10 Festive Family Activities for Kids in Gloucestershire & Wiltshire
We can’t wait to have a very merry time with all the children at Discover Activity Camps. Until then, we thought we’d share some local events that will get you feeling festive.
1. The Flight Before Christmas at Cotswold Airport
📍Location: Cotswold Airport
Join the elves onboard a Jumbo Jet at Cotswold airport for this immersive Christmas experience. Santa Claus and his team of elves are gearing up for another big Christmas delivery, and they’re asking for your help!
2. A Christmas Carnival of Orchestra
📍Location: St. George’s Bristol
Join Gaspard the friendly fox on his journey as he explores a real classic – Peter and the Wolf. Performed by creator and Classic FM host, Zeb Soanes, and accompanied by the Bristol Ensemble, this is the perfect way to introduce children to a live orchestra through storytelling.
3. An Enchanted Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum
📍Location: Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum have got a mesmerising illuminated trail to explore all the way up until 23 December. There will also be the opportunity to participate in festive activities, and even meet Santa Claus himself amidst the trees.
4. Christmas at STEAM Museum
📍Location: STEAM Museum, Swindon
Step inside a winter wonderland of over 50 Christmas market stalls set amongst STEAM’s award-winning museum displays and iconic GWR locomotives. Santa himself will also deliver a story time and there will be a programme of live performances in the Great Western Hall.
5. Christmas on the Farm
📍Location: Cheltenham
Father Christmas arrives at his Cotswold residence for Christmas on the Farm at the Cotswold Farm Park. Personalised meetings with Santa are available in the grotto, gingerbread workshops are available with Mrs Claus, and the Elves are offering their own Teddy Bear Workshop.
6. Tetbury Festive Market
📍Location: Tetbury Town Centre
Visitors to Tetbury Town Centre on Friday 1 December will be able to enjoy a brass band, carols, plenty of delicious food and drink, a children’s parade, Santa’s grotto and a festive market. The evening will be rounded off with a Christmas lights switch on at 7pm.
7. Painswick Rococo Garden by Night
📍Location: Painswick Rococo Garden
Painswick Rococo Garden features a trail of beautiful willow sculptures, which have been lit up for the festive season for you to enjoy. Fairies, unicorns and dragons will be on display, all illuminated against the backdrop of the eighteenth century garden. The trail will be open on selected dates between 7 December and 6 January.
8. Treasure Island at the Barn Theatre
📍Location: The Barn Theatre, Cirencester
This Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic is brought to life with a festive twist of fun and foot tapping mayhem, including sea shanties galore! From 20 November to the 6 January families can enjoy this Christmas treat at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester.
9. Ice Skating in Bath
10. A Christmas Carol
📍Location: Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Experience the classic tale of A Christmas Carol brought to life on stage at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham.
Discover Activity Camps
📍Location: Westonbirt School, Tetbury
Discover Activity Camps are ready to launch into a Christmas school holiday packed with adventures and fun this December. ‘Tis the season!
Taking place at the beautiful Westonbirt School in Gloucestershire, we’ve got a lineup of creative crafts, a heart racing programme of sports, some very merry cookery sessions, and lots of epic outdoor adventures to get stuck into. And we can’t wait for you to join us!
Discover Activity Camp sessions take place from Monday 18 December until Friday 5 January, 8:00am to 5:30pm, with a delicious lunch provided each day to fuel the fun! Our programmes are designed for age groups 4-7 years old and 8-14 years old. Bookings are flexible and can be made for individual days or full weeks. Discounts are available for bookings of 5 days or more.