Upcoming Events

Join Dick Whittington as he seeks fame, fortune and happiness and becomes the Lord Mayor of London. An action-packed pantomime full of laughter, music and spectacular special effects, featuring dazzling sets and costumes from The London Palladium production.

One Christmas Eve, a small baby at an orphanage crawls into Santa’s bag of toys and is accidentally carried back to Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. There he’s raised to be an elf, but as he grows to be three times bigger than everyone else it becomes clear that Buddy (Ferrell) will never truly fit into the elf world. One holiday season, Buddy finally decides to find his real family, and sets off for New York City to track…

Let your hair down at the egg this Christmas and join us for a shining musical version of the classic fairy-tale, Rapunzel! This is the story of an orphaned baby rescued by an eccentric herbalist who raises her as her own. However, this act of love comes with a price. When Rapunzel blossoms into an independent young woman, her mother confines her to a tower to protect her from the prying eyes of the world.  

A great festive activity to do with the whole family. Sessions run throughout the day and run for 45 minutes. Tickets include skate hire, along with a 45 minute skate. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult on the ice. Parent and Toddler tickets include one parent and one toddler ticket and either a Penguin or Banana skate aid. Child is 12 years and under.

Squirrel loves a good acorn. But not all acorns are good. Some are downright second rate. And Squirrel is fussy like that. Under the light of the winter sun, between the houses and the offices, and the rivers and the factories, Squirrel has buried their favourite acorn collection. It’s easy to remember where; it’s under the third tree from the left. Or was it the right? A story of new growth,with a sprinkling of snowy magic and puppetry mayhem as…

Discover how Christmas traditions have come to be, from the elegant simplicity of the Georgians to the festive trees and cards of the Victorians; through the grim but hopeful wartime Christmases to the bright and colourful ones of today.

The interior decoration of No. 1 Royal Crescent shows a wealth of elegant botanical patterns including leaves and flowers. Use our nature themed collage decorations to create your own festive card to take away. Free with normal admission. Museum tickets can be bought online in advance or at the desk on the day.

Discover over 400 animal species in the Zoo, explore the Christmas animal-shaped lights, take part in Christmas arts & crafts, colour in a letter to Santa and post it off to the North Pole, meet Santa in his grotto and receive a special gift. There will also be some tasty yuletide treats available from the café restaurant, including seasonal hot drinks and mince pies.

What if we could find ways to celebrate that use fewer of the Earth’s precious resources? This winter, LiveLab becomes a workshop for budding eco-elves, with craft activities running throughout the day including Design your own laser-cut snowflake, Make a beautiful decoration from Somerset-grown willow, Fold and decorate a paper house lantern, or Create your own greetings card design from recycled and re-used materials.

The Palace will each decorated with a different theme, from medieval through Victorian to Nordic. The Entrance Hall will have a roaring fire, and seasonal greenery and foliage from the Palace Gardens will be used to create stunning adornments to complement the historic interiors. In addition, Father Christmas' grotto will be open in 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 21st and 22nd December and there will be a Christmas-themed family trail through the Palace & Gardens, leading to a traditional nativity scene…

Tickets include a festive story read by Father Christmas, meeting with his Elves and real reindeer and a choice if gift, and mini Christmas tree.

Back for another year with 1000msq real ice. Tickets include skate hire for one hour on the ice. Pre-booking not necessary although evening and weekends are often busy.

The zoo will be decorated with elaborate recycled Christmas decorations made by our staff members. Take part in one of our educational festive trails on your journey around the zoo with a seasonal hot drink and get a selfie with our artistic animals! In addition, there will be special performances on Saturdays.

Take part in a special Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm Nativity exclusively for Home Educators. The opportunity to experience a traditional Christmas Nativity with real animals and a storyteller to guide them through the Christmas story. The nativity will take place in a heated barn, all children’s costumes will be provided. Advance booking required; tickets include drink and snack. Christmas crafts will also be available in the classroom.  

  If you wish to visit one of the open days you will be need to make an appointment (11am or 1:30pm). To make an appointment email opendays@ffc.ac.uk below or phone 01373 823028.

Join Dick Whittington as he seeks fame, fortune and happiness and becomes the Lord Mayor of London. An action-packed pantomime full of laughter, music and spectacular special effects, featuring dazzling sets and costumes from The London Palladium production.

Step into the gallery and experience an interactive installation, exploring the boundaries between virtual and physical space. Using video game technology, the exhibition explores architectural designs, including Prior Park’s Palladian Bridge alongside other historical landmarks. Today, we spend much of our time living in virtual realms, looking at ideals through the screens of our personal devices. In the eighteenth century too, architects and artists became interested in picturing the ‘ideal’, designing towns and landscapes to be aesthetically pleasing and producing…

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter…journey along the Winding Way to discover who’s making the noise in the garden on this family fun trail. Suitable for ages 5+

Christmas fun with games and seasonal storytelling in our colourful snug. Maximum 2 adults per child, under 5’s free, advance booking essential.

Packed with all of the traditional pantomime ingredients Swindon audiences have come to expect, Sleeping Beauty will be spectacularly brought to life with an abundance of dance, side-splitting comedy, sensational song and plenty of festive magic. Relaxed performance: 13 December; sign-language interpreted 13 & 14 December; audio described 4 January (all at 1pm).

Let your hair down at the egg this Christmas and join us for a shining musical version of the classic fairy-tale, Rapunzel! This is the story of an orphaned baby rescued by an eccentric herbalist who raises her as her own. However, this act of love comes with a price. When Rapunzel blossoms into an independent young woman, her mother confines her to a tower to protect her from the prying eyes of the world.  

A great festive activity to do with the whole family. Sessions run throughout the day and run for 45 minutes. Tickets include skate hire, along with a 45 minute skate. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult on the ice. Parent and Toddler tickets include one parent and one toddler ticket and either a Penguin or Banana skate aid. Child is 12 years and under.

Pre-arranged tours specifically aimed at parents who are choosing a place for their child to start in Reception. Please call the office if you would like to join one of these tours. If you would like to see the school in action on an alternative day, please contact the office to book a tour.

Squirrel loves a good acorn. But not all acorns are good. Some are downright second rate. And Squirrel is fussy like that. Under the light of the winter sun, between the houses and the offices, and the rivers and the factories, Squirrel has buried their favourite acorn collection. It’s easy to remember where; it’s under the third tree from the left. Or was it the right? A story of new growth,with a sprinkling of snowy magic and puppetry mayhem as…

Discover how Christmas traditions have come to be, from the elegant simplicity of the Georgians to the festive trees and cards of the Victorians; through the grim but hopeful wartime Christmases to the bright and colourful ones of today.

The interior decoration of No. 1 Royal Crescent shows a wealth of elegant botanical patterns including leaves and flowers. Use our nature themed collage decorations to create your own festive card to take away. Free with normal admission. Museum tickets can be bought online in advance or at the desk on the day.