Christmas at Marwell
Christmas at Marwell – Make Magical Festive Memories with Family and Friends
This Christmas, discover a whole new festive adventure at Marwell.
Experience Fire & Ice – our spectacular new immersive evening where fire blazes, ice shimmers and nature’s winter stories come to life. Alongside seasonal activities across the zoo and magical moments with Santa in his grotto, there’s more to enjoy than ever before.
Whether you join us for the day, the evening or both, prepare to play, feast and explore your way through an unforgettable Christmas at Marwell.
Build your perfect visit:
Daytime Zoo Visit (10am – 4pm)
A relaxed winter day exploring the zoo with festive activities.
Fire & Ice Evening (4pm – 7.30pm)
An immersive after-dark experience with live performances, fire, ice and illuminations.
Add Santa’s Grotto
A magical 45 minute journey featuring a personal Santa experience for your family.
Christmas at Marwell runs from 20 November until 31 December 2026, with selected activities on selected dates.
Fire & Ice
4pm – 7.30pm
As darkness falls, Fire & Ice transforms the park into an atmospheric festive experience filled with illuminations, interactive play, fire effects, seasonal entertainment and more…
Inspired by how animals survive and adapt through winter, from icy habitats to hibernation, Fire & Ice combines spectacle, storytelling and conservation into one unforgettable festive evening.
Highlights include:
- Fire performers
- Fire dragon
- Interactive Floor is Lava installation
- Illuminated ice maze
- Snowball fight zone
- Marshmallow toasting over firepit flames
Santa’s Grotto in Marwell Hall
Embark on a magical 45 minute journey through Santa’s Grotto at Marwell Hall.
Begin in the Frozen Forest, where the Head Elf will guide you through your festive experience…
- Settle down for magical storytelling in the Nordic Forest
- Make your own wish jar or wish star in the Wish Room
- Each family will enjoy a personal family visit with Santa, with every child receiving a gift (worth £14.95).
Christmas Market & Roaming Performers: Peak Dates
On peak dates when our Fire & Ice evening is running, even more festive experiences are included in your visit:
- Christmas Market (11am – 6.45pm): Explore a cosy Christmas Market outside Marwell Hall, with food, drink and market stalls.
- Roaming Performers (10am – 3pm): Meet the Ice Enchantress and Fire Wizard as they roam the zoo (daytime ticket holders only)
*Peak dates are Friday – Sundays, Thursday 10 Dec & Thursday 17 Dec (Quiet Sessions), and school holidays (Mon 21 – Wed 30 December, excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day)
Quiet Sessions
On Thursday 10 December and Thursday 17 December, our Christmas experience will quieten down for those of our guests who prefer a calmer environment.
- Lower music volume
- Reduced visitor numbers
- Light displays will change to a slow fade or static display
- Santa’s Grotto will have low-level sound and sensory lighting
Member Tickets & Discounts
Marwell members receive free daytime entry to the zoo from 10am – 4pm, including the daytime Fire & Ice activities. To help us manage visitor numbers, please pre-book your entry.
Explorer and Premium Members receive discounted tickets for Santa’s Grotto and the Fire & Ice evening experience. Simply enter your membership number at the checkout. Please make sure you bring your valid Explorer or Premium membership on the day of your visit.
Group & Corporate Visits
We’re pleased to offer a discount for groups of 20+ (Fire & Ice and daytime Zoo visits only). Please contact us on events@marwell.org.uk for details and pricing.
We’re also pleased to offer corporate bookings for our Christmas Party Nights, which include evening entry to Fire & Ice, as well as a festive meal, silent disco and more.
FAQs
Christmas at Marwell runs from 20 November until 31 December 2026, with different activities available on each day:
Zoo, Fire & Ice and Santa available:
- Friday 20 November – Sunday 22 November 10am – 7.30pm
- Friday 28th November- Sunday 30th November 10am – 7.30pm
- Friday 5th December – Sunday 7th December 10am – 7.30pm
- Thursday 10th December 10am – 7.30pm (Quiet Session)
- Friday 11th December – Sunday 13th December 10am – 7.30pm
- Thursday 17th December 10am – 7.30pm (Quiet Session)
- Friday 18th December – Wednesday 24th December 10am – 7.30pm
Zoo and Fire & Ice available:
- Sunday 27th December – Wednesday 30th December 10am – 7.30pm
Daytime Zoo Visit available:
- Monday 23rd November – Thursday 27th November 10am – 4.00pm
- Monday 1st December- Thursday 4th December 10am – 4.00pm
- Monday 8th December – Wednesday 9th December 10am – 4.00pm
- Monday 14th December – Wednesday 16th December 10am – 4.00pm
- Thursday 31st December 10am – 4.00pm
We expect our Christmas at Marwell event to be very popular, so we highly recommend booking online to guarantee your entry.
