You Can Sip Champagne and Sing Christmas Carols at Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle
If you have a few extra hundred dollars hanging around, you can celebrate Christmas in a castle! Highclere Castle, which was featured on “Downton Abbey,” hosts a few Christmas events. It might be too late for Christmas dinner at the castle, but you can still buy tickets to sip some champagne and sing carols.
In associate with RAF 100 Appeal, Highclere Castle is hosting a Castle Tours, Carols and Magic event. The RAF 100 Appeal is a “joint venture between the Royal Air Force and four major RAF charities – the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, the Royal Air Forces Association, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust and the Royal Air Force Museum. The aim of the Appeal is to raise money for the RAF Family and to create a lasting legacy as we celebrate 100 years of the Royal Air Force in 2018.”
Filming of “Downton Abbey” took place at Highclere Castle in north Hampshire, England. The castle was used for exterior shots, but it was also actually used for many interior shots as well. Filming of scenes in the kitchen, servants’ quarters, working areas, and some of the “upstairs” bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.
Fans of “Downton Abbey” (or beautiful castles, in general) can enjoy champagne and canapes while touring the castle’s state rooms, climb the beautiful oak staircase, explore all of the bedrooms, and even fit in a bit of history by checking out the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars. Toward the end of the night, there will be carolers singing around the Christmas tree. Guests that attend the will also be able to check out the gift shop to stock up on last minute Christmas gifts.
The description of the event begins with:
“Our Christmas traditions owe so much to the Victorian era, from the decorations to carols, Father Christmas, the cards we send and presents we give to family and friends. On Tuesday December 18th, Geordie and I are delighted to welcome you to Highclere or “Downton Abbey” as you may well call it, to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Join us on a winters’ Christmas evening, seeing the floodlit Castle as you enter the Park, making your way past the trees lighting the drive, before escaping the wintery weather as you are welcomed into Saloon with the log fires burning.”
If you’re interested in attending, the event takes place on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, from 6:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The dress code is formal, suits and cocktail are suggested. Tickets are £120 ($152.77) a person and are still available on their website.