FESTIVE EVENTS

christmas carols sung by a choir in a boat

Want to enjoy a truly magical and quintessentially Cantabrigian festive experience? Head to the river on 9 December to see The Traditional Punting Company’s annual Charity Christmas event, a collaboration with the choir from St. John the Evangelist that will raise money for Tom’s Trust, a charity for children with brain tumours. You can watch from the river bank and donate online or book tickets on an hour-long punt and glide down the river serenaded by the incredible choir singing Christmas carols.

The Traditional Punting Company is also running a Christmas Punt and Hunt for children from 2 – 31 December. This unique scavenger hunt has two stages – a mesmerising punting journey along the River Cam, where you’ll unravel Christmas mysteries, followed by a city exploration on foot, tracing festive clues and discoveries. A festive prize awaits at Hardy’s Sweetshop.

Now this is guaranteed to get even the biggest Grinch in the Christmas spirit – Newmarket’s race horses dressed as Rudolph! You can see this exceptionally cute display on 16 December at the National Horseracing Museum when the horses will be giving rides around the museums grounds pulling Santa’s Horse Trap! It’s the perfect family day out with the chance for kids to contribute to a new mural as part of the 12 Days of Frankel project and see the live Nativity Scene in Rothschild’s yard. £5 adults, £3 for children (under 5s free).

La Vida Show Bar in Felixstowe really know how to celebrate Christmas in style with a packed schedule full of amazing live music, dancing and of course drag queens! On 1 December female vocalist Rachel Foskett is kicking off the Christmas countdown in style, and on the 2nd the talented Tom Huttlestone is singing Christmas crooners and playing his trumpet. Other highlights include an Adele and Pink tribute night on the 8th, festive midweek movie nights, a fancy dress party on the 15th, La Vida’s annual Christmas Show on the 16th, Live at La Vida with RuPaul’s Danny Beard on the 21st and a Crimbo Limbo party on the 24th. Time to dig out the sequins and stilettos! Check out the full line-up here.

Over on the other side of our counties at The Taproom in St Ives you can get your festive feels at a whole host of brilliant live music nights. Victor Velocette will be playing festive tunes as well as some old school classics on the 8th, there’s a Christmas Shopping Party on the 13th with performances by the St Ives Musical Theatre Choir and the chance to buy gifts from local businesses. Later in the month, there’s a Christmas Quiz on the 18th followed by singer Jazz Goddard on the 21st and finally special guest DJ Krissi B with a christmas banger of a set on the 22nd! Check out the full line-up here.

KIDS

santa claus giving present to little boy

Seckford Hall has a magical event for families on 17 December, so you’ll want to snap up tickets pronto! Kids will get the chance to meet Santa and receive a gift as well as enjoy a special 2-course lunch. Throughout the afternoon there’s lots of entertainment including face painting, a magician, arts and crafts and dancing. Book here.

Head back in time to 1869 for a classic Dickensian Christmas at Kentwell Hall in Long Melford on 9/10 and 16/17 December. Not only do you get to meet the main man one family at a time at this heart-warming festive event, but kids also get to hang out with Mother Christmas (loving the equality), write and post Xmas letters, sit in Santa’s sleigh, enjoy a Christmas trail through the gardens and look around the beautifully decorated main house.

Looking for a lovely festive show for little ones? Head to The Cambridge Junction from 6 – 31 December to follow Hansel and Gretel into the frozen forest… and find out what’s inside the gingerbread house! New International Encounter theatre company transform the stage into a magical winter woodland, adapting the classic fairytale with their blend of live music, clowning around and storytelling. It’s only 1 hour and 50 with an interval so should work for wriggly bottoms!

If Christmas isn’t Christmas without a trip to the ballet for you then you’ll be pleased to hear The Nutcracker is coming to the Cambridge Corn Exchange from 27 – 30 December, performed by The International Classic Ballet Theatre.

Go for total Christmas immersion at Easton Park Farm with their Festive Fun on the Farm event this month (2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 21 – 24 December), which has everything from craft and cookie decorating with Mother Christmas, a magical woodland walk, meeting the animals in Santa’s stables to meeting Father Christmas himself! More fun than you can shake a cracker at.

Christmas at Skylark in Wimblington runs right up to Christmas Eve and as well as meeting Father Christmas, kids can also sit in Santa’s sleigh, decorate gingerbread, make some reindeer food to take home (always useful for luring Rudolph out on Xmas eve), make a bear and sing a long with the elves. Extra points to this grotto for giving adults a free hot drink from the festive cabin while we wait.

At Sacrewell Farm kids can meet the famous man and share their wish list, kids can also collect a golden key and follow a present trail of clues to discover where naughty elves have hidden Santa’s present room – and they can choose a gift to take home when they reach it! You can also get one hell of a photo here with the chance to pose on board the original sleigh from ‘Santa Claus: the movie’. Christmas cards 2023 – sorted! Running from 9 – 24 December. Kids also go half price for farm visits throughout the whole of December!

