hear festive tales from folklore and Meet the Holly King and Deer Queen!
Children £10 | Adults £14 | Family £40
Embark upon “Midwinter’s Magical Quest” right in the heart of Hampshire and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of ancient traditions brought to life! Join us on a heart-warming journey as we celebrate winter traditions from a time long before the commercial holidays.
Meet the majestic Holly King and the courageous Deer Queen as they lead you on a magical adventure through our ancient buildings, filled with festive crafts and activities. As you follow the magical trail on this special day, you’ll also be invited to cosy up by the fire in a roundhouse for stories of epic journeys and quests from professional storyteller, Dawn Nelson. Discover how to find strawberries in the snow, how to defeat the dragon of winter and what to do if you are held in the thrall of the fairies before continuing with your own quest to help the deer queen. Dawn is a performance storyteller based within the beautiful South Downs. Her passion is landscape, heritage and nature connection through the wonder of story, in all its forms.
Whether you’re celebrating Yule, Christmas, Winter Solstice or something else this winter, our festive storytelling and magical adventure is an alternative family day out full of festive fun. Leave behind the hustle and bustle and step into the Evergreen Hall of the Holly King, hear stories in the Realm of Winter Wishes and find the Deer Queen’s Grotto to discover old Christmas traditions and folklore brought to life like never before!
About this festive family event
An alternative, non-denominational festive family event
Choose your timed slot: 10am - 11.30am / 12pm - 1:30pm / 2pm - 3.30pm
Watch a live storytelling performance of festive tales in a roundhouse
Meet the Holly King and Deer Queen, and make a special winter wish!
Follow a magical trail around Butser Ancient Farm to complete the quest and enjoy creative make-and-take activities and crafts
Suitable for all ages (storytelling aimed at 5-11 year olds)
This event takes inspiration from traditional British folklore surrounding winter, as well as ancient and Early Medieval celebrations.
Included in your ticket
Enjoy exclusive winter entry to Butser Ancient Farm for a magical family trail and festive fireside storytelling. Meet the Holly King and Deer Queen and discover winter folklore with a storytelling performance and festive children’s make-and-take activities.
Your entrance to the site will last 1hr 30 until the end of your chosen timeslot.
USEFUL INFORMATION: Please wrap up warm with sensible footwear as it can be chilly at the farm in Winter.
ENTRY SLOTS: Please arrive at the beginning of your timeslot to make the most of the adventure and storytelling, and leave by the end time to allow the next group to arrive.
SPECIAL EVENT: This festive event is not included as general admission for our annual pass holders.
FIRES: Please note there will be open fires in the houses during this event.
REFUNDS: We cannot offer any refunds on tickets unless we at Butser Ancient Farm need to cancel the event due to unforeseen circumstances.
COVID-19: We will be complying with any relevant Covid-19 government guidance in place at the time of the event including the latest guidance on mask wearing. If you have any Covid-19 symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate, please do not attend.
Holly King image courtesy of Dave Fletcher