Free festive things for you to do in Essex this December
December is an expensive time of year, with events, family gatherings, and presents to buy. We’ve rounded up some free or low-cost things to do this festive season, so whether it’s a Christmas market, or a cosy night in that you’re looking for, check out our suggestions below.
Garden centres
Garden centres often have a special festive section, and several in Essex are well-known for their displays. Alton Garden Centre in Wickford has a VR magical sleigh ride and a grotto to visit Santa. Summerhill Garden Centre in Billericay is hosting one of the largest festive displays in the county, and they have selfie spots for you take photos. Perrywoods in Tiptree is famed for its impressive displays, and their festive shop this year has a ‘step back in time’ theme.
Meadowcroft Garden Centre in Wickford has a German Market running until Christmas Eve, which is free to visit. The market is open seven days a week, and you can find out more here.
Christmas markets
Ingatestone Christmas Market is returning this year on Sunday 10 December. There’ll be a variety of stalls to look at, hot food and a Santa’s grotto. As well as this, there’s also a play area, games, arts and crafts, and a face painter for children to enjoy. You can find this market at Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Centre.
Other activities
What’s the festive season without colourful lights? In Nayling Road, Braintree lots of the residents decorate their houses and raise money for charity. You can stay up to date with what’s happening on the streetvia their Facebook page. There are several other light trails taking place around the county, and whilst most of these require a paid ticket, some don’t, including one at Colchester Castle Park. You can find more information in this blog post from Essex Explored.
Harlow Museum and Walled Gardens have a free Elf on the Shelf event, with each elf representing someone important to Harlow’s history. You can find more information on their website.
If a panto at Christmastime is a tradition in your household, there are some that you can watch on YouTube for a fun night at home. Check out Cinderella or Jack and the Beanstalk.
With great new releases at the cinemas and the two-week holidays over Christmas, make sure you take advantage of reduced ticket prices. Cineworld has £2.50 tickets for some films, Odeon has a deal where adults pay the same price as children, and Vue has Mini Mornings screenings, where adult and child tickets cost only £2.49.
Big Potato Games has some free downloadable board games, which will be perfect for a wintry night in with some nibbles. If none of these take your fancy, a quick Google search for ‘free downloadable board games’ brings up a selection of websites with printable games.
Cheap eats
Some places have announced offers over the Christmas holidays for eating out. Keep an eye out for more restaurants and cafes sharing their offers for December.
- IKEA: Kids eat at their restaurants from 95p, available every day from 11am;
- Morrisons: Children eat for free when an adult spends £4.49 or more on a meal;
- Dunelm: For every £4 spent in Pausa Café, kids can get one mini main, two snacks and drink for free. This offer is only available after 3pm;
- Dobbies Garden Centre: With the purchase of an adult meal, one child can choose from their kids lunch menu or a pick ‘n’ mix meal, which come with a drink. This offer is available after 12pm.