Last Updated on November 11, 2023 by Suzy McCullough
Castle Howard has excelled itself this year. After last year I didn’t think they could improve on their Christmas event but they have surpassed themselves for 2023. Wow! Located near York Castle Howard is one of our favourite stately homes. They create the most amazing Christmas displays in many of their rooms at Christmas time.
This year they have transformed the house into the world of Peter Pan. Their rooms have stunning decorations, installations and fun projections. You can also book for your children to meet Santa on certain days although do be aware that this is a separate ticketed event and tends to sell out fast.
This event is on now until the 7th of January 2024. We have found some discounted tickets with 15% off. Please do check out this offer.
*We received tickets for the purpose of this review.
If you click on a link in this article we may receive a small commission.
Christmas In Neverland Review
All visits start at this staircase. Should you not be able bodied there is a wheelchair lift to take guests to the top so that no one misses out. This certainly puts my stair decorations to shame.
We arrived at 10:15 and it took us around 35-40 minutes to walk around. You move very slowly between rooms as there is so much to see and everyone wants to take a photo to capture their memories. As you walk around you will hear voices and immersive sounds that bring the rooms to life and the story that each room is telling.
One of the first rooms is that of Wendy, John and Michael’s nursery. There’s even the pirate ship in the bath. Make sure you take time to take everything in as there is so much to see.
I loved how differently the rooms were themed, lit and decorated. Some themes were pure fun with others more Christmasy and some more mystical with fairies and mermaids. The rooms were quite subtly lit as well which was pleasant to see.
A highlight of any visit to Castle Howard is the Great Hall. The dome and the works of art on the walls are simply stunning and with the tree this year it’s hard to decide where to look next. The tree is huge and decorated in the most wonderful birds, bears, mushrooms, fairies and so much more. Look out for the shadow of Peter Pan that can be spotted in a few of the rooms. Don’t just stand back and take a photo get up to the tree and take it all in. It’s absolutely wondrous.
I’ve not included photos of all of the rooms so you have plenty more to see and discover. Plus of course, the rooms are even better in real life and there is so much more to see. We all loved the room below that has a projection on the floor to make it feel like you are looking at moving water. The jellyfish lights were particularly fun. I’d love one or two in my lounge.
I just loved all the reds in the room below. All around there were subtle references to the book, the characters and the story of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
The dining room was one of my favourite rooms last year and they have outdone themselves again. There is so much fun food to look at and this year Tinkerbell has been projected onto the paintings and she’s flying around throwing food around. What great imaginations the team at CLW event design have.
It was also fun walking around and comparing each room to last year. Last year the room below was full of mannequins going to a ball. This year it had been turned into a ship at sea. You could spin the ship’s wheel and projections on the windows made you feel like you were on Captain Hook’s boat. There are masts with lights, the skull and crossbones flag and lots of other references to boats. My son loved spinning the ship’s wheel.
There are a couple of rooms after this. One of which has a projection that you must stand and watch through to the end as there is a bit of a fun surprise.
You will then exit through two gift shops including the bauble shop. I must admit that we parted with a bit of money in here as they have some really beautiful Christmas decorations. Many of the baubles are themed on Peter Pan which was a lovely touch. I had been secretly hoping there would be some themed decorations and they didn’t disappoint.
There are plenty of other things to do at Castle Howard. If you want to give your legs a bit of a rest why not take the land train down to Skelf Island and the adventure playground? All visitors must walk over to the Atlas Fountain. It runs from 11 am and it would be a crime to miss it. It is simply stunning and you also get some great views of the front of the house from here. You can also explore the wider grounds by walking up to the Temple of the Four Winds or through the woodland.
If you are looking for somewhere for food and drinks there are a number of options. You can book an afternoon tea and enjoy festive delights in their large marquee or in their Courtyard Cafe. Plus there are other places where you can purchase food and drinks. Please note that the afternoon tea will appear bookable when you select a corresponding date of your booking.
How much does Christmas in Neverland cost to visit?
As mentioned above we have found an offer with 15% off tickets. Parking costs £6 and is subject to a booking fee. It is recommended that you add this to your order. Prices vary greatly but all adult and children tickets are discounted via this link.
Tickets bought via the Castle Howard website cost from £19-32 for adults. Children are 50% of the adult price and children under 2 are free.
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