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Bournemouth’s annual Christmas Tree Wonderland is part of the town’s Christmas offering with Christmas trees and other festive illuminations running through the town centre, down towards the sea. There is also a range of attractions including ice skating, mini golf, a train, Christmas Market and Alpine Bar. The festive attractions are in place from Mid November until the New Year. Since we moved to Bournemouth a decade ago, it has become part of our family Christmas tradition to take a wander round the gardens enjoying the decorations and the festive ambiance.

This year’s decorations are rather different from previous years. They have “been completely reimagined as Christmas in Bournemouth”. In other words; far fewer decorations and much more emphasis on the introduction of paid attractions. Here is what you can expect from a visit to Christmas Tree Wonderland in 2025.

Orientation

The trail runs from Bournemouth Square, where you will find the Christmas Market and Alpine Lodge bar, through the Lower Gardens to the Pier.

Note: Unlike in previous years, the decorations in the Lower Gardens only run along the main path. Sadly, you can no longer follow a circuit to enjoy a range of illuminations. If you cross to the path on the other side of the river, you will be plunged into darkness.

Opening Times

Squeezing every last drop out of the festive period, Christmas in Bournemouth runs for more than 7 weeks; from 13 November 2025 until 4 January 2026, with the key opening times as follows:

• Illuminations – 11 am until 11 pm
• Alpine Lodge – 11 am until 11 pm
• Food Stalls – 11 am until 10 pm
• Market – 11 am until 8 pm (7.30 pm on Sundays and 6 pm after Christmas)

Price

It is free to visit Christmas Tree Wonderland, but certain attractions incur a fee.

Parking

There are several car parks nearby including Bath Road South Car Park and Pavilion Car Park, where parking costs £2.30 for one hour.

Public Transport

Most Buses to Bournemouth stop in Bournemouth Square in between the Gardens and the Christmas Market.

Attractions

Here is a rundown of what is on offer this year, following the official map heading south from the Square.

1) Alpine Lodge

The Alpine Lodge is a bar in cosy wooden chalet with a festive ski lodge theme. You can purchase drinks and snacks, including mulled wine or cider, which you can have served in a souvenir mug. There is a programme of entertainment including quizzes, karaoke, bingo and live music.

Snow

At weekends, there is even snow in the area outside the Alpine Lodge at the following times:

• Monday to Thursday – 5 pm
• Friday to Sunday – 2, 5 and 7 pm

2) Christmas Market

The Christmas Market offers a range of stalls selling Christmas decorations and gifts, including jewellery, condiments, chocolate and cheese.

There is also a wide range of Street Food options including loaded fries, Yorkshire Pudding wraps, Christmas crêpes and churros.

3) SKATE

The SKATE ice rink offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in winter with some ice skating. This year, the rink boasts being the longest in the UK at 70 metres. Time on the ice can be booked in one hour slots.

• The ice rink is open from 10.30 am until 9.30 pm
• Tickets cost £16 for adults, £15 for concessions and £13.50 for children under 12

Moguls Alpine Bar

The Moguls Alpine Bar is inside the SKATE complex overlooking the ice rink. It offers festive drinks, VIP booths and weekend DJs.

4) Christmas Tree Walkway

Moving into Bournemouth Gardens for some festive illuminations, including the Christmas Tree Walkway. This is, not surprisingly, a walkway lined with Christmas Trees. Orla loved the newly introduced controllabe light displays. You can press coloured buttons on the control panel to change the colour of the tree lights.

5) Christmas Tree Maze

New for 2025 is the Christmas Tree Maze. Here, as the name suggests, you can follow a maze of Christmas trees. I was disappointed that the trees were mainly naked with just a few lights on the trees around the edge of this paid attraction.

• The Maze opens from 11 am until 8.30 pm
• Entry costs £4 per person (children under 3 are free)

6) Santa’s Workshop

Another new attraction for 2025 is Santa’s Workshop. Orla loved the exterior of the workshop, which included two singing animatronic reindeer. There is also a photo op sleigh, where Santa sometimes appears. And a phone booth – not sure what that’s about.

