Christmas is coming to Markeaton Park! We are very excited that in just one day’s time, the festivities will begin with a range of great outdoor activities for all the family! The elves have moved in, the tree has gone up and Father Christmas’s North Pole post box has appeared.
With the news that Derby has entered Tier 3, Derby Parks in conjunction with the individual indoor craft providers have made the decision to cancel the indoor workshops that were due to take place in Markeaton Park between Saturday 5 and Sunday 20 December, to ensure the safety of customers, workshop leaders and staff. This includes the Wreath Making Workshop, Christmas Crafts Workshop, Painting Fun Workshop, Mosaics Workshop and the Introduction to Glass Fusing Workshop. However, we still have lots of fun things to do outdoors in Markeaton Park this festive season, so grab your hats, scarves and gloves and come and enjoy all the activities Derby Parks have to offer.
While all of the remaining activities will be subject to any further new guidance from the Government, everything has designed to be as Covid-safe as possible. Visitors to the park are reminded that we can all play our part and do the right thing for Derby this Christmas by wearing a face covering if we can, observing social distancing at all times and following guidance about who we can meet with in line with the current local restrictions.
From Saturday 5 to Sunday 20 December, visit Markeaton Craft Village to see the dazzling Christmas tree there, and to take festive photos with your family. There, you will also find Father Christmas’s post box so that you can write him a letter with your Christmas list on. Experts have determined that it is very safe for Santa to continue with his job of delivering presents this Christmas, so make sure he knows what you want! You can download a letter template to print out before you come to the park on the InDerby website.
The elves have also returned to Markeaton Park and between Saturday 5 and Sunday 20 December they will put some letters outside of their little houses for you to find! Download your Elf Trail map from our website on the InDerby website to join in. Follow the trail to find seven letters and then unscramble them to spell out a Christmas related word. Using this word, you can then enter the competition on our website to be in with the chance of winning some treats, including a £30 gift voucher to spend in Studio Gift Shop at Markeaton Park!
We also have some pre-bookable, outdoor activities you could do this December. If you’ve asked Father Christmas for a bike this year, why not get a head start on learning how to ride one with a fantastic class from Cycle Derby? They have three different sessions on offer - Learn to Ride, Balance and Early Skills, and you can attend as many of the sessions as you like. Bikes can be provided, and two trainers will support the learning environment with fun and games on the bikes.
Or for the adults, you could begin to learn a new language this Christmas, or brush up your skills if you’ve been practising for a while, with one of the Festive Language Walks run by Derby Adult Learning Services. Take a gentle Promenade en francais, Paseo en españolis or Passeggiata in italiano in our respective French, Spanish and Italian festive walks, where you will learn about Christmas in each language’s native country.
The Mini Golf also remains open each weekend for a bit of festive family rivalry, as does the Orangery Café, which will be serving hot takeaway drinks and snacks. Each weekend from Saturday 5 to Sunday 20 December, the Orangery will also be giving away a free mince pie to the first 20 customers each day!
Plus, Markeaton Park is a beautiful open green space with lots of paths and trails to follow, so why not enjoy the outdoors one day this December with a walk, scooter or bike round around the park, exploring everything it has to offer?