Our annual feast of free festive fun is back at Markeaton Park. Family Festivities takes place on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December.
The Christmas extravaganza features live music, family activities, walkabout characters, a craft fair and a bustling outdoor market. Visitors will be able to enjoy festive food, meet our friendly characters, go on an elf trail and post a letter to Father Christmas.
Children will love exploring the picturesque park while they take part in the Elf Trail. Just grab a free trail map and search for the wonderfully-crafted wooden elf houses hidden throughout the park. Find all the letters along the way and unscramble the festive word to enter our free prize draw. You could be in with a chance of winning a family ticket for this year’s fantastic pantomime Cinderella at Derby Arena or vouchers for family fun at Mundy Play Centre.
If it’s Christmas shopping you’re after, there’ll be a fantastic selection of cards, gifts, decorations and much more in the delightful Markeaton Park Craft units, while you can peruse the stalls at the indoor and outdoor craft market. Stalls will include bespoke crafts, homemade gifts, plants, natural candles and edible treats.
Families can enjoy live entertainment from a fantastic line-up of local artists and bands, who are set to bring the festive feeling to the weekend. They include the Derby Concert Band, Derby Serenaders, Local Vocals, and the Duffield Singers on Saturday while, on Sunday, the Derwent Valley Wind Band, The Invisible Friends and Chaddesden Ukulele Players will take to the stage, plus singers Gabryl Oleshko and Shannon Elmore.
See our festive walkabout characters and post your printable letter to Father Christmas in Markeaton Park’s own North Pole post box.
You can also sample some treats at The Orangery, with warming winter soup and festive paninis on the menu, followed by mince pies and Christmas cupcakes and maybe an indulgent hot chocolate – with a shot of Baileys, if you fancy!
Plus don’t miss the Famous Trains Christmas Specials, which will be running over the weekend and Mon 2 Dec. The East Midlands’ largest OO scale model railway is a must-visit for young and old.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council, said:
Family Festivities is always a brilliant event with so much going on, all in the beautiful surroundings of Markeaton Park. The best thing is, it’s free!
The weekend will also see Derby’s Christmas Lights Switch-on and the launch of this year’s packed Festive Derby programme, so come along and join the fun!
Family Festivities takes place on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December from 11am until 3pm. For all the programme updates, check the event page on Facebook or the Festive Derby website.