We’ll be happy to accept walk-ups on the day, subject to availability. Please be aware that our Santa’s grotto experience is likely to sell out in advance.
The grotto experience must be booked with either a Zoo day ticket or a Fire & Ice evening ticket. We don’t offer Grotto tickets on their own.
No, complimentary tickets and third party tickets will not be valid.
Only prebooked tickets on our website are valid for these special event days.
The tickets below are NOT valid: Complimentary tickets, raffle prize tickets, adoption tickets, school tickets, home education tickets, gift tickets, tickets purchased through a third party (agent tickets), advanced group tickets, reciprocal zoo visits and standard zoo staff family & friends tickets.
Once Fire & Ice begins in the evening, our animals will be settling down to rest, so if you’d like to visit the zoo and see our animals, please make sure you buy a ticket that includes daytime entry to Marwell.
Our ‘Daytime at Marwell’ tickets include entry to the zoo from 10am – 4pm. Please note that our animal houses, animal areas and adventure playgrounds will close from 3pm. To make the most of seeing our animals, we suggest arriving no later than 12pm.
On dates when the Fire & Ice evening is running (Friday-Sunday, Quiet Sessions and school holidays) , the back loop of the zoo will close from 3pm, and we’ll ask evening guests to move towards the front section of the park to enjoy Fire & Ice.
If you have a Zoo ticket, you’re welcome to arrive from 10am.
If you have a Fire & Ice ticket, entry is from 4pm. We recommend allowing at least an hour and a half to enjoy the evening. Last entry is 6pm.
From 3pm, animal houses, adventure playgrounds and the back loop of the zoo will start to close while we get Fire & Ice ready to light up for you, but the front half of the zoo will remain open.
You’ll also be able to toast marshmallows on our firepits, explore the Christmas Market and festive food on the hall drive, or enjoy a meal at Café Graze or Keeper’s Kitchen. You can also pop to the gift shop to pick up some gifts for Christmas or some light up Fire & Ice goodies.
If you’ve booked a ticket that includes the Fire & Ice evening, you’ll be issued with a wristband so we can identify that you have a valid ticket. We ask that all wristbands are returned to our admission team when you leave Fire & Ice.
You’re welcome to re-enter and repeat the Fire & Ice event as many times as you fancy during the evening. Last entry into the event route is 6.00pm.
When darkness falls and the Fire & Ice evening begins, we ask guests to follow the carefully planned clockwise route around the front loop of the zoo . This allows you to enjoy all the magic without the glare. Please stick to this route for your safety and to ensure the wellbeing of our animals.
The event will go on, even in the rain, so wrap up warm and bring your waterproofs! We’ll make sure you still have a wonderful time, no matter what the British weather throws at us. Our undercover picnic lodges will be open.
Please be aware that LED lights are used for this event. Throughout the trail there will be music, lights and special effects that may not be suitable for some people if you are vulnerable to photosensitivity or photo-epilepsy. Please contact events@marwell.org.uk for individual guidance.
We kindly ask guests not to bring lights into the event, including using the torch on your mobile phone. The lights and colours we are using for Fire & Ice, including products for sale in our retail outlets, have been specifically designed to ensure the safety, comfort and welfare of our animals.
The more, the merrier! Don’t forget to share them with us on social media using #ChristmasAtMarwell
If your ticket includes daytime zoo entry, you’re welcome to upgrade your event ticket to annual membership and we’ll deduct the cost of your zoo entry from your annual membership cost (please note we will refund the cost of the zoo entry only. This excludes any Grotto or Fire & Ice elements you have purchased.)
You can see the T&Cs on our Terms & Conditions page.
