Pub turns into Whoville for Christmas
The pub on Hennel Lane in Walton Park has turned itself into Dr Seuss’ fantasy world from 13 November to 7 January.
Tickets are £20 for children and £10 for adults, and the event is running over Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the leadup to Christmas.
Guests can experience the magic of ‘Whoville’, get their picture taken with the Grinch himself in a replica of the ‘Who car’, and attend a pre-show which also includes other characters like Cindy Lou, Martha Mae and Who dancers.
Called the ‘Who doll show’, this includes singing and dancing and includes games and prizes for the children. After this, they do the conga into another area where children have to coax the Grinch from his lair.
Following this is more games and dances, and then there is ‘snowfall’ – using snow-cannons – for up to 40 minutes.
The pub’s events manger Natasha Houghton said: “The community’s really glad to have something different in the area, it’s just magical. It brings Christmas alive for people.
“We’ve found people are travelling further afield now as well as the word has spread because there is nothing like this locally, and we wanted to bring the spirit of video, and film and characters alive, but also Christmas as well.”
She added that the impact of the event on trade had been “great”, with attendees often booking in for food and drink afterwards, increasing spend per head.
“It’s also great for people to see what we’re all about and see all the things we’ve got going on in the pub,” said Houghton.
Paul and Steven, the pub’s managers, used to work at Disney and so are big on “bringing magic alive,” the events manager added.
Steve’s mum also died during the pandemic. She was someone who would pull out all the stops for Christmas. She’d have snowfall, films playing on big screens and decorations to raise money for a charity.
People used to come for miles to visit the house. Houghton said: “Steve wanted to keep that a little bit alive for his mum which is lovely”.
The décor at the Hunters is also Whoville themed and the front of the pub is decked with countless baubles.