Seasonal Christmas at Wimpole is running throughout the month – the Mansion House will be decorated in sumptuous style and you can enjoy festive food in the café and restaurant as well as listening to carol singers around the estate too. There’s also a separate light trail taking place around the estate.

Take the kids along to the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds’ Where’s Santa’s Hat? in the Christmas Cabin in the Arc Shopping Centre running from 17 Nov – 24 Dec. Head inside the Nordic cabin for a memorable 20-minute experience with professional actors telling and performing a fun and interactive Christmas story. For ages 2 – 7.

Also in Bury there’s a showing of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf in the Abbey Gardens from 7 – 10 December, where you can watch an Oscar-winning animation of the story accompanied by a live orchestra, Orpheus Sinfonia, in a cover all-weather auditorium. There will be food and drink stalls and blankets can be brought in if it’s really chilly.

Ben’s Yard near Ely has a brilliant Christmas line-up including a 45-minute Santa Show for little kids from 8 – 24 December, a Gingerbread Trail from 4 – 24 December, a festive afternoon tea and special seasonal menu in the restaurant, a Christmas Fair from 1 – 3 December and late night shopping on the 7th, 14th and 21st.

FOOD & DRINK

If it’s festive food you’re after then head to Suffolk’s Seckford Hall sharpish because they’ve got some seasonal delights on offer including a Christmas afternoon tea and a special two or three course festive menu running throughout December. And if you haven’t made plans for NYE yet – there’s a Gala Dinner so you can countdown to 2024 in style (think fine dining, fireworks and live music) and if you’re still hungry there’s a New Year’s Day Bottomless Brunch.

Our favourite Suffolk supper club, Husk in Thorington has all sorts of seasonal treats on offer this month in the beautiful barn that will be decked out in stunning festive style. Book in for one of their December festive feast supper clubs on 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th and 14th December where you can enjoy exquisite food like caramelised Jerusalem artichoke soup, Pheasant chou fanci and quince meat and cobnut tart.

Joey and Katy are also running a one-off New Year’s Eve special on the 31st. Just check out that menu below. What a start to 2024 that would be!

THEATRE & MUSIC

Need a break from all the jingling bells and festive fun? The Cambridge Corn Exchange has some refreshingly non-Christmassy shows this month with Shalamar’s 40th Anniversary Tour on 6 Dec, Kate Rusby on 10 Dec and the Bjorn Again Tribute band on 14 Dec.

Over in Ipswich you can take a break from all the eggnog and mince pies with a trip to the Regent Theatre to have a good giggle at Russell Howard Live on 2 – 3 December, The Overtones tour on 5 December and Sir Ranulph Fiennes: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know on 6 Dec.

Bridget Christie is talking hot flushes, osteoarthritis, menopause and middle age in a way that we can all relate to and have a good laugh at. She’ll be asking Who am I? at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on 6 Dec.

SCREENINGS

André Rieu's White Christmas — *André Rieu’s White Christmas*

Ramp up the festive feels in a snug cinema with a choice of spine-tingling screenings on the bill this month. World-renowned Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu will take to the stage with two ice rinks, snow, 140 chandeliers and 50 Venetian candelabras (and a partridge in a pear tree?) during festive extravaganza André Rieu – White Christmas – screened at Vue Cambridge and The Light Cinema Cambridge on 2 and 3 Dec, Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds on 2 and 10 Dec, and The Riverside Woodbridge on 6 Dec.

No chance to catch the real thing? The Royal Opera House’s The Nutcracker is being screened live to The Arts Picturehouse and The Light in Cambridge on 12 December.

Billie Piper stars in the National Theatre Live screeing of Yerma on 7 December at Vue Cambridge, followed by Simon Callow’s one-man performance of A Christmas Carol on 14 Dec at The Light, Cambridge.

It's a Wonderful Life black and White movie still

LIGHT TRAILS

Brand new for 2023, the stunning grounds at Waresley Park Estate near Sandy will be lit up with an enchanting Illuminations trail featuring twinkling lights and the sounds of the season. The courtyard café will be open for festive treats and beverages, and if you need a treat on the way round there are mulled wine stalls along the trail. Our favourite feature though has to be the silent disco under the stars, where you can grab some headphones and dance the night away to Christmas tunes in the illuminated surroundings. From 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the last weekend in November and throughout December. Tickets: Adults £15, children £10.

There’s another brand new festive night out in our region for 2023 – this time at the Botanic Gardens with the launch of their first ever winter lights trail. The Cambridge Botanic Lights is taking place from 1 – 22 December and will bring the already stunning garden to life after dark with amazing displays and artistic interventions highlighting standout features such as the Fountain, Lake and Glasshouse Range. Tickets are selling out fast so get yours sharpish.

