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Winter Wonderland at Westport House
November 25, 2017 @ 10:00 am - December 23, 2017 @ 6:30 pm
Winter Wonderland at Westport House is a magical family experience brimming with Christmas cheer that will leave the kids starry-eyed and the whole family believing in fairy-tales!
Escape the wintery weather outside for the warmth of our open fires in this stunning historic house. Soak up the twinkling lights, lush green garlands and tinsel trimmings spilling festively from every corner of Westport House as the little ones enjoy a fun-filled Christmas experience that they are sure to remember forever.
Read on for full details or click on the links below to answer your specific questions. We look forward to welcoming you.
What is the programme of events for Winter Wonderland?
Would you like a personalised letter from Santa?
How much does Winter Wonderland cost?
What is included in my ticket?
How long does the visit last?
Do I need to book in advance?
Opening Days & Times
Bringing a group?
Sensory Santa Day for Families with children with autism or sensory issues
Do you have any more questions about this magical Christmas experience?
* Actual characters may differ on the day of your visit depending on availability.
What is the programme of events for Winter Wonderland?
The guided Winter Wonderland experience will begin with a visit to the amazing LIVE crib situated on the front lawn of Westport House. The Live Crib is in aid of two Westport Churches – Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s Church – who are urgently fundraising for restorative works and any donation will be appreciated.
After visiting the crib, you will make your way inside, into the front hall of Westport House and be greeted by Santa’s Little Helper who will lead your family – along with a small group of other families – through the guided experience.
You will start the journey with story-time by the fireplace of the gorgeous Drawing Room with a very warm welcome from Mrs Claus who will tell the magical Christmas Story of ‘Stumpa’. Your next stop will include festive face-painting to really get you in the Christmas spirit, followed by learning all about the Ginger Bread Man – while decorating your own – in the Long Gallery. To truly emphasise the real spirit of Christmas, be sure to make a wish at the Christmas Wishing Tree, where children can write down their wishes and hang them on a branch of their choosing.
Next, it’s time for the main event! Kids will be wowed with a very special visit to Santa in his magical grotto where he’ll have a chat with all the children, receive the gift of their very own christmas tree sapling and take photos to remember this very special occasion (you may take your own photos or avail of our professional photography service**). Please note that the group size will include no more that 12-15 children.
After meeting Santa, you’ll be captivated by the elves hard at work in the Elves Workshop where you will have the opportunity to make your own yuletide log to take home for the Christmas table!
Following all that excitement, you will be in need of a refreshment! Pop into the Old Kitchen Cafe for a free juice for the kids and a delicious festive drink for the adults where you can also enjoy homemade sweet and savory delights!
Our Train Driver will pick you up from the back door and you’ll hop on board the Westport Train to enjoy magnificent winter time views around the House before you depart.
With so much to do at our Winter Wonderland, you’ll cherish the special memories your family will share of this fun-filled and blissful Christmas-time experience.
“Mrs Claus was outstanding – this whole experiencing was enchanting. The real fire, the story being told so well, the engagement with the children, the delivery of the spirit of Christmas was wonderful to hear.”
Would you like a personalised letter from Santa?
Santa has been very busy this year getting all the presents ready for the lovely boys and girls and is very much looking forward to meeting you all at Westport House during Winter Wonderland 2017.
In fact, Santa is so excited to meet you all again, that he would like to send you a personalised letter before your visit! However, due to his very busy time schedule, your tickets must be booked before the 31st of October 2017, so that the elves will have enough time to get your letter from Santa sent to you before you arrive to Westport House.
To read more about how you can receive your special letter from Santa, Click Here…
How much does Winter Wonderland cost?
- Babies under 1 year old go FREE for their first Christmas with gift included!
- €15 for infants (children under 2 years – a gift is included***)
- €26.50 for children (aged 2 years and up – a gift is included ***)
- €12 for adults (aged 16 years and up)
** A professional photo service will be available in Santa’s Grotto to capture your little ones’ special Santa experience – this is not included in your admission price. Professionally printed shots can be purchased from €10 each. You’re welcome to take your own family photos too at no cost.
*** Featured gift for Winter Wonderland 2017 is a Christmas Tree Sapling, which will resonate with the children when they hear the story of ‘Stumpa’ during the Mrs. Claus story-time.
What is included in my ticket?
