Five ways to get into the Christmas spirit in Portsmouth
Santa Claus is coming to town, and there are lots of opportunities to meet him in Portsmouth, and plenty of ways to get into the festive spirit, whether it’s musicals at the New Theatre Royal, huge shopping discounts at Gunwharf Quays, or epic runs along the seafront! Here are five ways to get into the festive throes:
Celebrate with Santa at the Victorian Festival of Christmas
The Victorian Festival of Christmas returns to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for its 17th year between Friday 25th and Sunday 27th November, welcoming 35,000 visitors over a three-day period.
The festival will see the return of all the family favourites, transporting visitors to a bygone era where colourful characters roam the snow-covered cobbled streets.
Historic parts of the dockyards will be completely transformed into Victorian-style streets, complete with coffin measurers, ladies of the night, street urchins, market sellers, and plenty more.
Make wishlists come true at Gunwharf Quays
Gunwharf Quays have lots of special offers in store on the run-up to Christmas, including discounts of up to 60% off retail prices of top fashion brands.
The premium retail outlet centre are also offering later opening times for late-night shopping opportunities surrounded by the sparkly decorations and fabulous Christmas tree. During the week leading up to Christmas, shops stay open from 9:00am to 9:00pm. Keep an eye on Gunwharf’s Instagram stream to see the latest offers.
Give back this Christmas: run 5k with Santa
Join thousands of fellow Father Christmases on Sunday 11th December for the Santa Fun Run in support of the Portsmouth RNLI and the Rowans Hospice.
Enjoy a fun, healthy, festive day out while raising money for important local causes.
Sing along with Santa Claus: The Musical
Portsmouth’s New Theatre Royal host the Christmas show of the year, Santa Claus: The Musical, running on various nights throughout December.
One snow-dusted night in a house in London, Jenny helps her daughter Anna write a letter to Santa Claus, marking the start of an epic adventure with Santa, his devoted assistant Ms. Drift, and his Chief Elf Joe, in a battle against the evil Ice Queen.
Join Mark Read from Boyband A1, Eurovision star Nicki French, Jason Sutton, and a whole host of festive characters, including hilarious penguins and polar bears in a snow-capped tale that will delight audiences of all ages.
The show features classic Christmas hits such as Here Comes Santa Claus, Jingle Bell Rock, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, for the whole family to sing along to.
Tickets for the show, which runs for an hour and 45 minutes, start from £16.00. Book yours online through the New Theatre Royal website »
Meet Santa at the Spinnaker Tower
Father Christmas will once again be dropping by the Spinnaker Tower throughout the festive period. Look out for his reindeer, come and meet the man himself, and see the tower all dressed up for Christmas.
There’ll be lots of delicious festive and wintry treats in the Waterfront Café and Café in the Clouds, and some beautiful giftware in the newly-refitted souvenir shop.