Free 'Winter Wish Land' for children and families to enjoy in Banbury's Castle Quay shopping centre

By Phil Hibble
Published 5th Dec 2022, 11:44 BST
Updated 5th Dec 2022, 11:44 BST
Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.
Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.
Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.

The Winter Wish Land was officially opened on Thursday December 1 by local charity the Sunshine Centre at 5pm.

Two cheeky elf stilt walkers contributed to the fun from 3pm to 7pm and gave out free sweet treats to visitors. In addition, local award-winning dance company ‘The School for Stars’ who have two studios in the centre, had students performing at the launch for everyone to watch.

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Visitors to the Winter Wish Land are encouraged to make a charitable donation to visit, with all donations being passed to the Sunshine Centre who do incredible things in the local community to support families in difficulty.

Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.
Castle Quay in Banbury has created a free Winter Wish Land pop-up inside the centre where children can meet Santa and his friendly elves on selected dates throughout December.

The Christmas space will be open every day between 9:30am and 5pm, even when Santa isn’t visiting, for visitors to wander through and enjoy the splendour of the space. Children will also be able to post their Christmas wishes to Santa in a magical post box in the unit.

The enchanted land will be positioned on the Quay Mall near to the former Debenhams unit. Families do not need to book and can just show up on the day to enjoy this incredible free experience. Santa and elf visits are on Thursdays December 8 and 15 between 1pm – 6pm, and Saturdays December 10 and 17 between 11am – 4pm.

Oliver Wren, centre director at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, said: “We know people are feeling the pinch and Christmas Grottos can be a very expensive day out for families – so we wanted to create something all local families can experience in the heart of Banbury for free on a regular basis.

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"Having award winning dancers from the School for Stars perform at our launch was very special. Their dancers are incredible, and the school is doing extremely well in their new location.

"When visiting the centre visitors can also admire the centre’s lights which are a mix of classic and modern light pieces, as well as a unique Christmas tree!"

Related topics:Banbury