Platinum Christmas Experience
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Old Oak Farm, Rectory Lane, Latchingdon, CM36HB. There is a map at the bottom of this page to help you.
Please Note: Rectory Lane does suffer with potholes, especially in the winter when the rain runs off the fields at the sides, so please take care when driving to us.
The Christmas Experience is mainly inside but you will need to go outside for a short period of time, so we advise you dress according to the weather and to wear flat shoes.
The Platinum Experience will last around 60 – 70 minutes but children will vary so this may be slightly less or longer.
This year we are offering 2 family Christmas Experience. You are reading the FAQ’s for the Platinum Experience.
The Platinium Experience is 60 – 70 minutes approximately
The Gold Experience is 30 – 35 minutes approximately.
Once you are checked in, you will go straight into our improved Elf Workshop to ‘Build a Seasonal Bear’ with Mother Christmas and find out if your children are on the Good List.
You will then enter our magical Winter Wonderland to have a photo in Father Christmas’s Daily Sleigh and then it is in to your very own Winter Wonderland area where you can throw snowballs, build ice towers and take lots of photos.
And then it is in to our Elf Games Area where you can try to knock over The Grinch in our Elf Bowling Alley, find out what is your Elf Name is and play a game of Play Your Cards Right.
It is then time to take a ride on The Santa Express. The train is for children only. Adults can walk beside and take photos and videos of their children entering the magical tunnel. Very young children, or children who need the assistance of an adult will be able to have an adult travel with them.
After the train journey, your children will be taken in to find their personalised Santa Letter. Imagine how excited they will be when he knows all about them and even has their photo on it (this is optional and up to you to decide). Then you will all enjoy a magical elevator ride to The North Pole. Once you all arrive, they will go in for a personalised chat with the Big Man himself.
A visit to our Green Screen room is next, how about having a ride in Santa’s Magical Sleigh from The North Pole back to The PartyKingdom?
And then there is an interactive game the entire family can join in with, followed by another fun game for the children.
Collect a quality present from our Elf Post Office and have a family photo in our Corridor of Light
An experience full of The Party Kingdom Magic.
The 17th November is our Preview Date. All booking slots on this date are reduced by £20. Anyone who books this date should be aware that things may not be 100%, and will therefore not ask for any refund. We will ask for constructive feedback at the end of each timeslot to make improvements before we open for our 2024 season which can be done in person or via [email protected]. It is a great chance to try out our Gold and Platinum Christmas Event at a greatly reduced price.
The 21st, 22nd and 23rd are premium dates and carry a surcharge of £30.00 per booking.
We are offering 2 Family Christmas Experiences this year. You are reading the FAQ’s for the Platinum Experience. We are also running a shorter, Gold Experience.
This year’s event is set up so that you journey through our magical kingdom with your booking group. It is a one way system. There may be some sections where you will see one, or more other booking groups.
You will pass into various sections seeing our fantastic character,s all helping to build on the excitement and magic of Christmas. We have introduced new interactive things to do.
Government guidelines may change, and if they do, we will update our Facebook page and website with all the relevant information that you will need.
We accept cash, and card on site.
Bookings for our Christmas Experience are only taken on our secure website.
We have hard standing parking on site, but it is limited so please try and attend the Experience in as few as cars as possible. Each booking has one car space allocated, you can purchase additional car parking spaces during checkout if they are required.
We do advise that you wear suitable footwear especially if it has been raining, our car park does have puddles!
Transport Elves will help you park, we have to get as many cars in as possible, so please try and park as close as you can.
Please do not arrive any more than 20 minutes before your time slot.
This event is inclusive for all. As you will proceed through The Party Kingdom our fantastic characters will adapt to your individual children.
The area is mainly on one level, and there are ramps in certain areas for wheelchair users. Please mention to a Transport Elf in the car park that you have a wheelchair and they will get you to a suitable parking slot.
Please Note: We are unable to get a wheelchair on to Santa’s Train.
There is not a specific date for SEND children this year. Please email [email protected] with proof of being a registered carer or in receipt of a DLA. Please give us the details of your very own superhero and we may be able to issue you a discounted coupon code (subject to availability). We do not offer a Carer’s ticket for any adult visitors.
Please let us know if you are booking the Gold or Platinum Experience.
If you are worried about any queues forming we suggest that you book your timeslot between 9am – 9.30am or 2pm – 2.30pm for weekends and 4.15pm – 5.45pm after school sessions.
