Yuletide at Tatton park
We had the pleasure of visiting Yuletide at Tatton park on it’s opening weekend in November 2023. Here you’ll find my Yuletide at Tatton park review 2023. It’s a magical winter festival and light trail. Find more Christmas Events North West here.
AD – We were gifted press tickets in exchange for coverage. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
Where is Yuletide held?
Yuletide is being held at Tatton park, a large National Trust property in Cheshire. It is being held in the large and beautiful gardens.
The address is Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN
You will need to enter Tatton park via the Rostherne entrance (use WA16 6SG for sat nav).
Car parking at Yuletide?
There is plenty of car parking at Tatton park and there is no additional charge for Yuletide ticket holders.
What is Yuletide?
Yuletide is a winter festival for families. It includes a light trail but is far more than just another light trail. There is live music and storytelling as well as fire juggling. It’s a celebration of winter folklore and is filled with winter magic.
Yuletide is by the creators of Just so festival, one of our favourite Family festivals North West. It is almost a mini winter festival. There are lanterns and puppets to enchant you and storytelling from Just so favourites, Ian Douglas and Gacko.
It’s worth mentioning that the event and light trail have very little mention of Christmas. The storytellers do mention it from time to time but don’t expect to see father Christmas or anything especially Christmassy.
When is Yuletide on?
Yuletide is on from the 24th November to 23rd December on selected dates (generally Friday – Sunday each weekend).
There is a special winter solstice event on the 22nd December with extra performances, more music and a torchlit procession.
How much are tickets for Yuletide?
Advanced booking is required. Ticket prices are £20 for adults and £12 for children 3 and up. There are booking fees to be added.
The tickets for the Winter solstice event are £25 for adults and £17 for children, again booking fees apply.
Book your tickets here – Yuletide
Our visit to Yuletide
I’m going to start by saying I love Just so festival for families and light trails so I was very exited to visit Yuletide on their opening weekend.
We arrived at 6pm and headed straight to the Yuletide gathering area. We purchased some mini Dutch pancakes and headed straight for the storytelling which is right by the food and drink area. I’ll tell you more about all the food and drink options available further down but all I’ll say now is these Dutch pancakes were delicious and just as good as any we have enjoyed in the Netherlands!
There is no minimum recommended age but we felt it was a great event for families with children who are 10 and under. My children were 7 and 10 years old at the time of our visit. They both really enjoyed the event.
Their favourite bit was the rainbow path and they do love a light tunnel (is it even a light trail without a light tunnel?). They both sat and listened well to the stories too. The storytellers are fantastic at keeping the attention of all ages.
My 7 year old was particularly mesmerised by the lantern puppets on the light trail. My 10 year old loved them too but the younger one was enchanted by them and loved the interactive elements like tickling the goat under the chin and feeding the horse a pretend carrot.
You’ll find the storytelling area right next to the eating area. There is tented roof over some bench seating but be prepared to be cold as you are still very much outdoors on a winter evening.
The live music is in a small marquee and is on regularly throughout the night. There are beautiful lights and lots of space for dancing.
The fire juggling is on for 20 minutes each hour and this is just before and after the trail so you can catch it before or after completing the trail.
The glittering trail is the light trail element of the event. It’s a walk around the gardens and is around 3/4 mile. Along the way there are a number of lanterns/performers which are truly magical. The attention to detail on the lanterns is stunning.
Some of the lanterns and installations are fixed but some (and the most magical in my opinion) are controlled by puppeteers. These skill performers dazzle and delight those of us on the trail.
Some of the puppets like the bears above are silent and others have performers that interact with their audience. Both types are beautiful in their own way. As I mentioned above my 7 year old was particularly enchanted by these magical creaturess.
We really enjoyed our walk around the glittering trail. We did it just once and as the lanterns/puppets are fairly spread out, it didn’t feel too busy on the trail.
You are free to go around the trail more than once if you wish. You can also spend as long as you like in any area of this magical winter event.
You can choose to purchase a keepsake book of the glittering trail which help full explain all the elements of the trail such as the oak king and the holly king and Louhi stole the sun and the moon. The book is available from the box office for £10. We didn’t have the book and we were still able to enjoy the trail. If you do love folklore though, I imagine it will be a beautiful book.
Is Yuletide pram-friendly?
Yes, the flat paths around the trail are perfect for pushchairs and wheelchairs too. Do be prepared for some mud though.
Are dogs allowed at Yuletide?
Only guide dogs and registered disability assistance dogs are allowed on the trail.
How long do you spend at Yuletide?
The trail is around 3/4 mile long and took us about 30 minutes. On our visit we spent almost 2 hours there enjoying the storytelling, music and fire juggling on top of completing the trail. Not to mention the delicious Dutch pancakes.
You choose an entry time when you book for between 3:15 pm and 7:30 pm and then you can stay as long as you like until closing at 9:30pm.
Food and drink at Yuletide
There is a food and drink area at the beginning/end of the trail (it’s a circular trail) in the Yuletide gathering area. Here you’ll find hot drinks, marshmallows, a small bar and a stall selling waffles and Dutch mini pancakes with a wide range of toppings available.
If you want something savory, there are two stalls in the area outside the entrance selling Dutch street food and pizza.
There is a small area for toasting marshmallows and also a seating area right next to the storytelling.
Our top tips for visiting Yuletide
Below you will find our top tips for visiting this magical winter festival.
- You are going to be outdoors for a few hours so do dress for the weather including suitable footwear. The paths are flat but there was some mud in areas as you would expect. I say this for all outdoor trails at this time of year but this is especially important for Yuletide as you will be stood or sat around outside for the storytelling.
- There are no disposable cups at Yuletide so feel free to bring your own cup or flasks for the drinks. They also have a really good set up to make sure as much as possible can be recycled near the food areas.
- The paths are wide and suitable for prams. Expect to walk under a mile. Perfect for little legs.
- There are toilets in the stable yard outside the gardens. You are given a stamp on your hand on arrival so you can enter and leave the gardens as you need to.
- Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for your visit.
- Pick up a free map at the start of the trail as this also includes the times that you can catch performances of fire juggling, live music and the storytelling sessions.
- Storytelling sets last about 90 minutes and then there is a 30 minute break to allow the storytellers to warm up! We listened to the last 30 minutes or so of 2 sets and heard different stories each time.
We loved our visit to Yuletide. It was really magical and something a bit different to other Christmas events.
Book your tickets for 2024 here – Yuletide
Find more Christmas light trails North West here.
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