Thursday Fun Days – Top Tips!
July 26, 2023
We can’t wait to see you this summer for Thursday Fun Days. To make the most of your day, take a look at our top tips below!
Prebooking is essential
There are still tickets available to visit us for Thursday Fun Days!
We will only be admitting guests with advance zoo bookings on these days so anybody hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite CBeebies characters must book online. We recommend booking in advance to guarantee your tickets; however, if there are still tickets available you can book on the day if you choose!
Download our free app for character appearance times
Our free Marwell Zoo app is crammed full of animal information, a handy map that will show you where the nearest facilities are and all of our animal feeds and character appearance times. Use these to create your own plan that makes the most of the animals and the characters for a fun packed visit.
Picnic blanket
Bring a picnic blanket, to enjoy the character story time sessions in comfort and give everyone the chance to see. We want everyone to be able to be able to enjoy a character appearance so if you’ve already seen one and the park is busy, please explore the rest of the park and give others a chance to get pictures and enjoy the story time session too.
Bring waterproofs / sun hat
The characters will appear on the back lawn of Marwell Hall where there is very little natural shelter. Please bring suncream, hats and waterproofs to cover all eventualities. The British weather is famously unpredictable!
Face painting
Face painting will be available on Marwell Hall driveway for children aged three plus. Pick your favourite design and get into the party spirit before settling down for an action-packed story time with your favourite CBeebies character! There will be a £6 charge for this.
Don’t forget your camera
There will be lots of opportunities to get a snap of your favorite character throughout the day. Characters won’t be able to pose for pictures but will be in a central appearance arena to enable as many people as possible to catch the perfect picture keepsake!
If the back lawn is busy, pop back later
If you miss a character appearance, just come to the next! Each session will be first come first served so arriving a little early is also highly recommended and please remember to give others a chance if the park is very busy. We want everyone to have a great day.
Snacks on the back lawn – pop up shop
We’re opening a special kiosk from the back of Marwell Hall to ensure there are snacks and drinks nearby. If queues are long, you can also grab ice creams drinks and snacks at Snow Leopards Ice Cream Parlour at the bottom of the road at the front of Marwell Hall and there’s a full menu of delicious hot and cold food and drinks at the top of the hill at Café Graze. There is also a snack station with hot and cold drinks nearby at Okapi playground. (The closest toilets are at Okapi playground or opposite Life Among the Trees.)
Sit at the top of the hill if it’s busy
Marwell Hall’s back lawn is blessed with a gentle slope on one side, which means even more people can get a great view of the character appearances without needing to be in the front row. If it’s busy, take advantage of this and find an elevated spot with a view.
