TICKETS have gone on sale to LaplandUK – easily the country's most popular Christmas grotto.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of parents sit for hours in online queues in a bid to get tickets to the immersive festive attraction at Whitmoor Forest, nearAscotinBerkshire.
But there is a huge change this year, as the organisers have launched a second sitein Manchester.
The opening of a second site is welcome news for families, as the experience always sells out within hours.
At the time of publishing this article, there were 110,000 people queuing for tickets to the Berkshire attraction and 74,000 people queuing for tickets to the Manchester attraction.
Once parents reach the front of the queue, they are given the option of buying tickets for their preferred date, with the price of entry going up as it nears Christmas.
Both attractions will be open from November 8 until December 24, and entry prices will range from £60 to £195 per person.
For the children lucky enough to attend, the experience starts when a personalised letter arrives in the post, inviting them to come help the elves with their toy making.
On the big day, after entering a magic doorway into a snowy Lapland forest, they take part in a number of different activities including gingerbread decorating with Mother Christmas, toy making with the elves and ice skating.
Then at the end of the experience, they get to meet Father Christmas in his log cabin.
The attraction, which has been running for 18 years, is also a magnet for some of the country's best-known families.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited with their three children, as have Elton John, Holly Willoughby and Cheryl Cole.
What is it like to visit LaplandUK?
THE Sun's Associate Editor Caroline Iggulden visit Lapland UK last year, here's what she thought…
LaplandUK promises to transport children on a magical Christmas adventure without need of a plane or even flying sleigh.
With the very cheapest ticket prices starting at a whopping £59 per person (with adults also paying for a ticket), LaplandUK is perhaps Britain’s poshest Christmas grotto.
Intrigued by the hype and took my kids Henry, 11, Nicholas,7 and Estella, 3 along to see what the fuss was about.
Whilst I can’t dispute that this is pricey, this Elven world certainly delivers in spades when it comes to Christmas memory making magic.
The adventure starts before you even arrive as children are sent delightful letters inviting them to Lapland complete with wax seal.
And when my three ‘small folk’- as they are dubbed at LaplandUK-arrived they were utterly enchanted.
It is the fine details which really set this woodland wonderland apart.
From the miniature doorways, just for ‘small folk’ to use, to the beautifully fashioned individualised costumes worn by all the elves- and the big man himself-details are styled to perfection.
Elves even have a customised greeting for their young visitors, a simple ‘hello’ won’t do, instead they put their thumb up to their nose and waggle their fingers
The experience and storytelling is more akin to something you might expect from a Disney park, rather than a traditional visit to Santa.
You can read Caroline's full review, here.
