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You can visit Father Christmas and Norbert the reindeer at the Trafford Centre this year

The Trafford Centre is ready to "sprinkle some magic on the festive season".

Emily Sergeant - 23rd October 2020

The Trafford Centre is ready to “sprinkle some magic on the festive season” with its Reindeer Lodge Christmas Experience arriving next month.

You are invited to “journey north” to the shopping mall’s warm and snug reindeer lodge where you’ll first meet the loveable Norbert – a young reindeer who longs to lead the sleigh on Christmas Eve and wants to share a very magical secret of his own – before going on to meet Father Christmas himself.

Father Christmas will then be waiting in his twinkly, cosy cabin to meet his guests.

Given the times we are living in amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this visit won’t be the usual Santa’s grotto we’ve come to know, but children will still be permitted to approach the front of his sleigh at a safe two-metre distance to say hello and tell him their Christmas wishes, before having their photo taken, receiving a gift, and gathering some magical reindeer food to take it home.

Sprinkling the food outside on Christmas Eve will help Norbert’s reindeer friends fly the sleigh.

The experience has been carefully risk assessed and designed in line with COVID-19 safety measures, which include hand sanitising stations, maximum capacity limits, and regular cleaning of the experience itself.

Adults and children over 11 years of age must wear a face covering.

There will also be autism-friendly grotto experiences, which will feature smaller groups of visitors, quieter music, and specially-trained characters.

Zoe Inman – Director at The Trafford Centre – said: “Here at the centre, we look forward all year to celebrating Christmas traditions with our visitors.

“We know how special it is for families to meet Father Christmas and share those all-important Christmas wishes [and] although the festive season may be a little different this year, we’re so excited to be bringing this charming experience to our littlest visitors and their families, sprinkling a little extra magic on the festive period.”

The Reindeer Lodge will open at The Trafford Centre on 17th November and close on 24th December, and you will find it located on the Upper Level of the mall next to the Main Dome.

Tickets are priced at £10.50 per child, and £5.50 per adult.

The ticket price includes reindeer food to take home and a special gift from Father Christmas, and you are required to book online prior to the event via the Trafford Centre website here.

COVID-19 safety measures:

• There will be hand sanitising points situated throughout to keep hands clean, and the grotto will also be regularly cleaned. 
• Adults and children over 11 must wear a face covering (unless they are exempt).
• The experience has been arranged to be safe and socially distant from other groups, and the capacity of the area has been assessed to allow five groups per session.
• Tickets will be sold in bubbles of up to five people and people should only visit with members of their household or bubble. There is a maximum of two adults per group, so if you do wish to bring a sixth person in your group, please contact the customer helpline to arrange.
• Each child will be provided with a sanitised scoop and gift bag to collect their reindeer food, and they will move through the area from section to section in a structured format, ensuring correct social distancing between family groups, collecting reindeer food as they move through.

You can find more information on The Trafford Centre website here.