Next week will see the beginning of December and we are now well and truly into festive season here in Bristol. With the school term coming to an end in a few weeks time, children are already getting excited about getting to see Father Christmas and he is going to be very busy this year with appearances throughout the city and beyond!
Catch the man in red himself in Bristol…
This year Santa will have his very own floating grotto aboard Bristol Ferry’s Matilda. Join the festive ferry elves aboard and Santa will arrive bearing personalised gifts for all children on board. Adults do not feel left out as you’ll be treated to a mince pie and glass of sherry too! The cruise will last for 45 minutes and will take guests around Bristol’s harbourside. Trips will run from 10th-24th December and will depart from The Cascade Steps in the city centre.
Make a Christmas wish at the zoo and meet Santa with his reindeer! The zoo will be lit with animal-shaped lights throughout, there will be a giant Christmas tree to see too and there will be festive treats galore for any visitors. Tickets available from 2nd- 23rd December.
In the centre of town? There will also be grottos set up at the gorgeous Arcade in the centre of Broadmead and under a beautiful Christmas tree inside of the Galleries also. Both grottos are completely free and will run from 17th – 24th December.
A little further afield, Santa will be taking his sleigh across Gloucestershire too…
Winter Wonderland at The Mall (Cribbs Causeway) has returned and will run until the beginning of January. Tickets to meet Santa here are £5 and include a gift (no charge for accompanying adults).
Have a really wild Christmas at the Wild Place Project in the company of exotic animals from all over the world! Santa does things a little differently here with his magical yurt accessible through a ride on the Christmas Express. He and his reindeer will be ready and waiting for you on all weekends in December and daily between 19th-23rd.
The Avon Valley Wildlife and Adventure Park has teamed up with the North Pole to create a whole day of activities fun and games. Tickets will include of course a meeting with Father Christmas along with a ride on the Elf express, time with Donner and Blitzen, an elf craft workshop and much much more! This event is running from now until Christmas eve and is a great day out for the family.
Fancy a steam train ride with Santa? Then look no further than the Avon Valley Railway at Bitton station. This event is the highlight of the Christmas season for many families and offers an hour long trip aboard the vintage carriages of one of the Avon Valley’s traditional steam engines. Throughout the journey, Santa’s little helpers will distribute mince pies to passengers and then Santa himself appears to spend a little time with each family afterwards. Tickets available online and are available on selected dates in December only.
Other events include grotto at the Cadbury Garden Centre, Tyntesfield and Puxton Park Zoo Farm too. And as if that wasn’t enough for us Bristolians, he’ll be landing his sleigh on the Pier in Weston, storytelling among the trees at Westonbirt and introducing Rudolph and his friends to people throughout too.
Christmas is coming, the question is just have we all been naughty or nice?!