’Tis the season for pantos, Father Christmas visits and spectacular decorations! The county’s tourism organisation, Visit Essex has handpicked the top spots in Essex to get you in a festive mood.
Take a trip to visit Santa
Santa Claus will be popping up all across Essex this year. Head to South Woodham Ferrers for Marsh Farm’s Christmas walking tour, where you’ll find plenty of festive characters, a Father Christmas experience, jolly songs and enchanting wonderlands (18 Nov to 24 Dec, from £20.00pp). Or pop into Little Monsters House of Fun in Great Dunmow to visit Santa’s Grotto where little ones will meet Santa, receive a gift and get a free Santa hat (selected dates from 2 to 23 Dec, £16.95pp).
See Santa by train, as Colne Valley Railway and Audley End Miniature Railway will welcome Santa this year. Meet Santa in his grotto at Colne Valley Railway, before travelling on a diesel train to collect a present from Santa’s workshop (selected dates from 2 to 24 Dec, from £10.00). You can also hop aboard the Polar Express at Audley End Miniature Railway, and journey deep into the enchanted woods to visit Santa’s workshop (18 Nov to 24 Dec, from £9.00pp).
Exciting encounters for animal-lovers
Experience the magic of Christmas at Colchester Zoo. Children will love to transform into their favourite festive character with face paints, post their letters to Santa in a special Christmas post box, and spot fairies and pixies in the zoo’s magical woodland. Santa’s reindeer will also make an appearance, so come along and get closer to Ash, Ronnie and Sami, the zoo’s reindeer (selected dates from 25 Nov to 24 Dec, from £15.00pp).
Or enjoy some festive fun at Old MacDonald’s Farm in Brentwood, with an interactive Gingerbread Hunt, Christmas Chicken Show and a Reindeer ride! Guests can also see their favourite Christmas characters in the delightful Christmas Parade and head out on a Christmas Train Ride (24 Nov to 24 Dec, from £19.50pp).
You can also take the little ones to meet Santa’s reindeer before the big day at Lee Valley Animal Adventure Park. Based in Waltham Abbey, their Santa Claus Experience invites families to meet Father Christmas’s reindeer, visit Santa’s Grotto, and decorate a gingerbread person to take home (3 to 24 Dec, from £15.99pp).
Get into the festive spirit with a panto show!
Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a panto trip. In Harlow, watch Belle and the Beast – fall in love with a production of Beauty and the Beast at Harlow Playhouse (selected dates from 1 Dec 2023 to 7 Jan 2024, from £15.00pp), or head to Chelmsford Theatre for their spin on the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk (selected dates from 1 Dec 2023 to 7 Jan 2024, from £15.00pp).
Another classic story, the swashbuckling Peter Pan, will pop up at Hedingham Castle. On 20 and 21 December only, join the Lost Boys as they battle Captain Hook in the heated and seated Ballroom Marquee in the stunning grounds of Hedingham Castle (20 and 21 Dec, from £12.00pp).
Also, in the run-up to the special day, Chelmsford Theatre will be putting on a production of The Night Before Christmas, an unforgettable adventure full of magic, mischief and festive fun, perfect for young children (15 to 24 Dec, from £12.50pp).
We all love to be beside the seaside, and this Christmas a spectacular production awaits you in Clacton-on-Sea, at the Westcliff Theatre’s annual Christmas Show. From laugh-out-loud comedy artists to sublime vocalists and fabulous dancers, this festive treat will be a night to remember for the whole family (20 to 23 Dec, from £17.00pp, one child ticket free with every adult/concession purchase).
Explore magical light trails
Step into a magical winter wonderland! The popular light trail ‘Enlightened’ returns to the county this Christmas. Wander through the fantastic light festival at Hylands Estate, with even more interactive and immersive elements than ever before (24 Nov 2023 to 1 Jan 2024, from £9.00pp). ‘Enlightened’ will also return for its biggest and boldest year yet at Colchester’s Castle Park. See the light trail with the castle as a backdrop from 1 December (1 to 31 Dec, from £9.00pp).
Or head over to RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford for an after-dark spectacle of lights, ‘Glow’. This year, you can now follow the trail up onto the Hilltop, past the iconic Thatched Barn, stopping to see a fountain on the top pond before heading back down the hill through the dry garden. A carpet of colour awaits you, with mirror balls on the lake and lanterns lighting your way (selected dates from 23 Nov to 30 Dec, from £4.45pp).
To discover more things to do this Christmas, see www.visitessex.com.
