'˜Alernative' Christmas grotto set to open in Leeds

Leeds Alternative Christmas Grotto opens beneath the chambers of the city’s Town Hall from December 17 until December 23.

The experience combines theatre, panto, a Christmas grotto and a lot of festive cheer, curated into a series of 45 minute performances, delivered to toddlers, children and adults.

Sneaky Experience, the team behind many of the interactive cinema events and immersive experiences across the North, have taken a pinch of panto humour, mixed it with the depth and creativity of theatre and added a walk-through grotto-esque experience where audience participation is encouraged.

They are delivering a programme of three events:

The Story Trees

Enchanting early morning performances which feature puppetry, songs and storytelling. Children of up to 6 years old will join Ratty, Mole, Toad, Badger and Weasel as they wander through the wild woods where they will discover Santa and listen to his story.

The Whispering Woods

Aimed at children of all ages, who will join the mission to help Ratty, Mole & Weasel track down their missing friend Badger.  But where will they find Mr. Toad? And can they make it to Father Christmas in time?

Twisted Christmas

The only chance you’ll have this year to untangle a real-life fairy from the Christmas tree lights, unfathom the confusion of the unicorn, and help the Nutcracker find his nuts, but just where is that bauble? Will you get all the decorations on to the tree in time? The challenge is set and the clock is ticking.

Company director, Julia Benfield, said: “We wanted to create an experience that channeled the festive cheer of our Quote-A- Long Elf performances from last year, whilst capturing everyone’s favourite Christmas moments from events. Something fun for adults who love Christmas and Unicorns as much as we do, whilst capturing the joy of finding Santa in an elongated grotto experience for the little ones.

“We love the setting of the Town Hall Vaults, and enjoyed taking ticket holders on a journey during last years’ Grimm adventure, so it has been the perfect location to bring Christmas back to life on a unique and interactive journey”.

For more details on the ticket-only performances visit: www.sneakyexperience.co.uk