Cheltenham Rocks

2nd - 3rd December: What's On In Cheltenham This Weekend

It's December and the Christmas countdown is officially ON! It seems we can't go a day without a whiff of mulled wine in the air (thank you German Market!) - not to mention Santa's arrival at the drop of a hat to every lunch, dinner and fair!

So for you humbugs - there really is nowhere to run or hide, so you may as well embrace the season and leave the Christmas 24 channel running.

If you're venturing out this weekend you've come to the right place - we've got a veritable feast of weekend events and activities planned for you, so get cosy and read on..

To find things to do any day, visit the what's on today page and view all events to browse everything on for families in Cheltenham.

Saturday & Sunday

A Christmas Bauble painting weekend sounds like great fun, thanks to Paint it Yourself Pottery! Get arty and personalise your best bauble with some little fingerprints, creating a tree decoration to treasure! From 10am - 4pm. Find out more.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure + Frozen (Cineworld Movies For Children) returns for weekend screenings at 9:50am. Early / advanced booking advised - we don't wanna let this go Elsa! Find out more.

Alternatively if you've had your fill of Frozen (gasp!) there's always the Smurfs. In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest! Showing at 10am, prices vary. Find out more.

Santa's Grotto in House of Fraser opened on Thursday and is welcoming little visitors into a magical festive wonderland. Tickets are £6 and you can book online 24+ hours in advance, or arrive on the day for drop-in visits. Find out more

Saturday

The Santa Selfie Competition invites families to meet the main man at The Brewery Quarter where he’ll be meeting and greeting as many people as he can. In addition, he’ll be encouraging people to get their selfie taken with him for a chance to win one of FIVE great Brewery Quarter prizes each day! Find out more.

Bishop's Cleeve FC Children's Christmas Party - not 1 but 2 events for the little ones to celebrate the season! With ages 2-8 years able to party from 10am – 12pm, following with ages 9-14 years dancing the evening away from 5pm – 7pm. £5 per ticket with siblings and friends welcome! Coffee, hot chocolate and mince pies for parents, the Dad Dancing is optional! Find out more.

Broadlands Pre-School Christmas Fair takes place from 10:30am - 12:30pm at Leckhampton Village Hall. Come and meet Father Christmas and enjoy festive treats and games! Entry costs £2 per family. Find out more.

Did someone say Bake Sale? Hop Skip Jump Cotswold Centre are selling their best bakes to raise money for a new swing and more outdoor equipment for the centre. Find out more.

Alakazam - it's Hogwarts Day! Visit the Proud Lion for a day of magical fun and games! Participants will be able to play a selection of games themed around particular subjects and have the opportunity to earn house points for their chosen Hogwarts house. No experience is necessary, standard tickets are £5, deluxe tickets are £10. Parental supervision required for all under 12s. Find out more.

The drop in STEM Club are making lava lamps this weekend! Come along and play at any time between 10am and 4pm.Included in normal admission: £2 per person (over 4), £7.50 for a family (up to 5 people) or FREE with an annual family pass (£20 for 12 months). Find out more.

Sunday

The Santa Sleigh is coming to a street near you, thanks to Cheltenham Round Table! Santa and his helpers will be visiting local residents and collecting for local good causes. This Sunday sees Santa in St Marks, arriving at Edinburgh Place car park at 4pm and travelling through the planned route until 6pm (please see the Facebook page for details). Find out more.

Glenfall House Christmas Craft Fayre promises to get you feeling festive, if you're not already! The main Manor House and beautiful gardens will be open for all to enjoy, with a selection of arts and crafts suppliers showcasing their products. From the perfect gifts, treats for you and even luxury produce to add to the Christmas dinner, they have it all. Register for your FREE ticket on Eventbrite, open to public from 11am - 3pm. Find out more.

The Suffolks Christmas Market has over 90 stalls - meaning lots of opportunities to buy those presents, whilst raising money for Maggie's Cancer Care. Carol singers, stilt-walkers, a jazz band and Father Christmas! Clothing and craft stalls, food and refreshments. Free entry, from 11am - 5pm. Find out more.

Family Board Games can only bring out the best in us all, right? Pop along to the last date of 2017 for a great send off - you may want to just chill out and play a classic game, learn a new game, or bring along your own games - it's up to you! Entry £1 per family of 4 people or £1 per person. Find out more.

The Christmas Fayre at the Court signs off the weekend with style and stuffing - with mulled wine, mince pies and festive gift shopping. After visiting the stalls why not take advantage of a Sunday lunch...well, it would be rude not to! From 11am - 4pm at Brickhampton Court Golf Complex. Find out more.

Out Of Town

The Kingham Christmas Market returns this Sunday, with a FREE Christmas Market from 11am - 3pm. The market will include Christmas gifts, food, floral displays, Christmas demonstrations and entertainment for all the family including a visit from Father Christmas himself. Find out more.

Don't miss Westonbirt's Enchanted Christmas this festive season: A walk through a magical wonderland of trees on the Enchanted Christmas Illuminated Trail. Along the 45 minute illuminated trail, you'll discover a exciting array of beautiful light displays scattered amongst the trees, and find plenty of wintery magic to get involved with along the way with a Christmas Village and Father Christmas at the end. Under 5s are free, children £7 adults £14. Tickets are booking fast with many dates already sold out. Find out more and book now.

Get creative at the Children's Christmas Craft Morning in Daylesford on Saturday morning from 9:30am - 11:30am, for ages 3 and above. Bring the children along to try painting a glass vase or jar with Kingham Primary School or join our Cookery School to make some delicious Christmas chocolate treats! Don't forget to visit the Christmas Grotto to meet Father Christmas and his reindeer between 10.30am-12.30pm. £25 per child, includes juice and snack. Find out more.

For the Grown Ups

Let it Go Winter Wonderland Night - Okay, so we deserve a little Frozen fun too! Hatherley Manor are hosting an exclusive Christmas party on Saturday night, at just £40 per guest! Enjoy a chilled cocktail before the party gets under way in the Winter Wonderland themed party surroundings. A three course meal is followed by after dinner coffee and indulgent mini mince pies to round off the feast. The resident DJ injects some red hot glamour into this ice cool themed Christmas party to leave the dance floor thriving into the night. Find out more.

The Great Glittering Gatsby Ball at the Mercure Hotel is the perfect opportunity for all of you Downton addicts (who wasn't?!) to go back in time to the days of style, elegance and decadence with Gary ‘Gatsby’ Grace and his swing band and ‘flapper’ dancers. Saturday night's alright! £47.00 per person or £56.00 with a half bottle of house wine. Find out more.