tickets (Term Time): £22.50 per toddling/walking child, £6.50per adult & £2.50 per baby/crawler. Christmas gifts are included for all children. (Weekends & School Holidays): £24.50 per toddling/walking child, £6.50 per adult & £2.50 per baby/crawler. Christmas gifts are included for all children. - SANTA’S MAGICAL WOODLAND GROTTO at Compton Verney: You’ll find Santa in his grotto by taking in the magical woodland trail, lit with firefly fairy lights and surprises around every corner. Listen to the cracking of fire, smell the gingerbread baking along the way. Children can post letters to Santa and take away a special gift to open on the big day.
Tickets: £75 Non-Members Family Ticket, £55 Members Family Ticket, £35 One adult, one child - Experience the magic of Christmas at Warwick Castle: Discover splendid Staterooms adorned with twinkling trees, dazzling decorations and festive flourishes. In the Great Hall, marvel at medieval armour, majestic architecture and the renowned 20ft high Christmas tree. Also, join Santa as he settles down to tell charming tales, sharing stories of festive cheer with little ones, accompanied, of course, by his merry elves. (additional ticket required)
Tickets: Castle only: 16£, Castle and Santa: £23.50, Light Trail only: from 14.50£, Castle + Christmas Light Trail- £26.00 - Enter The Ice Kingdom at the Magic alley, Stratford and make your way through the 10 magical rooms completing the Christmas quest. On the way you will happen upon various characters and magical creatures before meeting Father Christmas. All children receive a present and then continue on their journey culminating in a visit to the snow covered Enchanted Forest where you can play in the snow and have a snowball fight!
Tickets: Sessions for children over 4- Adults £14, Children over 4 £12.50, under 4 £11.50 ; Sessions for children under 4- Adults £11, Children £8 -
Feel the Festive Warmth this Christmas at Stratford Butterfly Farm: details not released yet
Others:
- ENCHANTED LIGHT TRAIL AT COTSWOLD FARM PARK: a spectacular night time journey of magical lights and sounds around the farm park. There is a set trail to follow which takes you from the visitor centre area right the way to the park’s boundaries and back. There will be crackling fire pits, a festive shop perfect for present buying and hot food and drink will be available at various points along the route.
Open: 26TH NOVEMBER 2021 @ 4:30 PM – 1ST JANUARY 2022 @ 10:00 PM
Tickets: peak: Adults £17.60, Children 4-15 12.8£, Toddler Ticket (2 & 3)-8.8£, off peak: Adults £15.60 Children 4-15 11.6£, Toddler Ticket (2 & 3)-7.6£
Book by the end of October to receive a 20% early bird discount! - Experience the magic of LEGOLAND® at Christmas this festive season. Wonder at the twinkling lights, snow-dusted pine trees, exciting seasonal festivities and see the park with a sprinkle of LEGO® magic! Meet the man himself, Father Christmas*, in his log cabin – a perfect family moment where children will receive a special LEGO gift. You can also catch Father Christmas as he rides around the Park in his magical sleigh plus other exciting festivities including LEGO Make and Takes, a fun DUPLO Puppet pantomime and Holiday Harbour lights show
Tickets: Tickets are not cheap, starting from £32, but works best for members. Details HERE - Celebrate the magic of Christmas at Chessington winter trail this year with your nearest and DEERest for some festive family fun! Meet Father Christmas in his Grotto, encounter the Elves in the Toy Workshop and even enjoy a selection of our rides and attractions plus meet some of our incredible animals in our Zoo and Sea Life.
Tickets: Tickets online from £20. Early bird offers at the moment. Details HERE
Image Gallery