This event is completely inclusive for all children and adults.
During your magical journey with us, you will be mainly in your own family group. Our elves are able to adapt to make sure that all of our visitors have the best possible experience with us.
This event is inclusive for all. As you will proceed through The Party Kingdom our fantastic characters will adapt to your individual children.
There is not a specific date for SEND children this year. Please email [email protected] with proof of being a registered carer or in receipt of a DLA. Please give us the details of your very own superhero and we may be able to issue you a discounted coupon code (subject to availability). We do not offer a Carer’s ticket for any adult visitors.
If you are worried about any queues forming we suggest that you book your timeslot between 9am – 9.30am or 2pm – 2.30pm for weekends and 4.15pm – 5.45pm after school sessions.
Please let us know if you are booking the Gold or Platinum Experience.
We are not holding a specific SEND day this year to give people the opportunity of visiting us at their convenience.
There is not a specific date for SEND children this year. Please email [email protected] with proof of being a registered carer or in receipt of a DLA. Please give us the details of your very own superhero and we may be able to issue you a discounted coupon code (subject to availability). We do not offer a Carer’s ticket for any adult visitors.
If you are worried about any queues forming we suggest that you book your timeslot between 9am – 9.30am or 2pm – 2.30pm for weekends and 4.15pm – 5.45pm after school sessions.
Please let us know if you are booking the Gold or Platinum Experience.
There is not a specific date for SEND children this year. Please email [email protected] with proof of being a registered carer or in receipt of a DLA. Please give us the details of your very own superhero and we may be able to issue you a discounted coupon code (subject to availability). We do not offer a Carer’s ticket for any adult visitors.
Please let us know if you are booking the Gold or Platinum Experience.
If you are worried about any queues forming we suggest that you book your timeslot between 9am – 9.30am or 2pm – 2.30pm for weekends and 4.15pm – 5.45pm after school sessions.
Your child will take home their arts and crafts, this year it is a premium Build a Bear Character and also a present from the Elf Workshop. They will also have their personalised Santa letter to take home and cherish.
We suggest that you bring a bag with you to carry their items.
This year, in a way to try and reduce our carbon footprint, we are allowing each child to choose their own present. This present will not be wrapped. Your child will be able to see the various presents that are available and with your help, choose the most appropriate one.
The Party Kingdom will offer a full range of presents and whatever you chose is entirely up to you. The Party Kingdom are not responsible if the present chosen is not appropriate.
Please ask the elves in The Elf Post Office if you do not think any of the presents shown are suitable. We have lots of various presents for all ages and alternatives can be shown to you.
Father Christmas cannot wait to chat to your little ones in his wonderful grotto. All the people on your booking will go in to see Father Christmas together.
Ifyou want to split into 2 or more groups, you will need to make more bookings. Please note: To enable your children to have the best possible experience, there is a maximum of 6 people in the grotto at any one time.
If you have a family group that is larger than 6, you can book an adjacent timeslot and you can all go around together as long as you understand that you may be a bit tight for space in certain areas of our Experience. Please link both bookings together during the checkout process.
Please make sure that we have your child’s name down correctly (for unusual names, please make sure you put it down phonetically as well, so Father Christmas knows how to say it)
Father Christmas will make your chat as personal as possible. About 12 weeks prior to your visit we will ask you for some personal information that we will use during the Experience.
We cannot guarantee what Father Christmas will say to your children.
We are sorry but it is not possible for us to arrange for Santa to give something personal to your children whilst visiting him in his grotto.
It is a fact that many children are starting not to believe at a much earlier age. Although this is a shame, The Party Kingdom have adapted this year’s event. Even children who are on the cusp of believing, and even non believers will have a brilliant time. We have added interactive areas that will really encourage the older ‘ too cool for Santa’ kids, and the younger ones to become fully immersed in the Christmas Experience.
We have unisex toilet facilities all through the Christmas experience. We also have a disabled toilet.
We recommend that your family uses the toilet facilities near the entrance before commencing on your magical journey. Although we do have toilet facilities in the experience, the nearest one may be 10 minutes away from the section that you are in. Please ask your elf if you need to use the facilities and they will advise you where the nearest toilet is.
Some toilets will also have baby change facilities and we have a baby feeding room in the first barn. Just ask your elf and they will help you as best they can.
