One of the things I enjoy about having children is being able to revisit all of the places of my childhood. Having grown up in Chelmsford, I have many fond memories of Hylands Park. Childhood walks, picnics with friends after my GCSE's and of course, before they really hit the big time, the 1994 Take That concert*!
Since Chelmsford became a City and V Festival proved that Hylands Park can handle large scale events, there have been many changes to the Park to make it even more accessible to families. There are ongoing changes to the play equipment as the team have responded to feedback and there has been an increase in specific events for families.
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| Entertainment by Arthur, his Queen and Lancelot |
This weekend I was invited to review one of these events, the Dragon Hunt. The Dragon Hunt is now in it's second sell-out year but with the forecast of rain and a last minute change in the plans to accommodate the rain, I wasn't sure of what to expect.
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| One of the clues! |
On arrival we were greeted by the King and Queen and given our 'Quest'. After the dragon had stolen the princess he had left clues dotted around the park and we had to find letters and solve the riddles in order to reveal the password that would let us into see the Princess. There was a nice mix of easy clues for the younger one and more difficult clues to make the adults think! The clues followed a circular route near to the house and it was a good way for the children to burn off some of the chocolate excess from the morning. There were just enough clues to keep you occupied for an hour before going into see the Dragon.
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| Waiting for the Dragon! |
The Dragon was to be found in the Pavilion next to the house and, after a short queue to get in, all the children were seated in a large U shape to await the Dragon. The actors were really good at reassuring the children that the Dragon was a friendly dragon and not one who should be slain! I think this was a really nice thing to do as there could easily have been some very scared children in the audience. Everyone (who wanted to) could pet the Dragon and care was taken to ensure that everyone had equal opportunity to meet the Dragon. The Dragon was fantastic, breathing smoke and gently roaring as she made her way around the crowd. Her owner had also brought along the Dragon's egg and everyone got a chance to stroke the egg and encourage the baby dragon out! After the Dragon left, the actors entertained the audience with a story.
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| Up close with the Dragon |
It was such a shame about the weather as it would have been lovely to take a picnic and make more of a day of it. The inflatables that would normally accompany the event had also had to be postponed until the next day. However it was a fantastic event and we will be going again next year - well done Hylands Park!
The next event at Hylands Park will be the Boys Toys event on Father's Day 21st June. From what I've read so far - it's not to be missed! Tickets are on sale now.
*I know I went this concert and wanted to prove it with a photo but Google has failed me this time! Mind you this well before the internet and social media had taken off. If anyone has got any photos of what would be a very youthful Take That from the concert I would love to see them!
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