Blenheim Palace has been voted the UK's Best Christmas Experience at the prestigious 2021 Group Leisure & Travel Awards.

Blenheim Palace at Christmas © Blenheim Palace 2021

The award recognises the UK attractions and events that go above and beyond for groups over Christmas. It can be awarded for anything from an attraction’s festive experience, a market, festival or themed-event.
Blenheim Palace overcame stiff competition from fellow finalists including Castle Howard, Hampton Court Palace, Waddesdon Manor and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to pick up the coveted festive title.

“We were absolutely delighted to have been picked as the overall winner, especially as we were up against so many other great festive events,” said Blenheim Palace’s Marketing Manager, Sam Vaughan.

Blenheim Palace at Christmas © Blenheim Palace 2021

Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire is one of England’s finest stately homes and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. It is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough, dating back to the early 18th century, and it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site which boasts a vast and beautiful landscaped garden designed by Capability Brown.

Christmas at Blenheim is not to be missed and this year over a million lights, lasers and seasonal sounds will fill the Palace’s picture-perfect gardens. Visitors will be entranced by glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections and trees drenched in jewel-like colour, and they can catch a glimpse of Father Christmas along the way.

Sam Vaughan adds: “Since our first Christmas event in 2017 we have seen a huge increase in its popularity, and it is now one of the most important, and keenly anticipated times of the year at Blenheim.

“This year’s event will be one of the most ambitious to date with the fantastic illuminated outdoor trail, the Christmas Market and the amazing new ‘Story of the Nutcracker’ brought to life within the Palace itself.”

Blenheim Palace at Christmas © Blenheim Palace 2021

The story of the famous ballet The Nutcracker will be re-imagined within the palace. For the very first time, the palace rooms have been exquisitely transformed for Christmas and will be filled with hidden surprises – from the toymaker’s workshop on a frosty Christmas Eve, through the glistening Land of Snow and onto the candy-cane Kingdom of Sweets adorned with the sweetest of treats and larger-than-life gingerbread men!

From a dashing Nutcracker Prince and an army of mice to a Sugar Plum Fairy and a music box with a difference, the palace will become a sumptuous fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems.

And whether you are visiting to see the Story of The Nutcracker inside the palace or the Illuminated Trail in the great outdoors, the adventure begins at the fabulous Christmas Market in the palace’s Great Court.

Blenheim Palace at Christmas © Blenheim Palace 2021

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism said: “Blenheim Palace has developed a first class reputation for its Christmas experience and it is now a must-see attraction on a pre-Christmas vacation in the UK. This year’s spectacular is set to be more magnificent than ever – we’d urge everyone to add a visit to Blenheim to their Christmas tour itinerary when they – or their group – are in the UK!”

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made Christmas tour of the UK, experiencing all the sights and delights of the festive season, please do contact our friendly team today. Read more about the best of Britain and Ireland in winter.