Adult tickets can be purchased for children aged 13 and over, as long as they are on a booking that includes at least 1 full paying child and 1 adult over the age of 18.
The 13 year + child would not receive a present. If they do require a present and to join in the full experience, a child’s ticket will need to be purchased.
Each booking requires one full paying child.
Only full paying children’s names will be shown on the interactive Good List. It is presumed that all babies start on the Good List so no need for them to be shown.
We work very hard to keep any queues to a minimum, but queues may form at certain busy times, we ask you for your patience with the understanding that we are doing everything we can to mitigate any queue.
Transport elves may ask you to wait in your car when you arrive to control any queue. It is our priority to help you have the best Christmas Experience with us.
If you are worried about any queues forming we suggest that you book your timeslot between 9am – 9.45am or 2pm – 2.45pm for weekends and 4.15pm – 5.00pm after school sessions.
If you are bringing a baby (of any age) to the Experience with no other children, you will need to pay for a child ticket.
A baby up to 14 months can go free of charge (if accompanying a full paying child on the same booking) but the baby will not get a present or arts and crafts. Please advise us in the note section of the checkout.
If you would like the baby to get a lovely present from The Elf Post Office then please purchase a Baby Ticket.
A baby ticket is for babies up to 14 months old. A child 15 months and over will require a child ticket.
Please note: Buggies are welcome but we ask you not to attend with a wide double buggy as we have some width restrictions in some areas. Our doorways are only as wide as a standard wheelchair.
This year we are changing the Santa Letter.
This year the children will receive a personalised letter from Father Christmas himself. They will find it just before they go in to see him in his fabulous Grotto.
During the checkout process we will be asking for basic information regarding each child that you are bringing. around 12 weeks prior to your visit to us you will receive an email. This email will ask you to complete some information about the children to make each sentence personal to them. You also have the (optional) chance to upload a head and shoulder photo of each child.
The photo and some of the information you have given us, will be visible on their personalised Santa Letter.
Please Note: These letters will be on public view in the Elf Post Room.
The rest of the information you have given us will be sent through to the Grotto for Santa to know. You are unable to choose what information is used on the letter and what is sent to Santa.
There is no need to bring your Santa letter to the Experience this year.
During the checkout we are giving our guests the option to purchase a Premium Elf Pack. This will add to your children’s excitement. These Premium Elf Packs can be purchased even if you are not attending The Party Kingdom Christmas Experience.
Each pack includes 1 of each item unless shown. You will also be able to purchase some additional items if you would like more.
Each pack will contain:
Personalised Nice List Certificate per child
Congratulations certificate
A letter from Santa
Minimum of 10 elf letters that you can hand out during the run up to Christmas
Grow your own Christmas tree kit (1 per pack)
Mother Christmas’s Exclusive Recipe ( 1 per pack)
Spot the difference (1 copy per child)
Seasonal Word Search (1 per pack)
Plus a little something that will ‘prove’ that Santa has been to your house on Christmas Eve.
You will also get a fully personalised Golden Ticket inviting your children to see Father Christmas. This will have all the children’s names on your booking.
We will send the Premium Elf Packs out so you will receive them in plenty of time
The Booking Guarantee, Premium Elf Pack and USB Package are pre-selected. You can untick the boxes on the next page and they will come off your booking total.
This year we have included a Booking Guarantee. This means that up to 72 hours prior to your booking, you can make 1 change to the booking details or even a full refund for your tickets. This does not include any extra add ons or the price paid for Booking Guarantee.
We are unable to refund a partial booking even with the Booking Guarantee.
If possible we will endeavour to change the date of your booking, but this is only subject to availability.
Subsequent changes will incur a £12.50 administration fee.
All changes must be made by completing a Booking Change Request with a minimum of 72 hours notice before your time slot with us.
We have a maxium number of people per booking (6 people).
If your total number of people is less than this, please complete the forms below and we may be able to add extra visitors on, but we cannot guarantee it. Any additional changes need to be made prior to 72 hours notice of your time slot and will incur an adminstration charge of £6.50 per addition.
If you want to go around with another group, you will need to book adjacent booking slots. You will also need to go in to see Father Christmas together as one booking. If you do not want anyone else present during your visit to Santa, you will need to go around the experience individually
We have a maximum of 6 people in the grotto to make sure that your children have the best possible experience. If your two groups are 6 or less, you can go around together. If your combined group is larger than 6 you can still go round together but on the understanding that certain sections may be tight for space.
