Christmas Fest Essex Anmeldelser 

Going to be our 3rd visit, kids love going between each bit and doesn’t feel hectic, our favorite christmas experience.

Amazing last year we have booked again for this year, kids are so excited, said it was there best day ever, so we have to go back. Super excited.

Visited December 2025 with my family. We had the most amazing magical day. We enjoyed every part of it and can't wait to come back this Christmas

The fact that this experience is personalised and you go round as a family to each activity is what made it for us. Even more so for our ASD daughter who doesn't like crowds. The ice skating topped it off, and you get a free photo with the big man himself. We all loved this experience and as soon as tickets were released we booked again for a second year. I've recommended to friends and family. A fabulous place, has everything and more. Staff are theatrical, engaging.

Had a great time . Meeting everyone enjoyed it so much we have booked for this year. Staff was great . Booking was so easy .

Unfortunately, our experience with Christmas Fest Essex was extremely disappointing and fell a long way short of what we expected from the way the event is presented online.

We paid for what we believed would be a magical and memorable Christmas experience for our family, but sadly that was not our experience. We found the overall event underwhelming and, in our experience, some members of staff were rude and unhelpful. The atmosphere certainly did not reflect the magical experience portrayed on the website.

For the amount of money charged, we simply do not feel that the experience represented good value for money. We left feeling disappointed and, unfortunately, would not recommend booking.

I have also found it frustrating that after trying to share my genuine negative experience on Facebook, I was unable to continue commenting. This is due to being blocked from their page. My sister left a review on trust pilot for it to be taken down for including ‘personal information’ which is completely false. That has made me even more keen to leave an honest review elsewhere so that other families can make an informed decision before spending their money.

I just don't understand the negative reviews but we absolutely love it and this is so much better because it is just my family together and it feels so christmasy.

We went as a family group with a few adults and 2 children under 5 years old.

This was the best Christmas/ Santa experience. The kids loved it and as an adult I was very impressed.

Each building was themed to such detail. The elves, bless them did a fantastic job! remained in character through out. Even during waiting time for the train they kept the kids engaged and us entertained.
Only thing I would say is perhaps some heating for the cabins as it was pretty cold and I am sure this will be beneficial for the crew and guests.

ChristmasFest Essex is a truly magical place for children and families. From the moment we arrived, we felt the Christmas spirit everywhere — beautiful lights, happy music and the most wonderful elves. The elves were amazing, especially the story reader, who made the children feel so welcome and excited. The way the story was told was magical and really captured the children’s attention.

Meeting the Snow Queen, Mrs Claus, Santa and the lovely reindeer was unforgettable, and the skating was great fun too. Everything was well organised, warm and full of joy. You can see how much love and effort goes into creating such a special experience. ChristmasFest Essex is a perfect place to make happy Christmas memories that children will never forget 🎄✨

Thank you for a fantastic day, the kids have not stopped talking about it!!! They are already asking to go back again. the weather was not great but thank you for the umbrella :)

Christmas Fest Essex.

So, we attended Christmas Fest today as a family of six and thoroughly enjoyed it—so much so that I feel I need to write a review!
First, we were met by a kind gentleman in the car park who showed us exactly which way to go to start our experience. We then headed through to a nice open area where there is a sweet shop, a stall selling hot food and drinks, and an ice rink for after the experience.
We joined the queue, and after about 15 minutes, we were allowed in to start our "VIP" experience. (While waiting, you can take some lovely pictures on the sleigh!) I won’t give too much away, but each individual room has its own unique Christmas theme inside. You aren't met with big crowds or long queues; it is a totally unique experience.
A big shout-out to Mrs. Claus—she is lovely and really good with the children. Father Christmas himself is magical; he is very welcoming, talks to the kids about what they want for Christmas, and even gets the adults involved, too! During your visit with Father Christmas, you get a photo taken by one of the elves, which you collect at the end of the experience as a keepsake.
Overall, it was a fantastic day out and one to remember. We will definitely be visiting again next year! Hats off to all the staff for the hard work they put in to make the experience so great.

