Top picks!
Are you looking for some family fun events that are snow-amazing during the holidays? We've done all the hard work for you and have rounded up our top events to inspire you!
Robin Robin Adventure Trail
- 24 November 2021 – 10 January 2022
- 11am-3pm
- £3 per pack
Celebrate your inner Robin on a Robin Robin adventure trail at Sherwood Forest!
Aardman’s new festive musical tale about a young robin trying to fit in, debuted on Netflix on 24 November. Every year, Robin joins her family on a big sneak to find food to survive the winter.
Join the great RSPB sneak and celebrate your inner robin! Complete the trail and you will learn to sing like a robin, find your own superpower and use all your senses to connect with the robin within.
The exclusive Robin Robin activity packs will help you complete all the fun challenges along the trail as well as suggesting robin-related activities to do at home, with a certificate (for when you become a brilliant robin) and much more!
Activity packs are £3 each from the Visitor Centre and trails are available between 11 am and 3 pm. No need to book. Just come along and start sneaking.
Have-a-go archery and Have-a-go axe throwing
- 11 and 12 December 2021
- 11am-3pm
- Price £4 for 6 arrows/axes
Join Notts Outdoors for an archery and axe-throwing challenge in the home of Robin Hood.
Robin and his outlaws were skilled in the use of the traditional long bow so come and try your own hand on the archery range and see if you are as good as Robin himself.
Test your skills on the range beneath the Major Oak and even meet Robin, Maid Marian and Little John.
Archery costs £4 for six arrows and axe-throwing costs £4 for six tomahawks or six angels. Both activities are supervised by highly-qualified instructors.
Please note that the axe-throwing activity is not advised for children aged under 16.
Archery is available for children aged six and above.
Please note that in the case of adverse weather conditions, these events may be cancelled at short notice.
Christmas with the Outlaws
- 11 December 2021
- 10.30am-12noon
- Price: £10 adults/£5 children
Join the Outlaws for a 90-minute guided walk under the winter skies in the Greenwood.
Learn more about Yuletide and some of the mythical stories that surround this magical season and appreciate the beauty of Sherwood and the Major Oak in the winter season.
The walk will finish at the Major Oak where there will be combat as Robin and Lady Marian will be joined by their outlaw friends and do battle against the Sheriff as he tries to cancel Christmas.
Suitable for families and the walk is pushchair accessible. Please meet at the Robin Hood statue outside the Visitors Centre shop.
Mawda’s Magic School
- 11 December 2021
- 11am-11:45/1.15pm-2pm
- Price: £5 (£4 RSPB members)
Mawda is an expert at forest magic and many of The Sheriff of Nottingham’s plans have been thwarted by her skill with spells.
The outlaws are always looking for new members to join the Merry band so Mawda will teach you how to make your own wand and become a real life spell-slinger.
If you end up being turned into a newt, don’t worry - you will get better!
Please note that all children must attend with an adult and there is a maximum of 4 children per adult.
Combat!
- 11 December 2021
- 12.15pm – 12.30pm/2.30pm-2-45pm
- Free
Watch in awe as the Sherwood Outlaws do battle with the dreaded Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisbourne in the shadow of the Major Oak.
This frenetic display of combat skills by highly-trained professional teams is not to be missed!
Mawda’s Magic School
- 12 December 2021
- 11am-11:45/1.15pm-2pm
- Price: £5 (£4 RSPB members)
Mawda is an expert at forest magic and many of The Sheriff of Nottingham’s plans have been thwarted by her skill with spells.
The outlaws are always looking for new members to join the Merry band so Mawda will teach you how to make your own wand and become a real life spell-slinger.
If you end up being turned into a newt, don’t worry - you will get better!
Please note that all children must attend with an adult and there is a maximum of 4 children per adult.
Dukeries Singers
- 12 December 2021
- 11am -11:45am
- Free
Enjoy the wonderful sound of the Dukeries Singers, who will be performing at the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre.
