I wasn’t sure what to expect when we were invited to experience Meadowhall’s new interactive Christmas experience. But my fears of dragging two small children through a packed-out shopping centre were quickly allayed when I realised that the Wish upon a Star with Santa attraction is perfectly placed outside the entrance to the Oasis food court in its own pop-up tent.
As we entered the white marquee not only was I please to find that it was warm and cosy, but we were greeted by a very friendly character from the Christmas experience.
Once inside the themed tent we were immersed in a Christmas inspired theatrical production. This marked the start of our Wish upon a Star journey.
My family, fellow bloggers Trips with a Tot and Man Vs Baby and I, were introduced to the story behind Wish upon a Star.
All our children eagerly watched on as they were transported into a magical world of wishes. They were led into the first room and welcomed by the next character who introduced a short film about making wishes. So, we all sat on little logs and put on star themed headsets.
We watched a short film before being guided into the next part of the story.
At this point I felt as if I had been transported into a magical set from CBeebies. Next was a male character with a telescope and he too told the next part of the story. All the children were then invited to truly experience the magic and look at the stars through the telescope.
After that we were led into a workshop room to make our own stars to wish on. Another character led this part of the journey. The children were all seated around a wooden table as they decorated their own stars to hang on the Christmas tree and to use to make wishes.
Whilst the children were busy making their own sparkling stars we were then invited into a magic room. Inside this room was Santa himself who greeted my family and I. Santa told us about the true meaning of Christmas and asked Jasmine and Arianna to make a wish for someone else.
This was a really nice touch rather than just them receiving presents. They struggled to think of someone other than themselves at first but once they thought of their Auntie Gemma in New York for me the true magic then happened as I realised that Jasmine was really missing seeing her auntie at Christmas.
After they had made wishes and we had had a family photo the girls were then treated to a gift each from Santa.
That was the end of our experience and we were given a print of our family photo with Santa and you can also buy a range of bespoke products.
The Wish upon a Star experience with Santa lasted around 30 minutes which was the perfect length of time for my young daughters aged three and six years old.
It was a really enjoyable experience for the whole family and it was one of the best Santa experiences we have been to. I particularly loved the characters who put the children at ease and made the whole experience extremely magical.
For me, it was great to have a Christmas adventure which was about wishes rather than gifts because a wish can be for something much more wonderful than any material thing and, most importantly a wish can be for somebody else.
So, forget the gift lists and make your Christmas more magical by wishing for other people and also this is a great opportunity to spend time with the family.
Meadowhall’s Wish Upon a Star with Santa experience is open until Monday 24 December 2018. Sessions will run daily from 10am-5pm on week days and 9am – 5pm on weekends and Friday 21st and Monday 24th December. Accessible, quiet sessions are also scheduled on Tuesdays from 10-11am, allowing smaller groups of children to enjoy a little extra time in a calmer environment.Â
Spaces are limited so early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. Tickets are priced at £3.00* for adults and £6.00* for children (*plus booking fee) and can only be purchased online in advance. Â
Visit for more information:Â https://www.meadowhall.co.uk/grottonews
DISCLAIMER: I received this experience in exchange for this review.
All views in my reviews however are my own honest experiences.