The illuminated fun at Helmingham Hall (until 17 December) includes a free mulled wine in the stunning courtyard, which is always a good idea, and then winds through the light-filled gardens before ending with s’mores around a fire pit and a chance to browse the Xmas stalls. We have already enjoyed this trail – it’s incredible and one of our favourites yet. Check out the Muddy instagram for our highlights!

It’s lights, camera, action when you visit Wimpole Hall Estate, as you won’t be able to stop Instagramming the festive gardens, including giant baubles, a fire garden, sparkling light tunnels and neon-lit trees, all set to a seasonal soundtrack. There are rumours Father Christmas might make an appearance and don’t miss hot choc and marshmallows at the end of the trail. Running until 31 December.

This light trail is an absolute stunner. The theme is Nature by Night. Nature by Light and this year Anglesey Abbey are working with Jeni Cairns, an award-winning artist and garden designer living in rural Cambridgeshire showcasing metal work such as welding and oxy acetylene cutting, as well as painting, collage, sculpture, drawing, garden design and planting. This one is bound to be a hit with the kids, it’s got projections of animals, music and festive food – what more could you wish for from a light trail? Running until 10 December.

WORKSHOPS

Local florist Wonder in the Wild will be holding a series of fabulous wreath-making workshops at the gorgeous Waresley Park Estate every Wednesday from 29 November this year. The events will start with a festive foraging walk around the gorgeous grounds to gather mistletoe, holly and fern for your creation. You’ll then learn how to make a professional standard wreath that will make you the envy of the neighbourhood. Mince pies, mulled wine and hot drinks will be served throughout. £65 per person. Book now

Live near a Chestnut Group pub? Lucky you, because there’s an amazing festive experience programme taking place this year including multiple dates for wreath making. The events kick off on 1 Dec with a workshop at the Weeping Willow pub in Barrow, followed by The Carpenter’s Arms, Great Wilbraham on the 2nd, The Three Blackbirds, Woodditton on the 5th, The Rupert Brooke, Grantchester on the 6th, The Black Lion, Long Melford on the 8th and The Packhorse Inn on the 9th. Flower arranging not your thing? Book in for one of their Christmas calligraphy workshops instead. Find out more and book now

Join local florist Elly from Elly’s Flower Studio in this relaxed workshop at the gorgeous Studio Bartlow where you’ll learn how to create your own seasonal wreath from scratch. All materials are included in the workshop, together with hot drinks, and homemade mince pies and you can bring along any foliage or decorations foraged from your own garden to add too. 11am-1:30pm. You can always book in for one of Jess’s amazing fitness classes afterwards to burn off the mince pies! 2 and 3 Dec, £65. Book now.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Saxmundham Victorian Christmas Fair is back on 1 December, so strap on your bodice and bonnet (not really, a scarf and gloves is much more sensible) and hit the high street for carols, mulled wine, and some shopping too. From 4-8pm.

More than 70 indies in the area are descending on Trinity Park for the Trinity Park Christmas Market on 2 Dec to get you in the Christmas spirit, with stalls selling everything from gifts, toys and decorations to festive food and drink. Money raised from the fair is going to the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity, so it’s for a good cause too. From 10am-4pm.

Bury St Edmunds’ Seasonal Market takes place this year on 3 Dec (10am-4pm) and will include stalls from over 90 talented makers, bakers, brewers and crafters set up on Buttermarket and Cornhill. You can shop for everything from fruit and vegetables, clothing, ceramics, candles, jewellery, needlecraft, cards and personalised goods.

Not a Christmas market as such but a lovely festive shopping experience – Seckford Hall’s Spa is running a Christmas Shopping Event on 6 Dec where you can drop in between 12 and 6 pm to browse Christmas Gifts from ESPA and Natural Spa Factory and buy beautifully wrapped boxed gift vouchers. There will also be live demos by the Spa’s therapists and exclusive discounts such as a promotional 20-minute facial treatment during the event for just £35. You can also have a nosey at the refurbished spa facilities and new spa garden!

Kick-start your shopping by browsing the stalls at the Cambridge Science Park Christmas Market on 6 Dec, where you can enjoy free mince pies and mulled wine while you browse the crafty stalls selling everything from hand-painted silk scarves to Xmas decs and wood carvings. Five food trucks, a mobile craft beer van and the Salvation Army playing Christmas carols completes the scene. Taking place between 11am – 2pm.

Stalls will line Market Street and the High Street for Wisbech’s Christmas Fayre on 10 Dec from 10am – 3pm, where you can to pick up some gifts for Christmas, plus plenty of seasonal food to tempt your tastebuds, from roast chestnuts to chocolate baileys liquor, plus live music and Santa and his reindeer too!