If you have taken out the Booking Guarantee, you are able to make 1 change to your booking – any changes must be made prior to 72 hours of your visit. Your booking will be refundable up to 72 hours prior to your booking date and time. We are unable to refund a partial booking.
If you have not taken out the Booking Guarantee you will be charged an administration charge of £12.50 for every change made to your booking. All changes will need to be made 72 hours prior to your time slot. You will not get a full, or partial refund for whatever reason.
Any Change Requests need to complete BOOKING CHANGE REQUEST
Tickets are non transferable. If you wish to change the names on your booking, please use the Booking Change Request form – see below.
If you have taken out the Booking Guarantee you are able to make 1 change up to 72 hours prior to your visit. Your booking is also refundable up to this point.
If you have not taken out the Booking Guarantee you will be charged an administration charge of £12.50 for every change made to your booking. All changes will need to be made 72 hours prior to your time slot. You will not get a full or partial refund for whatever reason.
Any Change Requests need to complete BOOKING CHANGE REQUEST
You can update your personal details if you have the Booking Guarantee without charge once. Subsequent changes are charged at £12.50 per change, up to 72 hours prior to your time slot.
If you do not have the Booking Guarantee, you will be charged an administration fee of £12.50 for every change to your booking.
Any changes to your details must be made at least 72 hours prior to your visit to us. Any changes must be made by completing a booking change request
You can take your own photos and videos all the way around the experience, including inside the grotto. We do ask you not to take any videos, or photos with Santa with a light on as it is very distracting for him.
We would love to see your wonderful pictures so please tag us
Twitter – @BestEssexSanta
Facebook – @thepartykingdom
Insta – #thepartykingdomessex
TikTok – @thepartykingdomessex
Youtube- @thepartykingdom
Or you could upload them to a review on our website.
You will be able to purchase photos from the grotto and our photo opportunities that are throughout the Experience.
During the checkout process you will have the opportunity to purchase a USB stick. Official photos are taken in some of the Experiences’s sections plus in Santa’s Grotto. If you decide to add this when you purchase your tickets, you will save a massive £10 from the on the day price. It is very good value for money.
Please Note: there is a variety of photo sections and they may not all be the same each day.
USB sticks can be purchased on the day, you will automatically get all the photos taken by us. When you arrive at check in, you will be given your USB Santa stick. Please take care of it as we will not be able to re-issue another one. Please hand it in to the photo collection area.
Please check any issues with photos on your USB within 48 hours or we may not be able to retrieve your photos.
You can also decide to purchase a hard copy of a particular picture that you love on the day of your visit.
Please review The Party Kingdom Media Policy and opt out if you do not wish for your images to be used by The Party Kingdom
Assistant dogs are permitted in the experience as long as we have had a prior email notification of this 48 hours prior to your visit. No other pets are allowed.
Please arrive no more than 20 minutes before your time slot. Transport elves will help you park. Please make your way to the entrance, with your entire booking group, 5 minutes before your ticket time (unless you are advised differently by a Transport Elf)
You can purchase hot and cold drinks and snacks from our kiosk which is situated at the end of your magical journey with us.
All drink and food, including baby’s bottles must be consumed before you go in to the Winter Wonderland areas.
If the Christmas Experience has to close due to a change in Government guidelines, we will issue you a credit note. This will be for the full price of your tickets and redeemable against our event in 2025.
All adults have to attend the Christmas Experience event with a child due to our Safeguarding Policy.
Why not look at our Adult Christmas Experience, featuring Bad Santa?
There is a bit of photo tech involved with this year’s experience. If it goes wrong on the day and we are unable to load your Purchased Santa USB, or print off your chosen photo, we will take your order number and arrange to get it emailed to you as soon as possible.
You will be required to email in a photo of your family on the event prior to us emailing any images over.
As children do change their minds, we are not asking for personal information during the checkout process. We will be emailing you around 12 weeks prior to your booking time slot.
We are trying to make your visit to see Santa to be as personal as possible.
We will give you some sentences that can be completed to make it relevant to your child. Some of those sentences will be used for your child’s personal Santa letter (you can also upload a head and shoulders picture of them but this is optional) the other sentences will be used to give to Father Christmas so he can chat with your child.
Santa will pick bits of information to make your Santa visit as magical as possible, but we cannot guarantee what Santa actually does say to your child during your visit.
