My family and I love the Eden project – I love their focus on conservation and education, my boys love exploring the biomes, the play areas, spotting their sculptures and the interactive spaces for children. So we were all delighted to be invited to join them for their Christmas celebrations.
It was a cold night as we began our walk down towards the two biomes. Even from the outside we could see that they were lit up spectacularly against the dark, starry, night sky. We entered through the tunnel of lights and inside the biomes, the lights and lasers were even more breath-taking. There were twinkling orbs, sparkling fairy lights and fibreoptic illusions. The rainforest biome was beautifully lit and the rainforest walk in particular felt especially magical as we looked down from the treetops onto the plants below.
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The lights in the Mediterranean biome were just as incredible. Inside we were also treated to live music from a band, DJ and singers who all merged 90’s classics with well-known Christmas tunes. This immersive light and music experience was completely captivating and left all of us feeling very festive.
After exploring the biomes, we headed over to the ice rink to go ice skating. Neither of my boys have been before and my husband and I haven’t been for years but luckily there were penguins for the kids to hold onto, and the rail for us to grab if needed! We all had so much fun skating – my boys really loved it.
After our attempts at ice skating, we all had a well deserved cake and hot chocolate in the café by the ice rink. The café in the Mediterranean biome was also open and both served teas, mulled wine, mulled apple and cold drinks too. They had a lovely selection of traybakes and festive cupcakes which gave us a nice sugar boost before we met Santa and his helpers.
The Father Christmas experience is situated in a tepee. We didn’t know what to expect but we were led into a cosy room decorated to look like Santa’s grotto. All the families sat around the stage and were treated to a really fun half an hour show by Santa and his elves. We learnt about the level one elf exam, were shown how to make sweet dream potions, and heard all about Elfie’s mishaps in the North Pole too. There were lots of jokes and games and it was really interactive for the kids. After the show had finished, each family had a chance to meet Santa and the kids were given their own book and a bar of chocolate.
Afterwards as we walked with our tired but happy boys back up the hill, I asked them what their favourite bit was – they both said ice skating, seeing Santa and the lights in the domes! That sums it up for me, the whole evening was such a beautiful, magical experience it was hard to choose a best bit. We all felt thoroughly entertained and incredibly festive. I would highly recommend Christmas at the Eden project for anyone looking for a family treat this winter.
Please do note that the Ice Skating and Father Christmas experiences have to be booked separately to your entry tickets and the music and lights experience only takes place on specific days. Please do check their website for more information and to book tickets: https://www.edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/christmas-at-the-eden-project
Our tickets were complimentary but all views and opinions are my own.
A mum of two, Naomi Jones is a freelance editor and author of several acclaimed picture books including The Perfect Fit, One More Try, The Odd Fish and How to Catch a Rainbow.
A mum of two, Naomi Jones spent eight years working for Children’s Publishers in London and now works as a freelance writer, editor and children’s publishing professional.