Lucy Allen gets in the holiday spirit with a trip to the safari park’s annual festive extravaganza
Knowsley Safari’s festive celebration Enchanted officially opened on Saturday (30 November).
On until Monday 23rd December, Enchanted has all the traditional family favourites and even more this year, with the addition of a ‘Santa Panto’ - a mini theatre show combining the magic of Father Christmas with all the fun of a pantomime.
Running several times each evening during every Enchanted event, Santa Panto is an additional ticketed event, with each child that attends receiving a small cuddly toy, and it’s just one of the new exciting features at this year’s Enchanted event.
Families are invited to join in with the festive fun, capturing memories on the spectacular light trail with new illuminated animals, including giraffes and a male lion with his cub, as well as the moving Rainbow Road, icy-blue Arctic Arcadia and the Talking Tree.
Lucy Allen shares her take on the opening night.
I visited Knowsley Safari’s Enchanted Christmas event again this year, and wow, what a glow-up - bigger, better, and packed with even more festive fun. The kids were excited after the Panto (a solid hit) and the meet-and-greet with Santa, complete with a photo op and a lovely little gift to take home.
From there, we wandered over to the light show. On the way, we got stuck into some marshmallow toasting, because what’s Christmas without a bit of gooey nostalgia?
Food and drink options were plentiful, but my personal highlight was the crumble and custard stand - pure, heartwarming comfort food. A mulled wine later (it had to be done), we made our way to the cabins for some letter-writing magic. The kids wrote their Santa letters and posted them in the cutest little post box - an adorably thoughtful touch.
Then came the light show itself, and it did not disappoint. There were gorgeous displays, from glowing tigers to shimmering flamingos. We wrapped up the night with a spin on the pirate ship, which, if you ask the kids, might have been their highlight of the evening.
It’s festive, it’s fun, and it’s perfect for all ages. We can’t wait to return again next year.
Enchanted tickets are available now, from £10, with special discounts for members. Under 1s and carers are free of charge. Santa Panto tickets are available to Enchanted ticket holders at a cost of £10 per child and £5 per adult. Access to Enchanted is from 4pm until 8pm. Santa’s Grotto tickets (weekend daytime only) are £20 per child, in addition to a regular Safari admission ticket.
Guests are advised to book early due to demand via knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/events/enchanted.
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