Christmas festival celebrates winter solstice at Tatton Park

Families are invited to celebrate the shortest day of the year at Tatton Park on Friday, December 22.

A new festive family experience called Yuletide is based on festive folklore, ridiculous rituals and forgotten traditions.

Expect a night of music, torch lit processions and walk about puppets.

Families can walk through a magical tunnel of light (Image: Wild Rumpus)

Rowan Cannon, director of Wild Rumpus, said: “People have been marking the winter solstice for thousands of years and now families have the chance to do it at Tatton Park.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of winter and the start of the days getting longer.

Visitors will be able to meet lots of colourful characters and walk about puppets (Image: Wild Rumpus)

“We’ll be celebrating with a special torchlit procession, as well as fire juggling, lots of music and storytelling.

“It’ll be such a cosy event to come to just before Christmas.”

Families can wrap up warm round a glowing campfire to watch live musicians and fire jugglers, listen to campfire stories and toast marshmallows.

Fire jugglers will be performing (Image: Wild Rumpus)

Food vendors will be serving festive treats and mulled wine.

Visitors can then walk a glittering light trail through Tatton’s famous gardens.

A magical light trail takes visitors through the Japanese garden (Image: Wild Rumpus)

The park will be transformed with lit installations and special interactive light effects.

Illuminated puppets and costumed characters will be roaming round, including winter witches who have captured the moon and the sun, and shapeshifting snow hares who will play tricks on passers-by.

Yuletide runs until Saturday, December 24.

To book visit yuletide.org.uk

Tickets are priced £20 adult, £12 child, under threes free.

Yuletide is created by the award-winning outdoor arts organisation Wild Rumpus, who run the popular Just So family festival and have also produced Lanterns at Cheshire Zoo for the past six years.