Celebrate festive fun in Shakespeare Country
Celebrate festive fun in Shakespeare Country with spectacular Christmas lights, carol concerts, festive markets, Christmas tales, craft fairs, candlelit ghost stories, Victorian séances and a Royal Shakespeare Company performance of Arabian Nights. With so much on offer, Shakespeare Country offers all the components for a magical break this Christmas.
Christmas lights provide the perfect backdrop for festive shopping. The lights are switched on in Royal Leamington Spa on Sunday 15 November, in Kenilworth on Friday 20 November and in Stratford on Thursday 26 November. Visit Christmas Markets in Leamington held every Sunday from 22 November – 20 December. The Warwick Victorian Christmas Evening with over 60 craft, charity and festive food stalls with traditional attractions takes place on Thursday 26 November when the Christmas lights are switched on in the town.
During Christmas the Royal Shakespeare Company will be presenting Arabian Nights which runs from 5 December – 30 January at the award winning Courtyard Theatre. The play sees a cast of 18 paint an array of stories and characters in Dominic Cooke’s adaptation of The Arabian Nights.
Enjoy a host of Christmas activities at The Shakespeare Houses. Take a tour of Shakespeare’s Birthplace by candlelight and soak up the festive atmosphere with carols and mulled wine. Open late from 5pm - 8pm on Thursday 17 December – entry is free! Get into the seasonal spirit with carols, music and storytelling at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage on Tuesday 15 December. Celebrate a Tudor style Christmas at Nash’s House with games.
Enjoy ‘Cross and Pyle’, better known today as ‘Heads or Tails’ or if you really dare – a game of forfeits every day at 11.30am & 2.30pm. Children can take part in a Christmas quiz at Halls Croft and explore the history and customs of our Tudor ancestors at Christmas time.
Warwick Castle provides the perfect backdrop for festive celebrations from 12 December - 3 January. With breakfast with Santa, Christmas lunches, storytelling, carol singing, crafts to learn and the Fairy Godmother, it’s a great place to spend the day. Purchase unique and unusual festive gifts and treats at the ‘Crafts at the Castle Craft Fair’ on 28 & 29 November. Kenilworth Castle, one of the largest and most spectacular castle ruins in England, plays host to a number of festive weekends on 28 & 29 November and 5, 6, 12 & 13 December with Christmas tales, craft activities and a fun family trail.
Enjoy heart-warming memories of Christmas for the festive season at Blenheim Palace with “Christmas Nostalgia – Toys, Treats and Treasures” from 14 November - 13 December. The Palace will be decorated with elegant displays including treasured yuletide gifts of antique toys, teddy bears and train sets. ‘Living Crafts for Christmas’ takes place from 20 – 22 November featuring 90 stalls showcasing the best of British produce including jewellery, ceramics, clothing, works of art and festive food. On 6 December the Blenheim Singers will perform excerpts from Handel’s Messiah in the Long Library.
Experience a Tudor Christmas at Compton Verney with carols, period costumes and family activities including the nativity trail. On Saturday 12 December, Antiques Roadshow star Lars Tharp and Compton Verney Director Dr Steven Parissien and ceramics expert will guide visitors through the history of punch and offer a contemporary take on a Christmassy Tudor menu in the marvellous Adam Hall.
Wander around a Victorian Christmas Market and Fayre at Ragley Hall on 28 & 29 November for a variety of craft and gift stalls, festive entertainment including storytelling, Christmas carols and Father Christmas. Experience Ragley by candlelight on 17, 18 & 19 December with a drinks reception, candlelit tour of the house and dinner in the Great Hall accompanied by musical entertainment.
Pick up some unusual gifts at Sulgrave Manor’s Christmas market on 28 November.
On 13 December let costumed presenters transport you back in time to hear about the Yuletide traditions of the past. Join in the fun of wassailing the apple trees to ensure a good crop next year and hear about the Bean Feast and Plough Monday on 27 December from 11am.
Enjoy a winter ramble and festive feast on Saturday 5 December at Hidcote Manor Gardens or make your own winter wreath with a workshop on Friday 11 December. Enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch at Upton House on 2, 9 & 16 December from 12pm - 2pm. Wander around the Upton House Christmas market on 5 & 6 December or visit Father Christmas on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 & 20 December from 12pm - 3pm.
On Wednesday 9 December, the Lord Leycester Hospital plays host to The Mellstock Band providing a unique combination of singing, instrumental music and spoken word, encompassing traditional songs, glees, dances, marches, poems and stories. On Thursday 17 December listen to Passamezzo 'Christmas Music in Shakespeare's England' with carols, ballads, lutesongs, consort music and readings performed in Elizabethan costume, by candlelight. On Wednesday 23 December, Vivo! a talented 4-part a cappella group who can turn their voices to any music or style will perform in the Great Hall.
Attend a performance of A Christmas Carol by the Bridge House Theatre Company in Warwick from 2 – 19 December or a performance of Sleeping Beauty from 23 December – 10 January. The Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at Guy Nelson Hall in Warwick on 6 December with a selection of Christmas carols whilst Warwick School Music will perform carols and readings on 11 December.
Experience a magical Victorian Christmas adventure from Wednesday 11 November at The Creaky Cauldron. Children can write to Santa Claus until 18 December using forms from the magical store. Listen to candlelit ghost stories in the Haunted Parlour every night from 11
November – 6 January or join a special Christmas ghost walk in Stratford every night at 9pm. For the seriously brave, take part in a Christmas Victorian Séance every Friday night or a Ghosts of Christmas Past Ghost Hunt every Saturday. Join a Gothic Séance and learn the secrets of the Victorian spirits hunters at The Falstaff Experience on 5 December or a mini Ghost Hunt on 11 December.
Join the award winning Stratford Town Walk for a festive guided walk on Christmas Day. Discover Stratford’s history and hear stories of fires, floods, plague, ’Christmas wrapped’ with medieval cures and old fashioned sayings or begin the New Year with a walk in Stratford on 1 January 2010.
Meet Santa, his reindeer and the nativity animals as you hear the Christmas story at Hatton Country World on 28 & 29 Nov, 5, 6, 12, 13, 17 - 24 December. There’s a gift for every child plus festive arts and crafts, fun fair rides and children’s shows. Visit the Christmas Craft Fayre on 7 & 8 November for handcrafted ceramics, jewellery, artwork and woodcraft. Sample a host of free tastings from pates, wines, dips and nibbles to cakes and puddings at the Christmas Food Fayre on 14 & 15 November.
Weekend Christmas shopping events take place on 28 & 29 November, 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20 December with live festive entertainment, nativity characters, animals and free mince pies & mulled punch.
Enjoy “A Natural Christmas” lecture and demonstration by Randal Anderson at Whichford Pottery on Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 November. A workshop with Randal will also take place on 5 December. Known for creating high-budget stunning gardens and flamboyant floral decorations, Randal has developed a unique skill of creating fantastic festive decorations using garden detritus which won’t cost a penny. Pick up a bargain at The Whichford Pottery annual sale from 20 November – 6 December. Honeybourne Pottery will be running Christmas workshops and Christmas pottery parties throughout the festive holidays.
The Warwickshire Exhibition Centre hosts the Contemporary Craft Shopping Experience on Sunday 22 November. The large craft and gift fair will showcase high quality independent artists and designers selling unique handcrafted wares. Santa will also be dropping in to see the children with free craft workshops to make your own Christmas crackers and baubles.
For theatre and attraction tickets, accommodation, brochures, special offers and more information visit the official website: shakespeare-country.co.uk
