It’s that time of year again, would it be Christmas without a trip to the Belgrade Theatre? This year we were in for a treat with Cinderella as their theme!
We took our two boys E who is 11, and L who is 8 and as you can imagine they were both so excited about going after enjoying the previous years, it’s not becoming a fun tradition.
Some of you who have followed for years will know that we have a child who is SEN and we normally attend The Belgrade’s “Relax Performances” but this year with him being 11 we thought we would try for the Press Night.
If you are a family with SEN or other disabilities please read a past blog here where we talk about what a relaxed performance is.
I have said it before and I will say it again, every year Iain manages to top the last show, it was truly brilliant from start to finish, super engaging for the children and they absolutely loved it. They have been speaking about it nonstop, singing the songs, and talking about the characters. Liam’s lucky, he gets to go again with his school soon!
Proper belly laughs!
As always there are loads of jokes for the adults, myself and husband enjoyed it just as much as the kids for our reasons.
Now, the set? Transformations were on point with such stunning vibrant backdrops, and amazing elements that were engaging and surprised us adding fun engaging aspects to the show.
This year’s special effects and magic were absolutely amazing, there were a couple of moments where I was like how did that happen? There was one point in the show where they did a tongue twister without saying too much it was… well, amazing!
So, the cast? Absolute gems. Cinderella’s journey from scruffy to fabulous was spot-on, and the wicked stepfamily? Hilarious doesn’t even cut it—these guys had us belly laughing, gasping, and looking at one another “Did they really say that”
We had two dames too which was so fun! Ian Lauchlan plays Flatula & Andy Hockley plays Aroma. We of course had Craig Hollingsworth as Buttons!
The Costumes were so well thought out and absolutely beautiful or outrageously acentric!
And the music? Oh, it was a party. With catchy tunes, and amazing dance moves the boys have been asking to play the songs they heard on repeat. The vocal talent this year was brilliant with excellent choreography!
Cinderella at the Belgrade will leave you feeling all the festive feels, if you get the chance, get tickets ASAP. Trust me; it’s a magical experience for the whole family.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Especially over at Hatton Country world where we were invited down to review there Enchanted Christmas Experience.
From the moment we stepped foot into the kingdom, we were transported to a winter wonderland that felt like something straight out of a fairy-tale. The attention to detail, with pretty twinkling fairy lights, festive decorations and Elves wondering around welcoming the children in full character. I wished we could experience this after dark, it would feel even more magical.
On arrival we were given a passport and map showing us everything they had on offer, from Reindeer food making, to a 3D glowing forest there were lots of exciting things dotted around the kingdom in which the children could collect stamps from along the way.
Everything is free roam on the day apart from your group visit with santa that time you choose when booking your tickets, and Mr Hollys Creation Station Show which runs shows throughout the day. This makes it very easy to be able to pick and choose what you want to do, plan food and drinks breaks when needed.
The park’s main features and themes include:
The Gingerbread factory – Meet Mrs Claus who guides you into the “Factory” where you each get to ice and decorate a gingerbread man. This was a great self-lead activity and a chance to sit down, the kids could either eat it there or take it away. Handy sinks close by for the messy pups like my two.
Wishing tree – Make a wish and hang it on the special Christmas tree.
Reindeer Food Making – Create your own reindeer food to sprinkle out on Christmas eve.
3D glowing forest – A little walk around where you wear special glasses that change the lights to look like a 3D image, make sure to each get a different pair as the theme on the glasses is the 3D image you will see on the lights as you go round. If you each get a different theme you can mix and match.
Mr Hollys Creation Station Show – A funny entertaining family festive magic and puppet show.
North Pole Postal Station – Deliver your letter to Santa
Secret Toy Shop – Choose a toy as a gift from Santa and his Elves.
Lastly of course the MAIN event seeing Santa, this was a lovely group experience where you go and see the big man himself. He talks to the children, and they have a chance to have their photo taken.
There are loads more things to do a see, with some little fairground rides for the children, a big Helter Skelter style slide, trampolines, mini bowling, play parks and lots of animals.
There’s a lovely farm walk you can do, tractor safari, hold guinea pigs in the guinea pig village & reptiles in scales and tales.
Let’s not forget the festive food and drink options there were lots of lovely independents scattered around Hatton selling Pizzas, Burgers, Hot Chocs even marshmallows to toast on the fire. We were kindly gifted all our food and drinks in Hatton’s onsite Restaurant Snortys which is also where the soft play is located.
We tried a selection of their food to be able to give you our thoughts, E had the 8oz cheeseburger and chips he said it was 10/10. L had the chicken cheese burger and chips; the chicken was so delish. Luke opted for something on their festive menu, the Turkey stuffing and cranberry burger which he thoroughly enjoyed and I had a Jacket potato with cheese and beans but got major food envy over L’s Chicken burger. Luke had a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and they boys had 2 milkshakes each and the total came to £40.00 which for a family of 4 all adult meals I think is very reasonable.
What impressed us was the seamless organization of the event baring in mind we came on opening day despite the large number of visitors, the day flowed smoothly, and the staff’s effirt to ensuring everyone had a magical time was lovely to see. The genuine warmth and kindness of the staff added an extra layer of magic to the day.
Hatton Adventure World’s Enchanted Christmas Kingdom exceeded our expectations and provided an exciting experience which left us with all the festive feels. We highly recommend it to anyone looking to create lasting memories and experience the festive fun
I would recommend if you’re planning on visiting Hatton this festive season, please book in advance online to avoid missing out. With their new features to their experience, I know it’s going to be a sell out!
A few key things to note, lots of the activities are indoors but I would recommend wrapping up warm as it got a little chilly at times and we were blessed with great sunny weather mid-November.
Wear wellies or shoes you wouldn’t mind getting muddy as the paths were muddy as to be expected when on a farm.
Accessibility wise, we saw loads of prams being pushed around at ease, but there is a few hills to take into consideration. I would say the place isn’t manual wheel chair friendly unless you have a career to push or an electric with the mud being slippery.
There were lots of toilets around and places to wash hands after activities, but as always I advise you bring hand gel!
There were plenty of benches for you to enjoy your own picnics.
Be sure to check out the independent shops that are at Hatton, there’s lots of cute boutiques, a Christmas shop and Market stalls to explore.
If you’re visiting Hatton please let me know your thoughts and I would love to know what other festive things you have planned this year?
Saff xo
Huge thank you to the Team at Hatton Country world for gifting us the tickets to experience there Enchanted Christmas Kingdom along with the Food and Drink in Snorty’s Restaurant. This was a gifted experience in exchange for content.
Itssaffb 