I booked the experience back in August and paid the booking insurance which i am so glad about as unfortunately 1 person couldn't make it and i got the ticket money back which was a really easy process.
On arrival we missed the sign and it wasn't sign posted until right on top of the carpark which didn't really look like a carpark from the front (maybe something to consider for next year. More approach signage). Again not really clear where to, so drove until we saw somebody in Hi Viz top. They asked us the time of our experience and told us where to park and how to enter. A very polite young man he was. Our adventure was Sat 13th at 1:12 pm. Not too busy on arrival. We grabbed a drink, used the toilet facilities (which i would recommend as they are only available at the start and finish of the adventure). We then waited maybe 10 mins after our allotted time and we were off.
I must say all the staff we encountered were very professional and really good with the children. All the rooms are very well presented which the children buy into. Lots of magical feel to the place. After visiting all the rooms where you are treated individually which was very nice you return to the ice skating rink. Another lovely touch where the kids can skate and the adults can grab a drink and food. The prices were what you would expect to pay but you can take food with you if you wanted. Outdoor heaters were also on which is a nice touch. A small sweet shop too.
I would say it is worth the money to see the children's faces. Maybe if we booked again we would go at dusk to get the most from the lights outside. However, it had started to get much busier when we left around 15:30. It can also be a little muddy under foot so appropriate footwear is advised.
Well done to everyone who made the day special and magical for our family.

This was our second year visiting the Christmas fest in Essex.
I took my stepson and my niece this year and I can say they have stepped it up even more from last year (which we thought couldn't be done).
From the moment you enter and are greeted by the parking team wearing elf hats they were polite and engaged with the kids getting them excited as soon as they stepped out the car, tactically asking them if they knew why they were here and if they knew what they were coming here to do and directing us at all time.
From the moment you walk in your greeted with a ice rink and Christmas music filling the cold air, as you go through and meet different elves along the way they never broke character and were so focused on the kids, getting us parents involved where they could and sometimes making us do things (some embarrassing but all part of the joining in fun).
The wishing room is magical and all the rooms walking around seem well put together and really well thought out. As we got to mother Christmas kitchen it felt like I was transported back to my nans kitchen.
OH AND THEY HAD REAL REINDEERS!!!!
The train ride was cute and different coloured lighting up the huge candy canes either side of the track were beautiful, singing songs along the way.
One of the best Santa's I've ever seen and the kids got a cute reindeers teddy which we got last year with different coloured scarf (I want to come every year and collect all of the colours btw lol)

Then to round it off ice skating and food and drink before you leave, there is a sweet shop that was reasonably priced, I can honestly say I have spent more on a small bag of MMs at the cinema then I did in the sweet shop.
Overall we loved it as a family and will continue to come back every year to watch the growth of this beautifully put together event.
THANK YOU CHRISTMAS FEST SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

The best Christmas experience we’ve attended by far!

We visited on the 6th of December and were warmly greeted by two friendly staff members who helpfully directed us to parking.

After heading through the entrance, we came into the main area where the ice rink and food stalls were set up. We arrived around 10am, and it wasn’t too busy, which made the whole atmosphere feel even more magical and festive.
We queued for about five minutes before entering the first room, a very reasonable wait, and much better than standing in line before every part of the experience.
Each room was beautifully decorated, clearly planned with care, and filled with thoughtful details. The elves were fantastic and so patient with our two boys, who are usually shy and hard to get a word out of.
A lovely surprise was seeing the reindeer wandering around the village the kids were absolutely thrilled!

A special shout-out to Mrs. Claus, who was brilliant, and (I think) Candy Cane, who had us all laughing.

After meeting Santa and finishing the main experience, we headed back to the main area. Our boys spent ages enjoying the ice rink, and we grabbed some burgers and hot dogs, which were genuinely delicious.

Overall, we had an amazing day and will definitely be coming back next year!

