FAQs

Visitors can access attractions using tokens or by card payment at the attraction booths. Tokens are £1 each

Tokens can be purchased in advance by buying either online or contacting our culture team on 0300 123 7788 or email culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk.
If you purchase in advance you may take advantage of our 12 for the price of 10 tokens. These tokens will be available to collect on the night of the event on proof of purchase.

On the night of the event, you can ‘pay as you go’.  All our attractions accept card payment or you may also purchase more tokens from the token kiosks located at various sites or at our onsite gift shop.

Ways that you can book your ride tickets:

You can purchase tokens in advance when booking you tickets and receive a special Token Offer of £10.00 for 12 tokens

You can pay as you go on site – Use your contactless card at the attractions on the day.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds on tokens.

Yes, there are toilets in the Gardens and these are clearly signposted including accessible provision, and an Accessoloo will be in situ on our Inclusive evening of Enchantment.

Yes, dogs are very welcome at the Enchanted Winter Garden.

Any dogs attending the event must be on their leads at all times. We do ask that you be aware that the site can be busy in places, and that there are very hot lights, electricity cables and loudspeakers often situated at curious doggy level.

Dogs are permitted on the shuttle bus from The Junction.

Yes, you are most welcome to bring a tripod or monopod to help with photographing the event.

Just be careful not to block any pathways when you’re creating your photographic masterpieces and we do ask that you are respectful of other visitors who may not fully understand your need to spend a little more time capturing the perfect shot. Please bear in mind that the site closes at 10PM so if you want to make the most of your time, please book an early slot.

You are only permitted to drink alcohol sold by one of our licensed caterers once in The Enchanted Winter Garden.

Any alcohol brought onto the site will breach our licensing agreement and will be confiscated.

Only official Enchanted Winter Garden tokens will be accepted. Official tokens from last year’s event will be accepted.

The event will only be cancelled in the following circumstances:

-When the weather and /or conditions at Enchanted Winter Garden are perceived to be a danger to the public in the forest (e.g extremely high winds)

-A major failure in electrical system, infrastructure or other significant structural failure

The event will NOT be cancelled in the following circumstances:

-Heavy Rain in Antrim or Another Part of Northern Ireland – we advise that all visitors dress appropriately for the weather and bring an umbrella.  In addition, we advise our visitors to take note of the weather conditions on route to the event and allow ample time for their journey.

-Very Cold Weather – we advise that our visitors dress warmly and appropriately for cold weather.

-Yellow Weather Warnings – unless they pose a significant risk to public safety.

The decision to cancel will be made by 11am on the day of the event. Depending on the information available, we will endeavour to make the decision as early in the day as we can.

We will update our website as soon as the decision as made, as well as posting our decision on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels.

Should the event be cancelled our team will contact you by e-mail.  Please ensure an appropriate contact email address has been provided at the time of booking.

You should check our web site from midday on the day you are going to visit, particularly if extremely high winds or storm conditions are forecast.

You will be offered the option to book for another date or offered a refund. 

Contact us via:

Culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk 

0300 123 7788

Given the number of bookings for any given evening an event cancellation will impact upon 1000’s of visitors so you will need to be patient when trying to contact us as the number of telephone lines are limited.

If tickets are available then you will be given the option to swap dates.

We encourage everyone to pre buy their tickets to avoid disappointment.

Your tickets will be emailed to you as soon as your order has been processed.

We want to promote paperless ticketing as much as possible and encourage visitors to display their tickets using their smartphones. However, we will, of course, still accept printed tickets as well.

Please be aware that screenshots will not be accepted. As this is a ticketed event, tickets or proof of purchase must be shown at the entrance.

If you have not received a confirmation email once your ticket sale has been processed, you can login in to your account via https://enchantedwintergarden.com/my-account/ to download your tickets

Please remember to check your Junk email folder.

For further assistance, please contact the Arts and Culture Customer Hub via T: 0300 123 7788 (calls charged at local rate); or E. culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk, and we will investigate and respond.

Customers can exchange their tickets for another date, subject to availability and on condition that the request is made at least 48 hours before the event. There will be a £1.50 exchange fee for this service.

Please contact our Culture hub via culture@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk or 0300 123 7788 to speak to the team about ticket exchanges.

Unfortunately, we are not able to add names to a waiting list when the tickets are sold out. Please also note when a session is sold out there is no option to pay at the gate.

Once you arrive you can stay as long as you like.

The event invites visitors to follow our Enchanted Way through the Gardens with various points of interest and attractions along the way and you should expect to be at the event for between 90 to 120 minutes to fully appreciate the experience. The show closes at 9:30PM

There is no parking available on-site. However, there are public parking facilities available in Antrim Town Centre.

Additionally, there will be a free shuttle bus service from The Junction to the event entrance in Market Square.

There will also be a free park and ride service running from 4pm to 10pm

Shuttle buses will be available from The Junction at the stop beside Funky Monkeys.

The shuttle bus journey between The Junction and the Barbican Gate at Antrim Castle Gardens takes approximately 10 minutes. At peak times, buses may run slightly slower and it may take longer to clear the queues. The last bus heads back to The Junction between 9.30PM and 10.00PM.

This event has been designed to cater to all ages and abilities. However, care should be taken on paths and they are not suitable for very large buggies. Paths are suitable for some push wheelchairs.

All visitors should take care as the event is an outdoor winter experience with low light levels so conditions underfoot can be slippy in places with uneven surfaces in some event areas due to the historical and woodland nature of the site.

Antrim Castle Gardens are accessible to some push wheelchair users but we recommend that you check the site for more detailed information on the walk and gradients to assess whether it is suited to your specific access needs prior to booking.

Mobility Support

To arrange your personal appointment in advance of event, please ring the following numbers:

07860709876

02894227130

This service is strictly by appointment only. You will be unable to access a mobility aid if you don’t book in advance.

There are no car parking facilities at all on site, but, there will be access to plentiful accessible parking in any of the Antrim Town car parks or at The Junction with the shuttle buses all accessible for wheelchair users.

While no single source of lighting regularly strobes at high frequency, the volume of light fixtures on site could raise the frequency of light flashes and strobing across multiple sources to a level where it may be considered unsafe for people who are affected by photosensitive epilepsy. It is recommended that photo-sensitive epileptics attend The Enchanted Winter Garden on our Inclusive Nights on Wednesday 4 & 11 December.

An Evening of Inclusive Enchantment will run on both Wednesday 4 & 11 December with reduced numbers, lighting and sound levels, Sensory & Quiet room, ideal for children and adults with additional needs. Attractions and rides will be slowed down, music levels lowered and strobe lighting and other strong lighting will not be used on this evening.

Yes, there are toilets in the Gardens and these are clearly signposted including accessible provision, and a mobile changing places facility called AccessoLoo which will be in situ for the duration of Enchanted Winter Garden.

Yes, there is a Changing Places Facility onsite as well as a Mobile Changing Places Facility called AccessoLoo for the duration of the event.

Yes, there is a dedicated quiet space the duration of the event.