This mixed choir, gathered from around the Sherwood Forest area have been entertaining audiences for more than 40 years, raising money for charity, performing at weddings, festivals and churches, as well as in collaboration with other choral and musical groups with a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary songs.
A tour of Sherwood Forest with the Sheriff of Nottingham
- 13 December 2021
- 12pm-1pm
- Price: Adults: £10 (£8 RSPB members) Children: £5 (£4 RSPB members)
Everyone knows that Robin Hood lives amongst the trees of Sherwood Forest. But there is one man who wishes he didn’t!
Join the Sheriff of Nottingham on this family-friendly walk around Sherwood Forest as you unravel the legend of who Robin Hood is, and may have been.
The Sheriff will also share intriguing stories of medieval life, but make sure you listen well because if you don’t pay attention, he may throw you into the dungeons of Nottingham Castle!
Please note that this walk is not suitable for dogs.
Proclaiming Christmas at Sherwood Forest
- 19 December 2021
- 11am-3pm
- Free
On the last Sunday before Christmas, come along to RSPB Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve – the home of the legend of Robin Hood – to formally usher in the festive week ahead with a day of performance and activities.
There will be the sweet sounds of the Dukeries Community Band and the Major Oak Pop Choir performing at the Visitor Centre.
Then the Sheriff of Nottingham and Friar Tuck will vie for the title of the Lord of Misrule – the person who will lead the Christmas revelry – and bid for your vote to claim the honour.
Who will you choose? Come and hear why they deserve your ballot.
And maybe, just maybe, there’ll be a visit from Santa too!
Set in beautiful parkland, Rufford Abbey offers over 870 years of history, from its origins as a 12th century cistercian monastery to its period as a Jacobean era family home.
There is plenty to explore; with walks through the native woodlands, a lake and gardens plus a range of attractions, activities and places to relax and eat.
Christmas in the courtyard
- Every weekend until 19 December
- 11am-4pm
- Free to enter (normal parking charges apply)
Soak up the Christmas atmosphere with a selection of fabulous craft and gift stalls. If that doesn't get you in the festive mood there will be mince pies and mulled wine too.
Abbey Peppermint Glitterpants Sparkly Christmas Trail
- 4 December 2021 - 9 January 2022
- 11am-4pm Daily
- £2 per trail sheet (includes a treat at the end) Available from the Abbey Courtyard Gift Shop
Join Elf Abbie in her search for Christmas Sparkle this festive season!
Dine with Santa
- Various dates up until 24 December
- Various Times
- From £18.95
A chance to have either breakfast or lunch with Santa at Rufford Park. (suitable for children aged 2+)
Events for Holme Pierrepont Country park will return in 2022
Our libraries have a number of fantastic activities for people of all ages! Take a look at some of the events below:
Christmas Events at Your Local Library
Celebrate Christmas at your local library through a series of festive events.
In the Bleak Midwinter: A Victorian Christmas in Nottingham
- 13 December 2021
- £4
- Advance booking is required
- Via Zoom
It is commonly held, by those in the know, that the Victorians were the creators of the Christmas traditions we know and love today. But what were our Victorian ancestors in Nottingham getting up to during the festive season?
Join Mildred Freeman, The Lady Historian, for In the Bleak Midwinter – A Victorian Christmas in Nottingham, to discover all of Nottingham’s Yuletide gossip and goings-on.
Dementia Friendly Film Screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol
- 16 December 2021
- Mansfield Central Library
- £1
- Places are limited so you must book
Mansfield Central Library are delighted to be hosting a series of dementia friendly screenings of classic films and musicals.
River Dipping at Thoresby
- £6 per child
- 1 FREE accompanying adult with each child ticket purchased
- Multiple dates available
- Suitable for 5-11yrs
Come and spend 2 hours exploring the River Meden at Thoresby Estate. Let our Notts Outdoors Tutor take you on an immersive trip in the river. See what bugs we can find and just have some fun. Dress for the weather and wear your WELLIES or RIVER SHOES. Bring spare clothes, you never know what might happen in the river.
