Visiting Santa This Christmas At Lakeside Nottingham

For the last 9 years I have been sharing our Christmas Santa adventures and this year is a first.

It is a first visit to a local venue which only actually opened recently and is providing festive events for the very first time. 

Lakeside Nottingham was originally built in 1873 and was called Bestwood Pumpkin Station which was one of 3 local steam powered pumping stations in the area that supplied clean water to Nottingham. 

It was designed by the local born engineer Thomsas Hawsley and it was a working pumping station until 1964 where it pumped water for storage in the area.

Lakeside stood derelict for many decades and opened as a restaurant and spa before closing again in 2017.

Although 2020 was a hard year for many. For Lakeside it saw the completion of a stunning upgrade that celebrates its iconic industrial past and its Grade II listed status. It offers multiple drinking and dining options along with events and the hiring of function rooms for celebrations. 

This Christmas they launched their first ever  Santa Experience which is based around the stunning lake.

We were lucky that my sister bought the boys some tickets and booked the boys in for their visit with Santa last Saturday afternoon.

Once we arrived on site we checked in with the Santa experience booth and the boys were given some chocolates. 

The start of the experience is starts under lit arches that would look nothing but stunning in dusk. However our slot was 1-3 so we didnt get the full effect. Next year I think we would aim for the late afternoon/evening slot to book.

Along the lake there are lots of decoration pit stops which my boys loved. 

There were also several optional extras you could purchase along the way. From balloons that started at £5 and even sweeties you buy. 

Jacob picked a Santa balloon which he loved. The balloon stand was located right next to the beautiful bandstand. 

While we continued to meander around the lake we headed to the big fellas wonderland grotto which was located on top of a hill overlooking the lake and the lovely lakeside terrace we spotted the Grinch and an elf! 

Once we climbed the steps to Santas grotto we spotted a drinks booth so while waiting your turn you could purchase a festive drink. If visiting with mobility issues it might be worth contacting the venue first to see if there is another access route to get to Santas grotto as it has steep steps and I personally didn’t spot anywhere else to get access up to it for wheelchairs so please do bare this in mind.

We were thrilled that those behind us in the queue kept their distance while at the grotto so we could take some photos with the boys at the front of the grotto. 

Once it was our turn the boys entered the festive grotto and I have to say inside was beautiful. It smacked of festive decoration and it was so lovely and warm and cozy in there. You are allowed 2 adults inside with the children so both Ollie and I went into the grotto with the kids while my sister and brother in law walked down the stairs and ordered warm drinks on the terrace ready for our arrival. 

Over the years and having a much older child and then the boys means I have visited a fair few Santas over the years. The gent that played Santa at Lakeside was utterly delightful. 

He was bright and engaging and never seemed to falter on what to chat to the children about. He by far was the best Santa and I do hope he will be playing the part again next year. 

Inside the grotto there were several elves who gave the children some magical reindeer food and both boys were handed a beautifully festive gift bag which contained a wonderful gift that was ideal for each boy.

We said our goodbyes to father christmas and the elves and headed for hot drinks on the terrace. The boys tucked into cream laidened hot chocolates and we got chance to chat and catch up with my sister and brother in law under the marque covered terrace as the rain storm started and with the help of some of the patio heaters we warmed up just a little before heading home. 

There was also outside hot food options just next to the terrace so you could also eat on the terrace if you wanted too. 

For us it was a little too cold to stay much longer but it was a lovely afternoon.

Final Observations

This is obviously a learning curve for the venue being its first event so I think there was some things they need to to consider further. 

The first is the location of Santa’s grotto. It was on top of the hill. Which gave a stunning view of the terrace but could make things more challenging for parents trying to keep their off spring away from the edge of the hill or getting up there if there was mobility issues. 

On the up side the grotto was lovely and spacious and fantastically decorated and it allowed for super photos on the front for your children. Obviously Santa was amazing and he really was an asset to the venue.

Decorations around the lake leading to Santa were lovely but felt in some areas they were a little flat. Maybe a little festive music playing or even some covered over areas to allow for extra special lit areas meaning daytime visitor feel more of the festive spirit with the lighting. 

Although we did like the decorations and it was a lovely atmosphere it could be better but I am guessing Lakeside will pick up on this when they debrief after the event. 

Staff members were fantastic throughout the event. Even through the blistering cold they had smiles on their faces and the festively dressed elves and the grinch were great. Next year please can there be more of them?

The gifts the boys received were clearly not cheap which was lovely to know that the £15 per child had been used so wisely on the gift choice and both my boys fell in love with their gifts.

Even though our boys loved their gifts next year however, maybe it might be an option to consider giving the children a voucher to pick their own. This would eliminate any issues over any child being sad at being given a specific gender gift? Or by gifting gender neutral gifts so it wouldn’t matter? 

My final observation was over the timing slots. My sister purchased tickets in the 1-3 slot but we did notice that there seemed to be periods of business both on the lake walk and then visiting Santa then nothing. 

Maybe next year selling a set number of tickets with 1 hour time slots to visit the lakeside walk and then Santa but then put the extra purchase items at the end of the walk and grotto visit to keep people flowing through at a more regulated pace? 

This didn’t cause an issue for us personally but could imagine some time slots might have caused a bit of a blockage if everyone turned up at opening of the slot.

We had only planned to do one Santa visit this festive season and Saturday afternoon at Lakeside was it and it was beautiful. It would have been lovely to have stayed longer and maybe eaten on the terrace but it really was rediculasoulg too cold so with Santa gifts, happy boys, warm drinks and a santa balloon we headed home. 

Thanks Lakeside for a lovely afternoon.

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