The Magical Woodland Christmas at Blakemere Village
[Ad-gifted] The Magical Woodland at Blakemere Village has kick-started the season with a bang worthy of a Christmas cracker! The immersive Christmas experience is truly magical with dazzling light displays, jolly music, and all of your favourite festive characters.
Set in a 15-acre woodland, you are greeting with one of Father Christmas’ elves who welcomes you onto the trail. From the outset, it’s a treat for your senses with a festive soundtrack that syncs perfectly with the amazing light displays.
A family-friendly event, I visited with my husband and our four-year-old daughter. Christmas light shows and trails have become increasingly popular over the last few years, but this was actually our very first time attending one.
As quite an outdoorsy family, we love woodland walks so were looking forward to our nighttime wander through the magical trail. Holding onto her daddy’s hand, Jemma eagerly pulled him along the path towards the lights and music. It was wonderful to see her little face light up with excitement at the spectacular lights and sounds that greeted us on our walk.
We were also greeted by lots of familiar Christmas characters, including Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, and The Grinch and Cindy Lou from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, all staged in their own themed areas of the woodland.
The performances from these characters added an extra special dusting of magic onto the whole experience, bringing to life some of Jemma (and our) favourite films and stories. The Grinch may have ‘stole Christmas’, but he also stole the show, in my opinion, and by far gave the best performance!
With this being our first visit, Jemma was a little too afraid to approach most of the characters, though she enjoyed seeing them. She watched mummy engaging with the Grinch (from afar) and laughed when he shouted over to her and called her weird. Though she had no concerns about approaching to the very Elsa-looking Snow Queen and ran straight to her!
The performers interact with guests of all ages, making you feel like part of the show rather than just a spectator. It’s this combination of lights, sound, and live performance that creates a fully immersive experience.
What Did We Think of the Magical Woodland Christmas ?
Meeting the various characters as you walk the trail is a highlight, they were happy to chat to us and pose for photos.
Beyond this, there are also endless little magical moments which make The Magical Woodland at Christmas special, for us it was the balls of light that seem to float up and down before our eyes, the giant inflatable snow globe, the pirate ship, and the woodland creatures made of bright twinkling lights – the owl and baby deer among Jemma’s favourites.
Overall the event is well-organised, but we did feel it fell short on having people available to help or to get information from. A few more elves dotted around the trail who can direct you to the toilets or let you know where to meet Father Christmas would have been very helpful.
In the end we never found the illusive Portaloo in the forest and had to go back to the entrance to use the facilities, not ideal when you have a young child who leaves it until the last minute to say she needs to go!
We also walked in circles a bit trying to find where we needed to go to see Father Christmas – I thought it was perhaps just us getting disorientated but another couple of families told us they were looking for Santa too.
When we finally found the area where you see Father Christmas we joined the other families waiting for him to arrive. Here, it would be useful to have a sign to let visitors know which times he ‘performs’. Jemma loved seeing Santa and hearing that she was on the ‘nice list’. Though be prepared this is not a Santa ‘meet & greet’ it’s just another one of the performances and was over very quickly.
Jemma loved the singing reindeers and enjoyed pressing the button (a few too many times!) to get them singing festive favourites.
It was a wonderful experience and the fact that you can loop the trail as many times as you want is a bonus, allowing visitors to return to their favourite spots or take in areas they may have missed.
How long is The Magical Woodland Christmas experience on for?
From now until Tuesday, 24 December.
Where is the Magical Woodland Christmas ?
The Magical Woodland, Cheshire Outdoors
Blakemere Village
Sandiway
Cheshire
CW8 2EB
Where can I buy tickets and how much?
For anyone planning a visit, tickets for The Magical Woodland are available at different rates depending on when your visit – the closer to Christmas the higher the price. Standard tickets run until December 8 and range from £13.50 for children and £21.95 for adults. Premium tickets run from 13-24 December and cost £16.50 for children and £24.95 for adults. Family and group tickets are also available for both. Click here to book tickets.
FAQ and things to note:
- Parking – For those driving to the event, there is a large car park close to the entrance, and parking is available for £3, which can be bought when booking tickets.
- Outdoor – This is an outdoor event so come dressed for the weather with gloves, hats, coats, and proper footwear.
- Toilet facilities – If you have little kids, make sure they use the toilet facilities when you arrive. The website does say there are Portaloo toilets around the site, but every time we asked while in the forest we were directed back to the entrance.
- Photo opportunities – Bring along a camera as there will be lots of photo opportunities.
- Access and information – The Magical Woodland makes efforts to accommodate all visitors, with accessible paths suitable for prams and wheelchairs, though some areas are steeper or muddier depending on weather conditions.
- Time – If you plan to visit, be aware that you will be given a 1½ hour timeslot from your entry time, so it’s important to arrive on time to make the most of your visit.
- Dogs – Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed at the event due to safety concerns around the lights, loudspeakers, and high-energy environment. The combination of electricity cables and curious pets could pose risks, so it’s best to leave furry companions at home unless they are assistant dogs.
- Strobe effects – Due to the frequency of light flashes and strobes, The Magical Woodland is not suitable people with photosensitivity.
Review by Danielle Booker
You may want to read this:
Review: The Magical Woodland at Halloween at Blakemere Village
Review: Magical Christmas Woodland Adventure at Blakemere Village
A Christmas Carol: The Musical heads to The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays
*We were provided with tickets in return for a blog feature. All opinions are our own. Some photos have been provided to us by Blakemere.
2 comments
What a magical review! The Christmas Woodland at Blakemere Village sounds absolutely enchanting. I love how you described the festive lights, cozy atmosphere, and all the fun activities—it’s clear that this is the perfect place to get into the holiday spirit.
Thank you Amara, we had a fabulous time there as well