September 2021

EVENTS
CASE STUDY
Believe Christmas
Creating fairy tale Christmas memories for families in
the North East
A pop-up elf village with
Christmas surprises in giant
tipis. Produced by the team
at Tainted UK, we talk to
director Ken Wallace about
going above and beyond
with ‘Elf and Safety’ and
how, after a year off, the
2021 event is predicted to
attract 12,000 people over
10 days.
Describe your event and how many people
it attracts?
Believe Christmas is an immersive magical world
brought to life in a theatrical production within an
elf tipi village. It is an outdoor Christmas attraction
taking visitors on a journey through theatrical
performances and interactive activities. The
experience is designed to create memories with
loved ones to treasure for a lifetime. Joining each
group are elf guides that lead visitors around the
elf tipi village where actors bring fairy tales to life.
This adventure is based in the grounds of
Hardwick Hall Hotel in County Durham. New this
year, considering Covid-19, the Believe Christmas
spectacular is being planned and delivered with
social distancing in mind, managing the amount
of people on site at any one time.
In December 2019, Believe Christmas attracted
around 1,200 people per day over nine days. This
year, we are anticipating roughly the same figure;
1,200 per day but over a 10 day period, which
would see the attendee figures around 12,000 for
the event period.
What is the event’s history and what made
you decide to run it?
We have been working in the events industry
for over 15 years and, in addition to working
alongside both private and public sector
clients to deliver their own regional and
national events, we also create, devise,
manage and produce our own self-financed events
such as Believe Christmas and other seasonal
events.
Every day is different and seeing families
smiling and making memories is what makes
Believe Christmas worth every second, plus we get
to become elves once a year!
How does the relationship work with
the venue?
Hardwick Hall Hotel (run by Ramside Estates) is
one of the leading luxury venues in the North East.
Set in 120 acres of parkland, the venue lies in the
heart of the beautiful County Durham countryside.
Believe Christmas is held in partnership with
Ramside Estates, Metro Radio, TFM Radio and
Greatest Hits Radio. Attending families and our
elves absolutely love working onsite at Hardwick
Hall Hotel as the expansive grounds and views are
remarkable and such an amazing setting for this
traditional family Christmas adventure.
How did you find applying for
permission to run the event?
We work closely with
the health and safety
department at Durham
County Council, Public
Health England, our own
insurers, and an appointed
health and safety organisation
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