-
Live crib on the front lawn of Westport House
- Guided Experience through Winter Wonderland
- Story-time with Mrs Claus
- Face painting
- Decorate your own Gingerbread Man
- Christmas Wish Tree
- Meet Santa & receive a very special gift of a Christmas Tree Sapling (Their very own Stumpa!)
- Free juice for kiddies and festive drink for the adults
- Make your own Yuletide Log to take home for the Christmas table.
- Short ride on the Westport Train
How long does the visit last?
Your group visit will last 2 hours – this includes your 30 minute visit with Santa in his grotto.You might like to allow a little more time if you decide to have lunch or a snack in the Old Kitchen Cafe before you leave the house to take the Westport Train.
The experience is a guided tour for families – with no more than 12 – 15 children per group – through all activities, so you’ll have a guide elf who will take you to each activity. This means that all families will get to experience each of the activities and it will keep queuing to a minimum. After all, queuing with excited little ones is not ideal!
To keep to Santa’s busy schedule, we ask all of our guests to plan to be at the Reception of Westport House (inside the front door of the house itself) at least 15 minutes before your booked start time.
Allow yourself up to 15 minute walk time as parking in front of the house will be on a first come first served basis. All other parking will be situated in our other car parks onsite. If you arrive after your booked start time, you will join your booked group at whatever stage your pre-booked group is in as, for capacity reasons, it is not possible to join in with other groups.
Please note that buggies are not permitted within the house due to to the original parquet flooring. There will be a number of baby carriers available, however these will go quickly, so we highly recommend families to being their own. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Do I need to book in advance?
YES! We are sorry to appear “shouty” but this one is important.
- Due to the popularity of the event and the limited number of children that Santa can see in any one day, pre-booking online is ESSENTIAL to avoid disappointment. Certain days – and times of day – are very popular and will book out.
- Bookings close at 3pm on the day before your visit to allow Santa enough time to gather all the information he needs to make sure its a super special visit for each child.
- If you haven’t pre-booked your visit by then, you are very welcome to drop in and we’ll be delighted to welcome you if Santa can see you. However, to avoid disappointment for the little ones, we highly recommend you call us on +353(0)98 27766 before you travel, to check availability.
It’s important to highlight at this point that we absolutely cannot reschedule visits or issue refunds for missed or cancelled visits so please check and double-check your preferred date and time before you book.
Opening Days & Times
Please pre-book your visit to experience the magic of Christmas at our fairy-tale winter wonderland on the following days and times.
- Saturday, November 25th with visits every 15 minutes starting from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.15pm (finishing at 8.30pm)
- Sunday, November 26th with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.15pm (finishing at 8.30pm)
- Friday, December 1st – with visits every 15 minutes from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.15pm (finishing at 8.30pm)
- Saturday, December 2nd with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.15pm (finishing at 8.30pm)
- Sunday, December 3rd with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.15pm (finishing at 8.30pm)
- Thursday, December 7th – Sensory Santa Day for families with children with autism with visits every 10 minutes per family, from 3pm with the last visit with Santa starting at 8pm.
- Friday, December 8th with visits every 15 minutes starting from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Saturday, December 9th with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Sunday, December 10th with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Friday, December 15th with visits every 15 minutes starting from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Saturday, December 16th with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Sunday, December 17th with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Monday, December 18th with visits every 15 minutes from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Tuesday, December 19th with visits every 15 minutes from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Wednesday, December 20th with visits every 15 minutes from 2pm with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Thursday, December 21st with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Friday, December 22nd with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
- Saturday, December 23rd – with visits every 15 minutes from 10am with the last visit starting at 6.30pm (finishing at 8.45pm)
Please visit our booking engine to check availability on your preferred date.
Bringing a group?
We welcome Corporate, School and Group Visits to Winter Wonderland – please contact us on info@westporthouse.ie or call +3539827766 to discuss your group’s visit.
“We thought the whole experience was excellent. We will be coming again next year. Santa Claus & the elves were really friendly and the children loved it.”
Sensory Santa Day for Families with children with autism or sensory issues
Our Sensory Santa day takes place on Thursday December 7th from 3pm to 8pm for families with children with autism or sensory issues. Read on for details about this magical session.
Do you have any more questions about this magical Christmas experience?
Please get in touch with our Elves today on +353(0)98 27766 or email us on info@westporthouse.ie.
And if you’re ready to book yourselves in to visit us, please click on the button below.