Santa Experience at Willow's Farm

If you are looking for an all-encompassing Christmas experience for the kids, this is definitely one to consider. Although it’s not cheap, there is an incredible amount to see and do that it will keep the little ones happy for hours and will be remembered for years to come.

There are still tickets available for dates in the run up to Christmas so if you haven’t already booked anything and want a special treat for the little ones, head to Hertfordshire’s Willow Activity Farm.

The main event- meeting the Main Man- Santa, Mr Claus, Father Christmas, Mr C, whatever you call him, I guarantee your kids will not be disappointed. The look on kids faces when they meet him is just priceless and here you don’t get a feeling of being rushed through. Our Santa was very patient answering all my son’s questions (all 562 of them!). The lead up to the big meet is also pretty impressive with a number of festive sets to use for photo back drops, perfect that all important Christmas family portrait for the gram!

The create-a-cuddle was a close second in our favourite activities of the day, each kid gets to choose a cuddly toy to ‘make’ and take home, my two boys of course both chose the dinosaur, although there were also teddy bears, unicorns and Peter Rabbit characters to opt for.

The tractor ride was enjoyable for the smaller kids as you play along with instruments whilst listening to Christmassy songs during the ride. For this one I would suggest doing it when it gets dark as then you’ll get to enjoy some of the illuminations from Lumagica (check out my separate review of this).

Other activities we managed to fit in were the gingerbread decorating, where Josh got to interrogate Mrs Claus, a visit to the wonderful post office where kids can write a letter to Santa (you include your address on this so perhaps we might get a reply), a meet and greet with Peter Rabbit and a go on some fairground rides.

There is even a small ‘ice rink’ for kids to have a go on. My kids are not the adventurous ones so gave this a miss but it looked like a really fun thing to do if your kids are braver than mine, which to be honest isn’t hard.

Kids can also get to see a reindeer up close, paint Christmas decorations, watch a short 3D Christmas film as well as enjoy the adventure playground.

Wrap up warm as the site is very open so if there’s any wind it’s pretty cold. There are however lots of places to stock up on food and hot drinks.

My number one tip for this event is to book an early slot so you get as much time there as possible because there is so much to get round. Unfortunately, the queue to meet Santa was so big when we were there at around 3pm, that we queued for nearly an hour and a half which meant we then missed out on other activities. If you don’t manage an early entry, perhaps bring games, snacks and drinks to keep the kids entertained.

Another suggestion is to download the Willows Farm App before you get there as this is where you will find the map as you don’t get a paper version. Once you have the map on your phone you can clearly find where each of the activities take place and can then plan your visit in advance ensuring you make the most of your time there.