Enter a Winter Wonderland at Kew Gardens this Christmas - With Father Christmas, Late Night Shopping, Winter Tours and Vintage Carousel!

Sat 1 Dec 2012 - Sun 6 January 2013

Come and celebrate the festive season at Kew this year, complete with Santa’s Grotto for the kids, late night retail therapy for shoppers, and delicious Christmas treats for all!

Lara Mistry, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s Festival Manager, says, “Christmas at Kew is all about celebrating with your family and friends. With an array of festive activities, Kew is a great stop for a festive day out.”

For you at Kew

Christmas Shopping...

At Kew’s Victoria Plaza and White Peaks shops you can find a variety of festive and botanically inspired presents and stocking fillers for the whole family.

Exclusive products include our popular handmade felt slippers, shaped like woodland animals; our range of beautiful Kew-inspired ‘St Nicholas’ Christmas tree decorations; a series of nostalgic ‘Kew Underground’ stationary and kitchenware ̶ inspired by archive prints from the London Transport Museum; stylish ‘Jo Edwards’ cashmere scarves and fashionable ‘Anna P’ handmade bags, all available from October.

Escape the bustle of the high street and take advantage of late night shopping at Kew, with Victoria Plaza shop open until 7pm every Thursday in December. With a 20% discount available for night owls, you can’t afford to miss out! Alternatively spend over £100 (in a single transaction) throughout December in any of Kew’s shops and get a voucher for £20 off to spend in January, or spend just £25 and get a free David Nash bag for life.

You can also shop online at http://www.kew.org/shops/index.htm, where you will receive a 15% discount throughout December and free delivery for orders over £100.

Winter tours and trails...

Explore the seasonal highlights across the Gardens with our ‘Twelve trees of Christmas’ family trail, where kids can learn interesting facts about Kew’s festive trees along the route (just pick up a trail map from the gate). Adults can also enjoy a self-guided ‘Winter Walk’. Complete this trail and receive a 20% off voucher in Kew’s shops! Just pick up a leaflet from the gate.

Kew’s volunteer guides will also be leading free tours of our seasonal highlights. The walks are daily and start from the Guide’s desk at Victoria Plaza (1 Dec- 6 Jan, 1.30pm - Winter Trees Tour).

The Kew Explorer train will run a special tour of Christmas trees and plants around the Gardens (from Fri 21 to Sat 23 Dec, 11.00am, 12.00 noon and 1.00pm, starting from Victoria Gate).

David Nash at Kew: A Natural Gallery...

See David Nash’s magnificent sculptures, nestled amid the wonderful winter landscape at Kew this Christmas. Alternatively, escape the cold and be inspired by his works in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, the Temperate House and the Nash Conservatory. For more info see http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/david-nash/.

Christmas Tree...

Come and see Kew’s beautiful Christmas tree at Victoria Gate from 1 December, decorated with traditional twinkling lights, it is sure to create a truly festive atmosphere in the Gardens.

Christmas treats...

Enjoy some festive treats at Kew, with roasted chestnuts, mince pies and mulled wine available on weekends (Sat 8- Sun 9 Dec & Sat 15- Sun 16 Dec) outside the south end of the Princess of Wales conservatory (10.30am to 4pm). For something a little heartier, visit Kew’s Orangery restaurant to try our special festive menu.

Christmas carols...

Children from local schools will be performing traditional carols in the Orangery, creating a truly festive atmosphere for you to enjoy (from Sat 8 to Thurs 20 Dec, 11am to 11.30am).

Recycle...

Once the Christmas festivities are over, bring your Christmas tree (minus decorations) to Brentford Gate during opening times and have it recycled for free by our arboretum team (available from Boxing Day until mid January 2013).

For Kids at Kew

Father Christmas...

Bring your little ones along to meet Father Christmas in his grotto, located in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, (open for free from Sat 8 to Sun 23 Dec, 12 midday to 3.30pm, with last entry at 3pm). After Christmas day the grotto will reopen to host magical story telling sessions, where families can enjoy traditional folktales featuring shadow puppetry! (26 Dec to 6 Jan 2013, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3pm, sessions last 20-30 minutes).

Vintage Carousel...

After the kids have visited Father Christmas, take them for a ride on our stunning vintage carousel on Kew Palace lawn (from Sat 8 Dec to Sun 6 Jan, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 10.30am to 4pm daily). Adult or child £2, adult accompanying child under five is £1.

For very young children, why not take a spin in our mini vintage car ride (runs from 10.30am to 4pm daily, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Child £2).

Face painting...

Whether it’s Rudolph, an elf, or even a Christmas pudding, your children will love to get their faces painted as a festive character at Climbers and Creepers, Kew’s indoor play area (10.30am to 3.30pm daily, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, £4 per face, £7 for two).

Hands on Sessions...

For the curious kids, big and small, Kew’s volunteer guides will be offering free sessions in the Orangery, where families can learn about the “Twelve trees of Christmas”- plants and trees symbolic of the festive season, taking inspiration from the traditional Christmas song, the ‘Twelve days of Christmas’ (8 Dec to 6 Jan, sessions run on Wed, Fri and Sun, 12 midday to 2pm).

Ends

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact the RBG Kew Press Office on 020 8332 5607 or email pr@kew.org

Images are available to download from the press image library. Please contact the press office for the username and password.

Admission:
• Adults £16.00, concessions £14.00 (prices include £1.50 voluntary gift aid donation), free for children under 17
• Visitor information: 020 8332 5655 or info@kew.org
• Website: www.kew.org

Closing times:

Dates

GATES CLOSE (Last entry 1/2 hour before)

Glasshouses & Galleries

Climbers & Creepers

Treetop Walkway (Last entry 1/4 hour before)

Sun 28 Oct 2012 to Fri 1 Feb 2013

4:15pm

3:45pm

10:30am - 3:45pm

3:45pm

(Last entry to the Gardens, the Glasshouses, Galleries and the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is 30 minutes before closing)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class Herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped 132 hectares and RBG Kew’s country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract nearly 2 million visitors every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. RBG Kew and its partners have collected and conserved seed from 10 per cent of the world's wild flowering plant species (c.30, 000 species). The aim is to conserve 25% by 2020, and its enormous potential for future conservation can only be fulfilled with the support of the public and other funders.
Kew receives funding from the UK Government through Defra for approximately half of its income and is also reliant on support from other sources. Without the voluntary monies raised through membership, donations and grants, Kew would have to significantly scale back activities at a time when, as environmental challenges become ever more acute, its resources and expertise are needed in the world more than ever. Kew needs to raise significant funds both in the UK and overseas. Members of the public can support the work of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership by getting involved with the ‘Adopt a Seed, Save a Species' campaign. For £25 an individual can adopt a seed or for £1000 anyone can save an entire species, www.kew.org/adoptaseed.