Christmas at 4 Kingdoms Adventure Park is always a great event and this year is no exception. We were kindly invited along to The Magical Christmas Adventure yesterday and had the most fantastic evening! The Magical Christmas Adventure is a fully immersive experience lasting approximately 2.5 hours. The first half is a guided experience led along by the elves, followed by a personal visit to Father Christmas. Then you have free time to enjoy the other activities in the village at your own pace.
The Adventure Begins
The adventure starts at check-in where you have family photos taken and then board your space flight to the North Pole. This is probably my favourite addition this year, its brilliant! We flew through deserts, the ocean and other lands to reach the North Pole. It was great fun!
Once we arrived at the North Pole, we strolled along Memory Lane to the Glacier Theatre. In the theatre we enjoyed a show, with some of the Dads taking part as musicians! It’s a great opportunity for parents to get involved in the fun.
Next on our adventure, we had an epic snowball fight! This was utter chaos and so much fun, we had an absolute blast! The kids of course took full advantage of launching as many snowballs as possible at the grown-ups. The elves fully encouraged the mayhem.
After our snowball fight, we wandered through the ice caves until we came to Bartholomew Bear. He is a giant bear belonging to Father Christmas. He was sleeping during our visit but the elf told us all about him and asked the children about their own bears at home.
Our next stop was the ‘Mindcraft Research and Development lab’. Here we met the AI Specialists and learned how they make Christmas lists. The machine malfunctions though and they need a brave hero to help save Christmas…… Cue more involvement for the grown-ups! I love the fact that parents get to be a part of the story. Children think they are true heroes!
On our mission to save Christmas we next met two elves whose shenanigans were hilarious! More chaos and laughter with lots of interactive fun had everyone enthralled. Chip the elf and his friend were fantastically entertaining. And we managed to save Christmas! Woohoo!
Meeting Father Christmas
A quick check to make sure we were on the good list (and a word of advice for those who weren’t!) and we were off to meet Father Christmas. We very much met the REAL Father Christmas, he was amazing! He knew all about us and even our pet dog Willow. He shared photos and memories and told the elf all about my children’s achievements this year, congratulating the children on their hard work and telling them how impressed he was with them. We spent around 15 minutes in Santa’s log cabin chatting with him and it was wonderful. Completely unrushed, personal and really brought the magic to life. We had photos taken with Santa and the children each received a magic key to exchange for a gift. They really know how to do Christmas at 4 Kingdoms and make it the best experience EVER!
After leaving Santa’s log cabin, we headed to the toy shop where the children each chose a gift. There’s a huge variety to choose from and they are really good quality gifts. My older two chose a large Star Wars TY plush each and Baby Bear chose a Dinosaur Hunter pack. We also purchased a souvenir photo which comes in a lovely booklet all about your Magical Christmas Adventure. The printed photo cost £12 and you also get given a code to download your photos at home too. It’s a lovely keepsake of Christmas at 4 Kingdoms.
Exploring Sparkle Copse Village
Gifts chosen, we headed through Sparkle Copse to the village. This is a lovely walk passing reindeers, polar bears, bridges over sparkling rivers, giant candy canes and more. It is all under cover so you don’t need to worry about the weather, but do wrap up warm as it can get a little chilly. When you arrive at the village there are toilets, a snack/drinks shop and tables to have a rest if you need to.
When we arrived at Sparkle Copse Village we headed first to Bartholomew’s Teddy Bear Workshop where the children each got to make their own teddy bear. There are different colour bears to choose from and coloured hearts to put inside your bear. The elves helped us stuff the bears full of special cuddle fluff. They are lovely quality bears to take home with you. Outfits can also be purchased for your bears from the shop inside the workshop.
Crumble’s Cookie Emporium was next in the village. Here we enjoyed decorating our yummy gingerbread biscuits. We had icing, sugar sprinkles and smarties. They tasted delicious and are a decent size. I did feel this ‘shop’ wasn’t as interactive as last year though which was a bit of a shame. There is a ‘Candy shop’ next door where you can purchase hot drinks and snacks to go with your ginger bread man if you want to. This is a good time to pause and have a snack break and soak up the village atmosphere.
In Rudi’s Deli we each mixed up our own reindeer food to take home. The food is suitable to put out in your garden on Christmas Eve night for the reindeer to enjoy when they come to visit. By this point, it’s worth having a bag with you to put the gifts, teddy bears and reindeer food in!
Lastly, before leaving the village we visited Mrs Claus. She had a chat with the children and posed for photos. Then she gave them all a little pack of Love Heart sweets each for the journey home.
The Journey Home
When you leave Sparkle Copse Village, head through the woods to catch the North Pole Express train home. This is a lovely ending to your Magical Christmas Adventure. When you get back from the North Pole, the soft play and cafe is open. There is a good choice of food and it’s worth extending the fun with a meal and a play before you leave. You can always do this before your adventure begins if you have a later slot booked. Personally I love a late afternoon slot when its just got dark. The fairy lights and darkness add to the magic.
The Verdict
We had the most wonderful time on our Magical Christmas Adventure. I don’t think you can beat Christmas at 4 Kingdoms Adventure Park, it’s such a wonderful immersive experience! Father Christmas is very much the real deal and it’s a truly memorable experience for the whole family. It isn’t cheap, but there is so much included. We spent 3 hours there in total and absolutely loved it. Personally I think it’s worth it. Prices increase the closer you get to Christmas so get your tickets booked!
Facilities Checklist
- Toilets / Disabled Toilet Yes
- Pushchair / Wheelchair Friendly Yes
- Dog Friendly No
- Refreshments available Yes
- Car Park Yes, free parking
- Gift Shop Yes
- Baby facilities Yes
Address: Newbury Road, Headley, Thatcham RG19 8JY
Price Band: £££
Website: https://themagicalchristmasadventure.co.uk/
Disclaimer: We were gifted free tickets to the Magical Christmas Adventure at 4 Kingdoms for the purpose of this review. All words, photos and opinions are that of my own.
