Are you ready for a truly enchanting journey to the North Pole? Step into the magic of Christmas with an extraordinary adventure that promises joy, wonder, and memories to last a lifetime. The Farm have gone to town with their immersive experience which is like nothing else we have ever been to.
The entire experience will take between 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s like a cross between an escape room and an immersive theatre event, and the reward for completing the challenges is finally getting to meet Father Christmas. Arlo at aged six found this whole thing really engaging. He was confidently interacting with everyone we encountered and getting more and more excited with every task.
We found everything well paced, with about ten minutes in each different activity space which was just enough time to complete challenges. The team communicated via radios with each other so each group was able to transition smoothly between spaces and not overlap or cause any accidental previews of the next rooms. I was actually pleasantly surprised with just how much was going on and how well put together the entire staging of the event was.
Read ahead for detailed spoilers of every room, although I suspect the order might be a little muddled up here as there was just so much going on – I did start to take notes for the blog but then I joined in and got lost in the enchantment!
My one piece of advice would be to manage children’s expectations. Some children in our group were really excited about meeting Father Christmas and kept asking when that would happen. I think the length of all the activities combined was a long time for little ones and some might need a little bit of encouragement to join in and play with the elves.
I didn’t tell Arlo anything about the plans and with his short attention span and enthusiastic nature he was just excited about what was coming as the next door opened and confident to greet all of the different people we met along the journey. He immersed himself totally and as a result had a really engaging experience so I would say at six years old that’s the perfect age for a visit.
Unveiling the Experience
Your child is in for a treat as they receive a personalised ticket from none other than Father Christmas himself, collected on the day of this whimsical journey as you enter the farm.
Just before your time slot, join the queue at the entrance to the experience. Small groups enter about a dozen at a time and you share the entire experience together so bear this in mind when booking, if you want to go with family and friends make sure you all choose the same time slot.
- Check-in and Collect Your Passport and Elf Coins: Begin your adventure by checking in and collecting your special passport and Elf Coins. This little exchange was a treat, the coins are little wooden discs and they had a step so children could engage with the first elf themselves.
- Journey through the Magical Portal: after getting our coins we joined a little waiting room with a model train buzzing around overhead. Arlo was trying to peek through the gap in the next door, eager to find out what was ahead. Inside a waiting room an elf greeted us at what appeared to be a train station. W head to help choose the right door, and eventually head through a Magical Portal and be transported to the North Pole.
- Explore the Victorian High Street and Sweet Shop: We entered a small corridor which had us surrounded by frost covered trees, before being let out in to a wonderful set. Immerse yourself in the charm of a Victorian High Street and indulge your sweet tooth at the magical Sweet Shop “humbugs” – it is here we exchanged our first coin for a bag of sweets. We also found the pub which was serving hot chocolate, squash or mulled wine for the grownups, in exchange for our other coins.
- Help the Elves in the Post Office: In here we joined the Elves in sorting parcels at the post office, a crucial task to ensure everything is ready for Christmas. The children were rushing around trying to match shapes and fix the big machine to help out our elf who had managed to break everything
- Keep the Elves on Time: Ring the bells to keep the Elves on schedule and maintain the magic of Christmas. This little room was hilarious because one of the bells had a toilet flushing sound and a naughty elf had us all giggling as they stitched up one of the adults.
- Meet the Talking Polar Bear: Encounter a talking Polar Bear under the captivating Northern Lights. This animatronic bear had a message for every child, which had them all sitting up with eyes wide open. We sat inside a room which felt like an igloo with rainbow colours imitating the northern lights which was a nice little rest before another challenge.
- Fix the Toy Machine: Become a hero as you fix the toy machine and play a vital role in saving Christmas – one of the elves had got all the cogs of the machine mixed up. Another really simple shape sorting challenge but on a 3D scale.
- Sing Festive Songs with Silvermist the Reindeer: Join Silvermist the reindeer in a joyous rendition of festive songs. Another animatronic installation was hidden behind a curtain, and he was only revealed once we had managed to sort all of the musical notes in to the right order. This was a large 3D puzzle and had the entire group working hard to make sure we got it right.
- Decorate Gingerbread with Mother Christmas: Get creative and decorate delicious gingerbread with Mother Christmas herself. The biscuits, sweets and icing were laid out on beautiful tree stumps and all of the children worked really hard to make their treats. There was allergen information available here and grownups got to take a turn too.
- Special Meeting with Father Christmas: The highlight of your adventure – enjoy a special meeting with the one and only Father Christmas. This was really well organised as there were several different doors at this section so family groups split up to have a personal meet and greet. I suspect they had more than one man in red which made the process streamlined and meant that there was minimal queuing time.
- Choose a Gift from the Present Room: Conclude your journey by selecting a special gift of your choosing from the Present Room – with lots of cuddly toys and different options.
Practical Details
- Duration: The experience lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. It would be difficult to leave and re enter so make sure you use the toilet facilities first.
- Included: All tickets include entrance to the National Forest Adventure Farm. We had fun in the barn feeding animals and wandering around the different play areas before our visit.
- Entry Times: Entry times vary based on your booked North Pole Adventure slot, so plan accordingly.
- Additional Activities: If your visit falls on a Saturday or Sunday, enjoy activities at the Adventure Farm from 9 am to 6:45 pm (2 pm on December 24th).
Important Information
- Accessibility: No pushchairs in the experience; maximum of 2 standard-sized wheelchairs per session.
- Tickets vary in price – standard child £36 and standard adult £25
- Babes in Arms: Infants (0 – 11 months) are FREE but without activities or presents.
- Autism-Friendly Sessions: Smaller groups and sensory-friendly adjustments for an inclusive experience.
Booking and Contact
For any queries or to book your magical adventure, contact the National Forest Adventure Farm at 01283 533 933 or email info@adventurefarm.co.uk.