Santa's Grotto Workshop at The Marlowes - Christmas 2024

Visitors are invited to enjoy an exciting festive experience, not only meeting Santa himself, but also helping the Toy Workshop Elves with essential Christmas preparations including Toy Testing!

Upon arrival at ‘Santa’s Grotto Workshop’ you will be welcomed by the Chief Toy Elf who will excitedly introduce you to the workshop and the wonders within!

As you venture into the workshop, you will be invited to take a seat at the ‘Elves Work Bench’ where you can create your own wooden jigsaw - one of the elves’ favourite puzzles - to take home and play.

Jigsaw completed; the Elves need your help with testing their new range of toys. Play with them, cuddle them and have some fun – your feedback is crucial for helping the Elves with their toy making plans!

Tucked away in a cosy little corner of the workshop is the big man himself. Santa will be waiting inside to greet you for a one-on-one meeting with you and your family.

As a reward for helping the Toy Workshop Elves, Santa will gift you a bag of chocolate gold coins and wish you a Merry Christmas before you head back out into Santa's Grotto Workshop.

Before you leave, you will have the opportunity to enter the ‘Draw Your Favourite Toy Competition’ to be in with the chance of winning your very own £100 prize bundle from retailers at The Marlowes.

The full experience, including your visit with Santa will last around 25 minutes.

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Bookings:

Entry to ‘Santa’s Grotto Workshop’ event is FREE, however donations will be gratefully received on the behalf of Alzheimer’s Society.

The suggested donation amount is £5 per child. Cash and card will be accepted on the day.

‘Santa’s Grotto Workshop’ experience has been split into 30-minute time slots from 11am to 4pm, with a 30-minute break at 1.30pm for Santa & the Elves to snack on the gingerbread!

Please book ONE TICKET per CHILD. Adults DO NOT need to book a space for themselves.

Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of your visit time, to ensure sufficient time to ‘check-in’ and capture the full immersive grotto experience. You may be asked to wait a short while before entering. The full activity will last approx. 20 – 25 minutes.

If you register for a time slot, but subsequently cannot attend, PLEASE cancel your booking via a link included in your booking confirmation email to allow others to book on to the session.

Walk-in spaces will be available on the day – however, this will be on a purely first come, first served basis.

No access will be given to visitors unless they have been pre-booked or allocated a ‘walk-in’ space by our Elves. Please bring a copy of your confirmation booking email with you.

Please email [email protected] if you have a specific need or would like to request multiple bookings.

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Age Suitability:

This experience is suitable for all ages. Whilst younger children may not be able to complete all the specific activities, they will still be invited to participate as normal.

*Quiet Sessions:

We invite families requiring additional support to book onto one of three separate, specially arranged slots (10am – 11am) on Sunday 1st, 8th, and 15th December when The Marlowes is a little quieter and the children can be allowed more time to complete the activity.

If you require one of these sessions, please email [email protected] to book your place – they are not available to book through Eventbrite.

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‘Santa’s Grotto Workshop’ Opening Times:

Saturday 16th November – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 17th November – 11am to 4pm

Saturday 23rd November – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 24th November – 11am to 4pm

Saturday 30th November – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 1st December – 11am to 4pm

Saturday 7th December – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 8th December – 11am to 4pm

Saturday 14th December – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 15th December – 11am to 4pm

Saturday 21st December – 11am to 4pm

Sunday 22nd December – 11am to 4pm

Monday 23rd December – 11am to 4pm

Tuesday 24th December – 11am to 3pm

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Location:

‘Santa’s Grotto Workshop’ is located opposite the Christmas Shop by the main north entrance to The Marlowes, in the old Ping Pong Parlour.

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Toilet & Baby Changing Facilities:

Toilet & baby changing facilities are available within The Marlowes – with the closest public facilities situated within the centre at Centre Court.

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Booking Amends / Cancellations:

Changes to booking times / dates are subject to availability – please enquire at the Grotto Welcome Desk and to the Elf team with all change requests.

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Parking and Directions:

The Marlowes Shopping Centre is adjacent to Hemel Hempstead town centre, an easy 5 minutes’ drive from both the M1 and M25. Access to our multi storey car park is via Wolsey Road.

Sat Nav postcode: HP2 4TU.

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Other:

Due to reasons beyond the control of The Marlowes, dates could be subject to change. Customers will be notified of any changes.

If you have any queries regarding this event, please contact the centre team on [email protected]

Host or Publisher The Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead