Christmas Countdown
Meet the reindeers, decorate trees and enjoy nativity stories with your children every Saturday in the run up to Christmas.
Tomorrow, December 1, we will welcome the start of the holiday season with Christmassy treats at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. Help us decorate our eight foot fir tree in the ‘Countdown to Christmas’. For the first time this year, the zoo is fully open to visitors each Saturday up to and including Saturday, December 15, from 10:30am – 4pm, with special discounted entry tickets of £5 for everyone. The ticket gets you into all our exciting activities onsite and also includes access to the two school nativity shows on December 8 and 15.
There are fun filled events for all the family so you can bring the kids, the cousins, and the grandparents! For instance our Christmas Arts and Crafts session between 12.30pm-1.30pm in the Education Room is suitable for all ages. Afterwards you can get your photograph taken with the reindeer in the Ark Arena from 2.30pm.
New and returning visitors and families can get into the festive spirit and begin celebrating Christmas early with the return of our incredibly popular live nativities. On Saturday, December 8, and Saturday, December 15, there are two different nativity interpretations to choose from, with season ticket holders benefitting from free entry. The children’s version of the nativity story on December 8 is performed by the Whitchurch Primary School and the traditional version is showcased by the 4th Redcliffe Bay Brownies on December 15. Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is ideal in all weather and the nativities will be held inside the Ark Arena (a converted barn) which will be warm and cosy. You can expect an atmospheric afternoon of festive entertainment featuring real farm animals and a straw filled manger. Whitchurch Primary School presents their nativity play 'C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S Spells Christmas' in the Ark Arena at 2.30pm on Saturday, December 8. Hundreds of excited students and their parents turn out to watch their annual school nativity at Noah’s Ark alongside the zoo’s visitors.
Join us for Whitchurch Primary School nativity play
The 4th Redcliffe Bay Brownies present their nativity play 'The Greatest Gift' on Saturday December 15 at 2:30pm. This will be a traditional nativity featuring well known Christmas songs, familiar farm animals and a real baby! After Saturday December 15 Noah’s Ark closes to the public for our usual winter break, reopening on Saturday, February 2, for the 2013 season. During the offseason we work hard to make the zoo even better for the animals and the visitors, and development will be continuing on our massive Elephant Eden project. Work is moving fast on Elephant Eden, the brand new 20 acre habitat for elephants being built at Noah’s Ark to open next season. The impressive elephant barn is beginning to go up as the finishing touches are being put to the foundations and ground works.
Building the foundations of Elephant Eden
Thousands of tonnes of soil and rock have been excavated this autumn to provide the secure footing and site for the deep elephant sand yards, a feature of the new elephant barn. The inclement weather hasn’t helped with our deadline to meet the conditions of the grant but diggers and dumper trucks have been working long days on the site to see the project is completed in time. Visitors to the zoo will be able to see the elephant barn structure up in place and lots of other developments when the zoo reopens in February. In the meantime we look forward to celebrating Christmas here with you and your family!
