I went to LaplandUK - here’s five things you need to know before you go

LaplandUK is an immersive Christmas experience hidden in Swinley Forest. Here's some top tips if you're lucky enough to have tickets this winter...

Firstly, if you have tickets to LaplandUK, congratulations.

Getting into the magical Christmas experience has become as tricky as getting Glastonbury tickets over the years. Entries for 2024 sold out back in March in record breaking time with families clambering to get sought after spots at the immersive festive experience. And rightly so, for one of the UK’S leading Christmas attractions.

So what is LaplandUK?

LaplandUK is a family-run business masterminded by parents Mike and Alison Battle who resigned from their days jobs to make the dream of experiencing the joys of visiting Lapland without leaving the country a reality for families. Since it opened its doors in 2007, LaplandUK has seen over 1,000,000 visitors - including famous faces such as the Prince and Princess of Wales and Paul McCartney.

But the forest is not just reserved for royalty and pop stars. The annual event is open to all and has evolved into an immersive four-hour long theatre experience set in Swinley Forest, in a Hollywood-style set. Conceived from six best-selling books, written by the Battle family, it allows families to enter a magical world, every year from November 9 until December 24 to bring Christmas joy to life. Families will experience a day in Lapland as they help out in a toy factory, visit Mother Christmas' kitchen, play in an Elven forest complete with a 'frozen lake' ice rink before ending the day with a personalised meeting with Father Christmas himself.

After running for over 15 years, the destination has become a huge hit with families and has also received critical acclaim, picking up an award for the UK’s best tourist attraction in 2022.

As the Elven forest opens its doors for Christmas 2024 here’s some top tips for enhancing your day out...

Get there early!

It is recommended you arrive at LaplandUK 40 minutes before your booking - make sure you stick to this advice. There’s lots to see before you go in and better to soak up the atmosphere rather than making a dash for the entrance and missing any of the fun. Before you head into Lapland there’s the enchanted forest to see, but before you even arrive there, you will find yourself in a festive departures lounge where there is plenty of magic for the kids to soak up while you do the checking in. Elf passports ready!

Check your emails

The good people at LaplandUK really do think of everything and the magic doesn’t just start when you set foot in the forest. On the day you’ll receive an email sharing with you a magical message from Father Christmas to play in the car - or on the train - or however you are making your arrival. Listening to Father Christmas himself share his excitement for your visit, to the sound of a crackling fire and sleigh bells in the background, is the perfect way to get the little ones super excited for a fun-filled day ahead.

Things are a little different this year...

If you’ve been to LaplandUK before you’ll know the Elven village is one of the highlights of the trip - and the frozen lake in the heart of the action is a special sight. This year the lake has had a slight revamp which will be welcome news to parents. As well as the traditional single blade ice skates you can rent for free - the elves at Lapland now provide special two-blade skate shoes - to clip on over your little ones’ own footwear to make skating even easier for them. Now even the tiniest of small folk - as they are known in Lapland - can enjoy the fun of the ice.

Many of the attractions have also had a slight in 2024 for returning families to continue enjoying the magic year after year.

Make the trip extra special

Before the day of your arrival, don’t forget to fill out your personalised form on the MyLapland website. After logging in with your booking reference you can make your experience even more special by giving a few cues to Father Christmas. There’s nothing better than seeing the look on your little ones’ faces when Father Christmas knows exactly what they want delivering on December 25th before they’ve even asked. Father Christmas can also pick out some highlights of the year or special people that mean the most to the children to surprise them with. Even the non-believers will start to feel it's real!

Get ready to help the elves do their work

Get ready with the distraction techniques! When you and your group are in the toy factory you will make a plush toy to be packed up and shipped off to the ‘North Pole’ ready for Father Christmas to hand out to children on Christmas night.

However, in reality, ‘big folk’ will be handed completed versions of the toys in cardboard bags as you are about to leave. The gift bags will come with a note from Father Christmas thanking the children for their help - to be handed out as a Christmas Day surprise.

These gifts will be presented to you at the counter of the Lapland shop in exchange for QR codes given out earlier in the experience. To help keep the magic alive, just remember to pick up your bags as discreetly as possible. Luckily there’s a whole store of goodies to keep little ones amused while you make the swap.