Tag: festive fun

Say Ho-ho-hello to Santa at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store

Garden centre celebrates the magic of Christmas at Santa’s Grotto

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is announcing its highly anticipated Santa’s Grotto and Quiet Grotto enchanting experience in its Edinburgh store, designed to bring families together to celebrate the magic of Christmas. Whether little ones are meeting Santa and his elves for the first time, or it’s a cherished annual tradition, attendees can enjoy festive fun at Dobbies.  

Children will be welcomed by Santa’s elves who will take them through a Christmas tree forest spotting magical characters along the way, before making a special item to take home. Once they’ve spent time with Santa’s elves, they’ll get the chance to meet Santa Claus himself. Santa will greet children, share some Christmas magic, hear their wishes, and hand them a gift to take home.

The Quiet Grotto is also running this year at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, thoughtfully designed with sound and visual elements to create a relaxed atmosphere for children with additional needs. Quiet Grottos will be available from 2.30pm on Friday 8 December.

Families with canine companions in Edinburgh are in for a treat as they can bring their four-legged friends to meet Santa. Starting from 2 December, dog owners are invited along to a Santa Paws experience where they’ll receive adorable pet-friendly gifts from Santa.

Sarah Murray, who develops Dobbies’ festive line up, knows just how magical Christmas is for all the family. She said: “For every child, meeting Santa is a treasured highlight of the season.

“At Dobbies we’re dedicated to creating a Santa’s Grotto experience that resonates with every member of the community. We’re thrilled that this year’s grotto experiences in Edinburgh will continue to spark the enchantment of Christmas for all families who join us.”

If families would like to preserve a cherished memory of the day, there’s the chance to add on a professional photograph at the time of booking, or add on the day from £5 for a digital image and £7 for a photo booklet.

On Thursday 23 November, Dobbies’ Edinburgh store will be welcoming Santa as he arrives from the North Pole. Santa will walk around the store, say hello to families and take selfies with children as he embarks on his new residency at the grotto.

Tickets are priced at £11.99 per child for Santa’s Grotto and Santa’s Quiet Grotto experiences, and Santa Paws is priced at £6.99 per dog. A non-refundable donation for Teenage Cancer Trust is also available at the time of booking.

For more information about Dobbies’ Santa’s Grotto experiences and to make a booking, please visit dobbies.com/events

Santa’s flying visit marks the start of the Conifox Christmas Experience

The spectacular sight of a flying visit from Santa marked the start of Conifox Adventure Park’s magical festive extravaganza. 

Leaving Rudolph and the other reindeer to rest, he hitched a lift and was helicoptered into the park, at Kirkliston near Edinburgh, by helpers Adventure001 Experiences, specialists in Edinburgh sightseeing trips. 

Santa’s arrival kicked off this year’s popular Conifox Christmas Experience which is now even better than ever as Conifox has partnered with events specialists 21CC Productions which is also providing amazing lighting and effects. 

From now until Christmas Eve, families can enjoy a carnival of festive fun, immerse themselves in the world of Santa Claus and all their favourite festive characters, enjoy a Christmas Funfair, in partnership with Taylor’s of Edinburgh Funfair, and an outdoor Christmas Market supporting local Scottish traders. There will also be various food vendors and a bar available for evening refreshments.   

Among many attractions, they can visit is Whoville – look out for the Grinch! – the Magic Forest, Mrs Claus’ Kitchen, the Elf Disco Village and Reindeer Flying School, Santa’s Sweet Shop and the Naughty or Nice Scanner. 

Santa will also be back in his sitting room to welcome every child who will receive a Golden Christmas Coin to exchange in the Toy Workshop for a gift of their choice. Then as darkness falls the winter wonderland lights up with 21CC’s amazing effects.

James Gammell, Managing Director of Conifox Adventure Park, says: “With the arrival of Santa the countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun and we’d like to thank Adventure001 Experiences for whisking him in to get the celebrations started. 

“This year, we’ll also be supporting local charity Kids Love Clothes with their Christmas Toy Appeal and to show our support, we will be donating two hundred toys as well as using our Activity Centre as a drop-off point for any new toy donations.  

“With your support, we can reach families who are struggling to look forward to Christmas this year so please support by dropping off a new toy whilst you are here.” 

The Conifox Christmas Experience runs on selected dates until December 24, with entrance times at 15-minute intervals. Admission to the indoor Activity Centre and Adventure Park is not included with the tickets purchased for Christmas Experience Days or Nights, but they can be booked online. 

To book tickets and for full terms and conditions, please visit: 

www.conifox.co.uk/whats-on 

For more information about Conifox Adventure Park please visit: 

www.conifox.co.uk/ 

Christmas Wonderland launches at Perth Riverside

Brand new Christmas themed lighting trail to dazzle Perth: 2 – 23 December  

This year, for the first time ever, Perth Riverside will play host to Christmas Wonderland, a brand new Christmas-themed lighting trail, providing outdoor festive fun for the whole family.   

Designed and produced by the team at 21CC Group, the glittering lighting trail set across Norie Miller Walk and Rodney Gardens, is a first-of-its-kind event that will light up the faces of kids big and small, surrounding them and the whole family in Christmas cheer. Festive fun for the whole family, not only will you take in some of the most spectacular seasonal sights, but you can also experience first-hand the magic of Perth.  

From 2nd to 23rd December, guests are invited to experience this magical lighting trail as they wander on foot through a one-way, 1km winding pathway overlooking the picturesque Perth Riverside.   

This is Norie Miller Walk and Rodney Gardens as never seen before! Fantastic lighting, festive effects and a sparkling atmosphere all transforming the parks into a wonderful Christmas evening out.

You will find singing trees, hear sleigh bells ringing amongst the snowflakes and many surprises, with candy canes and other delicious delights, all provided by local food vendors who have been invited along just for this special occasion. 

It is Christmas Eve every night at Perth Christmas Wonderland! 

Christmas Wonderland at Perth Riverside – we ho-ho-hope to see you soon! 

Tickets start from £13 for adults and £8 for children under 16. Children under 3 can also attend for free. Family ticket bundles which allow access for 2 adults and 2 children and are available from £36.

On 18th December and thereafter, adult tickets are £14, child tickets are £9 and family tickets are £40. 

The walk will take approximately one-hour and tickets will have allocated time slots for guests to arrive in. First entry is at 4pm and last entry is at 8:15pm. No re-entry once leaving the trail.Tickets must be booked online in advance. 

Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group says: “We are incredibly excited to bring the first ever Christmas Wonderland to Perth this year. Following almost two years of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, we are excited to be bringing a COVID safe and festive experience to the citizens of Perth.

“The lighting trail really showcases Perth in all its beauty and with plenty of surprises, hiding elves and delicious treats to look forward to, we are sure that the Christmas Wonderland will get the entire family feeling festive in no time!” 

For further information and to purchase tickets, visit:  www.perthchristmaswonderland.co.uk 

You can also find us on:  

Instagram: www.instagram.com/perthchristmaswonderland/ 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/perthchristmaswonderland 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerthXmas_WL