Blackthorpe Barn is just one of those places that takes you from muttering ‘Bah Humbug’ to humming Jingle Bells within seconds, it’s just so bloomin’ Christmassy! Not only can you get your tree from here, take part in wreath workshops, shop in the Country Christmas Shop and try out the fabulous new Roots Café, but every weekend from 4 November the beautiful barn hosts an Arts & Crafts Fair , where you can buy 100% British products for presents, or for yourself.

PANTOS

Bury’s Theatre Royal is a magical place to enjoy a panto, and this year they’ve pulled out all the stops and have managed to get Dame Judi Dench (patron of the theatre) to feature in her first ever panto! Ok, so you’re not going to see her in the flesh, but she does provide the voice for the Magic Mirror and is brilliantly funny! There’s a lovely local theme to this panto with Princess Snow White inheriting the throne of Buryland and Snow White making some surprising new friends in the woods of Bradfield! We saw the Panto on its first night and can confirm t’s everything you could hope for – funny, full of music, magical and there’s a brilliant dame! Running until 14 January.

This year’s pantomime at The Marina Theatre in Lowestoft is Aladdin, from 12 Dec until 1 Jan, starring Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor as the Genie of the Lamp, Anthony Sahota from the BBC talent competition Let it Shine as Aladdin, and Lowestoft’s favourite Terry Gleed as Wishy Washy. Expect hilarious slapstick humour, fabulous costumes, stunning sets, brilliant song and dance numbers, plenty of audience interaction and some Genie-us jokes.

Pantomime dame in Union Jack dress — Image: Richard Hubert Smith

The mother of all pantos, Mother Goose, is flying into the Cambridge Arts Theatre this year from 30 Nov – 7 Jan, with an eggs-citing and talented cast including Matt Crosby (Dick Whittington, Aladdin, ITV’s Nolly), Charlotte Wakefield (The Great British Bake Off Musical), Gemma Sutton (Tammy Faye), Pippa Duffy (Only Fools and Horses the Musical), Steven Roberts (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Georgia Nicholson (Hetty Feather), Nathan Taylor (Spamalot) and Alicia Belgarde (Grease the Musical). Full of cracking jokes, songs, magic and surprises, the traditional rags-to-riches pantomime story is given a fun, modern, Cambridge twist.

Another Aladdin is boarding his magic carpet to take to the stage at Peterborough’s Key Theatre from 2 – 31 December. The story follows the son of a humble washerwoman, who dreams of a better life and fabulous riches.

We’re off to see the Wizard somewhere over the rainbow, ahem we mean at The Cresset this year! Join Dorothy and Toto on the original road trip as they make their way to Oz, meeting some familiar friends along the way. The Wizard of Oz is playing at The Cresset from 14 – 31 December.

Come in fine voice to this one. Boo, hiss and chortle your way through Robin Hood at The Maltings in Ely from 8 Dec – 3 Jan by the brilliant KD Theatre Productions. Will our hero win the heart of Maid Marion? Will the dastardly sheriff of Rottingham get their comeuppance? No spoilers, please or I’ll shoot you with my bow and arrow.

Find your sense of adventure with Dick (yes him with the practical form of hand luggage on a stick) and his feline friend at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich in a new Rock ‘n’ Roll version of Dick Whittington and his Cat running until 20 Jan, written by award-winning comedian, writer and composer, Vikki Stone!

Follow a different yellow brick road, this time to Beccles Public Hall for a heart-warming family Christmas show. Not strictly a panto, this is an all-singing, all-dancing musical version of The Wizard of Oz from the creative team behind last year’s excellent production of Oliver! Running until 2 Jan.

BOOK AHEAD

Looking ahead to the New Year any new parents will want to book in to a special parenting event at the Ickworth Hotel. The Parenthood Retreat with Rosey Davidson, sponsored by Bugaboo will take place from 9th – 10th February and will feature an informative workshop and Q&A with infant sleep consultant Rosey Davidson, during which time little ones will be entertained at the Ofsted-registered Den. An early dinner for kids will follow with just enough time for a Julia Donaldson story time with milk and cookies afterwards. Post-bedtime, you can gather with fellow parents for dinner or enjoy a date night thanks to the hotel’s video monitors or baby-sitting service! The next day it’s spa treatments, a morning Den session and the chance to enjoy the hotel’s family friendly facilities. Heaven! Book here.

More dates for your fresh new diary from the gorgeous Hintlesham Hall in Suffolk that need booking now or you’ll miss out. First up, The Live & Let Dine Comedy Dinner Show, a fabulous Black Tie gala dinner with 007 and a hilarious parody of everything we love about Bond on 15 March. Big fan of Basil? You’ll also want to get tickets to Murder at Fawlty Towers Comedy Dinner, a special murder mystery dinner full of hilarious mishaps on 5 July.

Jingle all the way! 50+ things to do in Suffolk and Cambs this December.

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