On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Said to Me: I Hear You Can Get Into Kew Gardens Completely Free!

FREE ENTRY to Kew Gardens during the Festive Season!

22 December 2012 to 4 January 2013

As an amazing year for London draws to a close, and in the spirit of celebration and festivity, Kew Gardens is offering an extraordinary gift to visitors: free entry for 12 whole days during Christmas!

Simply book your tickets online for free entry during the 12 days of Christmas - 22 December 2012 to 4 January 2013. Online booking opens on 17 December 2012 (www.kew.org).

There are festive delights galore this winter at Kew, so no one needs to stay cooped up indoors watching re runs of Father Ted! Walk off the mince pies with our enchanting winter tree tours, which explore Kew’s beautiful and diverse collection of evergreens and conifers. Bring the kids to meet Santa in his grotto, and then from Boxing Day onwards they can enjoy magical storytelling sessions featuring shadow puppetry. Take a ride on our vintage carousel and then warm up in the Orangery with our delicious seasonal menu, where you can get into the festive spirit with Christmas carols performed by local choirs. Finally, top off a perfect day with a spot of retail therapy at Victoria Plaza, where you can pick up a bargain from 21 December in our up to 50% off sale!

During your visit make sure to catch the acclaimed David Nash: A Natural Gallery exhibition. See his spectacular sculptures nestling in Kew’s wonderful winter landscape. Looking to escape the cold? Then check out his indoor works in the Temperate House, Nash Conservatory, and Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art.

Be sure to stop by the Winter Garden, where you can enjoy the heady scents of witch hazels and take a look inside the 18th-century Ice-House. Nearby in the Rock Garden, a wide range of delicate snow drops brave the chilly weather. The frost laced Grass Garden also looks spectacular on a crisp, clear winter’s day. See Holly Walk burst into life, with red berries adorning this historic collection of trees, some of which are over 130 years old.

No visit would be complete without climbing to the top of the Treetop Walkway to enjoy sweeping views across the frosty Gardens and London’s stunning skyline.

Terms and conditions:
1. Offer redeemable by booking a free ticket prior to visit at kew.org
2. Tickets valid between 22 December 2012 and 4 January 2013 on elected visit date
3. 9,000 free tickets available each day the Gardens are open.
4. Kew Gardens are closed on 24 and 25 December
5. For full terms and conditions, visit kew.org

Ends

Notes to editors

For press 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.

Visitor information
• Contact: 020 8332 5655 or info@kew.org
• Website: kew.org
• Closing times: Mon 10 Dec 2012 to Fri 1 Feb 2013 - Gates close 4.15pm (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