We visited on Sunday 30th November. We had high hopes and really were in the Christmas spirit when we arrived. We were greeted to guys in high vis and didn’t even attempt to be Christmassy. We then were taken round to the entrance and the young kid on the entrance didnt even say hello to the children and just pointed where we had to go. Didn’t give any instructions on where to go or what to do. Once in the village nothing was explained. And the whole thing looked so basic. With one shop for coffee, a sweet shop (over priced) and an ice ring with a lack luster ‘safety person’ on the ice.

When then manged to find the entrance - the bloke standing on the entrance looked like he should have been on a building site. Not ‘elf’ like at all. When then went through hoping the experience would get better….

Once through the gates it was unbelievable rushed. We were allowed to look at the reindeer, we were told adults had to write the letters to Santa because they had another family coming. Everything was ridiculously rushed and for over £200 you expect better than this. It was underwhelming to say the least. The elves looked like they didn’t even want to be there.

We then went to meet Father Christmas - absolute joke. He barely interacted with our children (2&5) and didn’t even ask what they wanted for Christmas! We then had our photo taken (on an iPad - quality of picture really basic!)

Next came the ice skating. After an underwhelming experience we were looking forward this. It was outrageous. My son accidentally fell off the seat on the ice. Not one member of staff helped. My husband was left trying to skate and help him back on. The member of staff on the ice just stared at him and didn’t help at all (my son is 2).

After this I emailed the company and was met with the most disgraceful costumer service. I complained about all the above and was simply told there was nothing they could do and everything has different experiences. They said they reviewed all CCTV footage and could see that a member of staff did in fact come to help my son. I said they absolutely did not. And they sent me pictures of ANOTHER CHILD and their family on ice detailing the incident that had happened to their family (thinking it was us). I then proceeded to tell the company they were wrong. That was not my son. And was met with yet another borderline rude response and said ‘the face was blurred’. I was then blocked on my social media page from tagging them. Which I thought was so petty.

Overall I wouldn’t go back and I’ve told everyone I know to avoid. They company are making out they are having fake reviews but really they aren’t addressing genuine complaints

Brilliant experience run very professionally by owner and family who appear to just want the best for children and their families . Staff really go the extra mile and unlike other experiences you’re not bombarded with extras ! Even the beautiful photo of your family with Santa is part of the package we collected ours and the elf said ‘are you happy or would you like me to reprint it as more of a close up ? ‘ I thought it was ok but he showed me on the screen it zoomed in and I did prefer ( my eyesights not amazing) so he printed a revised one off - I was also putting on my skates and a little girl was getting tired and Mum n Dad were struggling to help her emotionally regulate. A older lady elf spotted it and so so kindly distracted the little girl and even offered to get the mud spots off her shiny patent shoes with a cloth ( which must have been what she was upset about !) - just 2 examples of the extra mile !
Welll done Christmasfest I just can’t see what more you could do to make this a magical experience to remember forever , hence the 5 star rating !

I went to Christmas fest yesterday with my family and it was the best experience! The 3 kids were just memorised by it all! They loved all the elf’s they met along the way and they especially enjoyed the snow castle! My youngest said that it was the best day of her life and really wants to come back again, their faces the whole way round were just full of pure joy!
There was a little wait to see Santa at the end but we didn’t care because all the elf’s we met along the way came over and was interacting with the kids, and adults and really made the wait well worth it! They joined in with our snow ball fight and had a big picture with us all. The icing on the cake was the ice skating at the end. Everyone on there were so friendly and always making sure me and the kids were ok. They loved it so much, they didn’t want to leave! Thank you so much for such a wonderful time! It really made it special for all the kids!

Our experience with our children was truly magical and amazing.
We have enjoyed every room and Santa made it even more special talking with the kids and making them involved in the story of Christmas.
We absolutely loved it. Had a lot of fun by the fire eating toasted marshmallows and ice skating.
I cannot recommend it enough. We felt really special because it was only our family and enjoying the experience on our own without other people around. The elves were great and very funny.

What a great day we went yesterday and I was very impressed, it’s a very personal experience and would definitely recommend it , I will definitely be booking for next year , the parking was good and wasn’t crowded inside and the food was good not to overpriced, all the staff was friendly and at the end the pictures was great and a good price, oh and if it’s raining they supply umbrellas. Thanks for a great day