Inside the workshop, you can attend biscuit decorating and bauble decorating sessions. Plus Storytime with Santa. Check the website for more details. We decided this was too steep, so made do with petting the singing reindeer.

• Decorating and storytelling run up to twice a day, mainly at weekends
• Each session costs £12.50 per person

7) Santa Train

The Santa Train is a small train which runs round a small track at the bottom of the Gardens with some decorations in the middle.

• There are no advertised opening details for the Santa Train
• Tickets cost £4 per person

8) Snow & Glow Golf

The Mini Golf Course in the Lower Gardens has been given a a festive makeover, complete with glowing balls and twinkling holes.

• The golf course is open daily from 11 am until 9 pm
• A round of golf costs £8.50 for adults, £6.50 for children.

9) Neon Walkway

To enter/exit the gardens, you walk through a rather unimpressive Neon Walkway consisting of a few glowing arches. It was so underwhelming that I forgot to take a photo. Here is last year’s much prettier Tunnel of Light.

10) Neon Forest

New for 2025 is the Neon Forest; strings of neon lights hung from the existing trees. When we visited, the area wasn’t fully cordoned off and children were running round the forest, falling over wires and sockets and using the strings of neon lights as skipping ropes. Luckily, no-one was electrocuted before staff appeared to secure the area.

11) Helter Skelter

Another new attraction for 2025 is a Helter Skelter.

12) Street Food Corner

Street Food Corner is another option for buying food. Local businesses can book a pitch here, so what is available tends to change regularly.

13) Festive Ride

There is often a simulator on Pier Approach. Usually it’s a Red Arrows simulator, but for the festive period, replacing last year’s Snowman Ride, is a Santa’s Sleigh Simulator. The mind boggles. Is it the same simulator? Does Santa have a maximum speed of 645 MPH? My kids would have been terrified of this ride when they were little!

14) Light Features

There are light features running throughout the town. From neon lights in the trees to illuminated decorations projected onto the pavement. Orla was mesmerised by these.

15) Pier and RockReef Night Flight Zipline

The Pier is lined with Christmas Trees. New for this year, the zipline, which runs from the end of the pier to the beach, is open after dark at weekends. On Saturday afternoons, you can even get to watch Santa take on the zipline!

• Entry to the Pier is free
• The zipline costs £15 per person.

Observation Wheel

The Observation Wheel in front of the pier gets a festive makeover for Christmas. If you want to take a look at the illuminations from up high, this is your chance. 

• A ride on the Observation Wheel costs £10 for adults, £8 for children.

Picnic on the Piste

Picnic on the Piste is Picnic Park Deli‘s festive offering. Located within the Lower Gardens, the owners of this outdoor cafe have taken the alpine ski theme and run and run with it. The festive menu includes toasties, pigs in blankets sandwiches and cinnamon rolls. There are plenty of hot drink options for adults including hot chocolate and mulled wine. They do not offer a children’s menu, so we tend to go elsewhere for Orla to get her Babyccino fix. There is a programme of live music at weekends.

Christmas Tree Wonderland for Children

Christmas Tree Wonderland is ideal for families. The festive trail is less than a mile long, so can be easily walked. The Santa Express is ideal for smaller children, whilst older children will enjoy other attractions such as the Ice Rink, Mini Golf and Santa’s Workshop. At weekends, it snows outside the Alpine Lodge and characters such as fairies, elves, and Elsa from Frozen can be spotted roaming the area. And, of course, the big man himself…

Christmas Trail

Kids can pick up an Activity Book from the Alpine Lodge, Santa’s Workshop or the Ice Rink to follow a Christmas Trail, with the chance to win prizes, including a holiday.

And when you’ve had enough, you can even drop children aged 6 and over at RockReef for a 3 hour drop ‘n’ go session on specific days.

• Updated: November 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.