We are over the moon to announce that Castle Howard have won the Little Vikings Award 2020 for Best Christmas Experience and Best Day Out with an Adventure Playground.

Little Vikings is an online guide to the best of York (and beyond) for families, founded and run by a York-based family. Their mission is to help other families discover the best of York for kids and each year, the Little Vikings Awards celebrate those attractions, clubs and organisations that excel in delivering great experiences for children and parents alike.

The awards are particularly special as they are voted for by the public and we are honoured that so many voted for Castle Howard.

In summer 2019, we launched our new adventure playground, Skelf Island, an ingenious network of treetop nest structures connected by rope bridges, slides, nets and climbing equipment. Inhabited by the mischievous Skelves, the elf-like creatures who look after the island and its wildlife, our young visitors are invited to cross the waters of the Great Lake for an adventure like no other.

Flash forward to winter 2019 and our Christmas Masquerade experience was visited by over 67,000 people, our busiest festive opening ever! Stunning decorations, festive food and gifts, Twilight Evenings, Father Christmas and even Santa Paws could be found waiting to delight at Castle Howard.

We’re so glad that so many families enjoyed their visits to us over the past year and we can’t wait to welcome you all over again in 2020.

Click here for more information about Skelf Island.

Find out more about Little Vikings on their website.