To help you become a key part of your visitors’ traditional seasonal festivities, we’ve cherrypicked 5 attractions that have nailed Christmas so you can draw inspiration from them when it’s time to plan your VA’s next festive event.
These places caught our eye for various reasons: Chatsworth does themed décor brilliantly; Wakehurst’s winter lantern trail breaks records almost every year; PNP Events takes a traditional steam train ride to the next level; The Royal Mint maintains a laser focus on its raison d’etre; while Royal Observatory provides festive respite for visitors who are all Christmassed out. Where possible, we’ve also compared Christmas entry with standard entry costs, plus any available upsells, to further inspire you and to help you gain a clearer idea of margins.
1. Chatsworth, Peak District
Chatsworth has been decking its halls for visitors at Christmastime for 20 years; they’re the ones to watch when it comes to extravagantly themed Christmas décor. The event is so renowned that Channel 4 even produced an hour-long special about the work that goes on behind the scenes here. It takes the housekeepers, designers, gardeners and foresters five days to create Chatsworth’s festive makeover, which then impresses more than 100,000 visitors. It’s the estate’s most important annual event.
Past themes include The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland and Once upon a Time. In 2019, the theme was A Land Far, Far Away, which paid homage to the many countries that have influenced the Cavendish family over the generations and involved more than 30 Christmas trees, 60,000 baubles and a million twinkling fairy lights. This year, to mark 20 years of Christmas at Chatsworth, the theme is inspired by Chatsworth’s own amazing decorations of the last two decades – only Chatsworth could get away with this!
Cost: Entry, which includes entry to the house and gardens with Festive illumination walk plus access to Christmas market during November, is £26 for adults and £15 for children; respectively, that’s £2 and £2.50 more than the usual cost of entry to the house and gardens.
2. Glow Wild at Wakehurst, Sussex
Light displays have been around since Blackpool Illuminations started their annual display with eight arc lamps, back in 1879. Nowadays, for many families Christmas isn’t Christmas without a crisp walk along a beautifully lit trail. You can find light trails all over the country but for a truly mind-blowing experience, look to the record-breaking displays at Wakehurst’s Glow Wild.
In its eighth year, Wakehurst will wow the crowds with the UK’s tallest living Christmas tree, festooned with 1,800 lights, and the UK’s largest natural screen. The team also invites artists to transform parts of the garden.
Cost: Adult tickets are £14, and there’s the chance to pre-book a luxury dining experience for an extra £45 (adult) or £25 (child).
3. The Polar Express Train Ride, various locations
A traditional steam train ride with the big man himself isn’t an unusual way for railway VAs to mark Christmas but a few railway organisations across the UK, from Caledonia to South Devon, take it one step further with the injection of the Polar Express theme.
The classic children’s tale is woven through the experience with each guest receiving a silver bell memento from Santa, hot chocolate and a freshly baked cookie. There are usually dancing chefs and waiters straight from the scene in the film, a Christmas carol singalong and, of course, hearty cries of “All abooooooard!” from the conductor. Premium ticket holders also get a private compartment, souvenir ceramic mug and bag plus free car parking.
All Polar Express Train Rides are run by PNP Events.
Cost: All visitors have to do is “Believe” (and pay upwards of around £25 for standard adult and child tickets or £45 for premium – prices vary wildly around the country).
4. The Royal Mint Christmas, Mid Glamorgan
The Royal Mint Christmas Experience has on this list thanks to the way it cleverly gives Christmas a relevant spin by focusing on Christmas’s many coin-based traditions. They’re inspired, of course, by the story of the fourth-century Greek St Nicholas, who anonymously gave coins to the less fortunate.
The Royal Mint Christmas Experience draws on its own 1,100-year-old heritage to help visitors discover why we put coins in stockings and sixpences in puddings. Visitors also tour of Santa’s workshop and learn how Father Christmas relies on The Royal Mint to make all the coins he delivers to stockings. It’s a beautifully executed and pin-point relevant take on Christmas.
Cost: The Royal Mint charges adults and children over 18 months £15 each for entry to the Christmas Experience; that’s an increase of approximately £5 on the usual cost of entry for children.
5. Annual Christmas Lecture at Royal Observatory, Greenwich
For something less obvious, look to the Royal Observatory for inspiration. The beauty of the Annual Christmas Lecture is that, on the face of it, the event isn’t Christmassy at all. But really, what could be more appropriate than a spot of stargazing? The Star Of Bethlehem and carols referencing the night sky are about as traditional as Christmas gets. ‘Silent night, holy night’ and ‘Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright’ anyone?!
The lecture is held after hours in the Observatory’s Planetarium, so there’s plenty of opportunity to gaze at the skies and contemplate life on our tiny speck of a planet. It’s incredibly humbling and perfect for visitors who want a break from Santa Claus and consumerism while pondering the conundrum of ‘How did we get here?’ in a more scientific fashion.
Each year, a guest lecturer holds forth on a special topic. For 2021, Dr Hannah Wakeford from the University of Bristol reveals the latest research about exoplanets.
Cost: Tickets are £10 (adults) or £5 (ages 11+).
Download the new Visitor Experience guide