Christmas entertainment on offer at Beaulieu, Paultons Park, Exbury Gardens, Marwell Zoo and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

Light-up trails and colour Christmas characters are set to draw visitors to festive attractions across the area this December.

Beaulieu, Paultons Park, Exbury Gardens, Marwell Zoo and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are all set to throw their doors open for a series of special events and festive celebrations.

Visitors to Beaulieu will be invited to step back in time and experience a traditional Victorian Christmas at Palace House, full of costumed characters from the 1880s, who will be hard at work preparing for the big day.

Highlights include carols around the piano, sparkling traditional decorations with a tree in every room, and pantomime rehearsals of A Christmas Carol in the Montagu Theatre.

The festive fun continues with the new Montagu Bear Christmas Trail, encouraging families to explore the Beaulieu attraction throughout December. The National Motor Museum and the Little Beaulieu children’s adventure play area will also be open. Visitors should also keep an eye out for Father Christmas travelling aboard a vehicle from the National Motor Museum!

Beaulieu’s Victorian Christmas begins on weekends in early December and then continues throughout the school holidays. To find out more visit www.beaulieu.co.uk

Nearby Exbury Gardens will also be spreading the festive cheer with a winter woodland trail, Christmas fair and festive crafts.

Although the Gardens are currently closed to the public for the winter, the attraction will open on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December, and Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th December for a two special festive weekends.

Highlights include a Christmas fair with over 45 stalls offering crafts, gifts, and festive food and drink accompanied by live music from Southampton Youth Brass Band and New Forest Brass Band.

Visitors can explore a festive seasonal trail winding through the renowned New Forest woodland gardens, or enjoy a gentle donkey ride. Youngsters can also write a letter to Father Christmas, and decorate a festive wish to hang on the Exbury Christmas tree. Tickets are £6 for adults with free admission for children. To find out more visit www.exbury.co.uk.

In Lyndhurst the community is set to come together to host the town’s first festive light trail.

Organised by Friends of Lyndhurst Surgery (FOLS), the event will see around 50 businesses and residents taking part by light-up their home or High Street business between 6th and 15th December.

Trail maps showing the locations of the participating properties will be available from the Co-op on Lyndhurst High Street from 1st December. The map costs £2; with all proceeds from the event being donated to Lyndhurst Surgery.

FOLS chair David Wilson said: “Whilst this is a light-hearted event there is an incredibly important purpose, all funds raised from the event will support the local surgery. At a time of economic uncertainty and limited budgets, we as a community must come together to ensure that vital resources like healthcare can provide adequately for all who need them.

“This is a great event for families and will be popular with children of all ages, who we are sure will enjoy seeing the different entrants. We are very much hoping this will become an annual event, growing bigger each year.”

After completing the trail, people will be asked to name their favourite entrant and a prize will be awarded to the winner.

Paultons Park at Ower will be transformed into a magical wonderland for its popular Celebration of Christmas event which runs from Friday 6th December to Monday 23rd December.

As well as festive decorations and character meet and greets, visitors can enjoy the Santa’s Magical Wish Show featuring vibrant singing and dancing. Popular characters, Billy and Belinda the elves, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Reindeer, and Father Christmas will take to the stage for the family friendly show.

Meanwhile Father Christmas will welcome guests to his grotto for family photos and the chance to meet his reindeer, polar bears, and the toy makers.

Paultons Park deputy managing director James Mancey, said: “Families celebrating together is what the festive season is all about. Making memories with Peppa and George in their winter outfits and stopping off to meet Santa in his grotto are some of my favourite Christmas moments at the park.”

For tickets visit www.paultonspark.co.uk

Illuminations will take centre stage at Marwell Zoo with the return of the hugely popular Glow Marwell festive trail.

Guests will be able to explore the natural elements of fire, earth, air and water as they dive under the sea, drift amongst neon clouds, toast marshmallows over fire pits and revel in the snow.

Glow Marwell opens today (Friday) and will run on selected dates until Monday 30th December. This year’s highlights include UV face painting, a Santa’s grotto, musical sounds, irresistible smells and hands on elements.

As well as new surprises the attraction will see the return of the enchanted tree, light tunnel, moon chairs and stepping stones, which have been reimagined to be bigger and brighter than before.

As with last year’s event, guests will be able to enjoy the zoo from 1pm until 4pm before the lights come on to transform the zoo into a twinkling wonderland. For more information visit www.marwell.org.uk

Millions of LED lights are also set to shine at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey as a popular Light Up trail illuminates the award winning botanical gardens for the second year.

The trail’s artist designer James Smith said: “What sets us apart is that we put the story first and this year that is a total celebration of Christmas and colour. It’s Christmas to the max. There’s an overarching narrative that runs throughout the trail and each installation is a stand-alone story, like a chapter in a book.

“We listened to what our visitors told us and we learned they want Christmas and lots of it. So, whether it’s metre-high baubles with children’s designs projected on them, the photo-friendly Robin Redbreast tree, a carpet of red poinsettia flowers, or the guaranteed snow, this is Christmas… and lots of it!”

This year, the festive trail follows a revamped route that takes in Hillier’s Centenary Border for the first time and as well as all-new installations such as the Magic Pathway and Chromatic Touch, visitors will find the return of established favourites like the reindeer and the smash hit Written in the Stars.

James added: “I can’t wait for people to find out what we’ve got lined up for them. Magic Pathway is mind blowing – you could be walking on water and watching it splash over your feet, or leaving footprints in the sand on the seashore that the waves wash away; it’s genuinely amazing, like your best ever Christmas Day walk.”

For more information about Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens visit www.lightuptrails.com