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Let’s see Diwali out with a BANG!

30th October 2019 / No Comments

CALLING ALL FVPs

We want to celebrate the last weekend of Festival of Light with you!

This year is the final year of our Diwali inspiration theme so we’re giving you the ultimate wrap party experience with as much Holi Powder as we can find, PLUS an awesome 20% off curries!

Join us at Festival of Light, Inspired by Diwali on Saturday 2^nd November to end the event with a bang!

Holi Colour Arena
We know how much you all love the vibrant Colour Arena so now’s your chance to make the most of it and experience it totally FREE! Visit on Saturday 2nd November, with your FVP card to claim your Holi Powder free of charge, even if you’ve already experienced the arena! Join us and get stuck in! Max 2 packets per guests – subject to availability.

Taste of India – EXCLUSIVE 20% OFF

Everyone’s loving our authentic curries this year and to celebrate the last evening of this event with you, all Frequent Visitor Pass holders will receive an exclusive 20% off any curry from the Woodland Ponds outlet! That means you could try our ‘Taste of India’, an explosion of Indian subcontinental taste, for only £7.20, that’s a saving of £1.80! Simply show your FVP card when ordering.

Electro-Light Circus
The feedback from the Electro-Light Circus this year has been incredible so we want to give as many of you the chance to see it as possible! If you’ve not yet seen the show, we advise arriving as early as possible to claim your tickets for either the 7:30pm or 9pm show. We’re expecting a large number of visitors with queues from 5pm onwards so please do ensure you’ve read the T&Cs and have all the information you need ahead of visiting, including your FVP cards.

We want to celebrate the end of this event and give as many of you a chance to see the show as possible but due to the Amphitheatre’s limited capacity, for safety reasons, Electro-Light Circus show tickets will continue to be issued as normal from our admissions desk upon entry to the park on a first-come-first-served basis, whilst availability lasts.

Don’t forget – bring FVP pass so you can get your discount, and so we can get you all in quickly… The park is open from 10 am on Saturday, so try to avoid arriving at 18.00 when queues are likely.

Help get #PippaToPOLAR

29th October 2019 / No Comments

Help Pippa’s Christmas dream come true & WIN an exclusive family VIP prize package to POLAR!

There must be magic in the air this festive season as the star of Robin Hill’s brand-new Christmas event spectacular, POLAR, comes to life! Archie and his family have travelled across the Solent with his favourite teddy, Pippa the polar bear, for an exciting Christmas holiday on the Isle of Wight. However, disaster has struck as Pippa was left on-board the ferry!

How will Pippa get back to Archie?

Pippa is looking for your help! She knows that Archie was very excited to go to POLAR at Robin Hill, so she needs your help to get there! Polar bears aren’t very good at navigating in the south and she’s already been spotted in Wightlink’s Ticket Office in Yarmouth, but it looks like she’s heading the wrong way; there’s been reports of her travelling towards Blackgang Chine.

“She’s heading to the land of wacky,

imaginative fun, teetering on a cliff

in the westward sun.”

The team over at Blackgang Chine want to help Pippa find Archie so they’ve decided to offer FREE ENTRY on Saturday 2^nd November to anyone that has already purchased a POLAR ticket! Will Archie appear? Will we see Pippa? You’ll have to come along to find out…

“We’ve heard that Pippa is heading our way, to celebrate her arrival we’ll be offering FREE entry to anyone who’s already purchased a POLAR ticket! Simply bring your order confirmation to the admissions desk and you can enjoy the park totally free on our last day of 2020, Saturday 2^nd November. Maybe we’ll see Archie too…”

– Dominic Wray, Blackgang Chine Park Manger

#PippaToPOLAR

On her journey to find Archie at Robin Hill in time for the POLAR launch on 29^th November, Pippa will appear at five locations across the Island. At each of these locations, she will leave behind a paw print poster with a clue to where she’s heading next. Each paw print will display a letter so all you have to do is find the five letters, solve the anagram and send your answers into iwradio.co.uk/POLAR for your chance to win the GRAND PRIZE!

The grand prize will grow as Pippa appears at new locations and collects more treats from her journey! As it stands, the incredible prize so far is an exclusive Family VIP experience to POLAR at Robin Hill this winter, giving you and your family the chance to meet Pippa face-to-face, enjoy some delicious festive treats and of course, experience the magical finale show!

For more information, follow #PippaToPOLAR on social and visit: iwradio.co.uk/POLAR

Festival of Light, Inspired by Diwali The Finale.

8th October 2019 / No Comments

STEP INTO THE VIBRANT WORLD OF DIWALI.

Voted the BEST EVENT IN THE UK by Day Out With The Kids, this autumn, you can join the finale of Diwali at Robin Hill’s award-winning electric woods, open from 6pm – 10pm on selected dates between 27^th September – 2^nd November.

Celebrating the finale of the vibrant Diwali theme, you’ll find yourself marvelling at the epic Electro-Light Circus, returning more intense than before, it’s sure to bring this event to a spectacular close! The incredible show featuring mind-boggling light tricks, acrobatics and circus skills is a must-see for visitors of all ages.

NEW for 2019, visitors can take part in The Spice Cinema, a five-minute documentary surrounding the spice trade, accompanied by sensory ‘zome structures’ where customers will be surrounded by the smells of spice! This year, discover the Chakra Star, hidden at the center of the event and marvel at the wonder of the seven chakras.

Uncover the fun and thrills of the family-favourite Holi powder arena and the new Neon Jungle; right through to the calm and serene celestial feel of the Woodland Ponds water projections and stunning illuminations.

Samarkand was known as the golden city as it was one of the riches cities along the silk road. Today we recreate the hustle and bustle and luster of this great ancient city through interpretive lighting and sounds within our sunken walkway on the edge of our ancient woodland. Be prepared to be blown away as you take in this year’s showpiece lighting installation.

Amidst all the exciting activity, take time to enjoy the authentic Indian menu of curries and kebabs, Asian sweet treats and traditional teas, providing a true taste of India.

The kids can get involved with Lantern Decorating workshops, indulge in some traditional henna art and marvel at the ambient street entertainment.

Richard Wells and the Brakes team up with Robin Hill

16th September 2019 / No Comments

Just a few weeks ago we teamed up with Brakes Food Service with renowned concept development chef, Richard Wells, to enhance this year’s Festival of Light menu!

Our Robin Hill catering team worked with Richard to create a brand new, contemporary menu for the event. The day started with food preparation; this entails measuring quantities of the ingredients needed for an event of this size and liaising with the experts at Brakes on the best possible produce to use.

When ingredients are procured the marinating period can begin, during this stage the spices have time to permeate the meats and vegetables, ready for cooking the following day. Richard showed the team several different rice blends until the decision was made to use a combination of white and wild rice grains for the dishes.

All elements of the dining experience are taken into consideration for our events, the meals are served in 100% recyclable takeaway boxes with recyclable cutlery. You can sit down and eat with the family or wander around the park while enjoying these culinary delights.

2019’s menu will feature Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Dopiaza and Butternut Gobi Dhansak (vegan) accompanied by traditional chapati or vegan naan. There will be a kid’s selection of small curries, not to forget family favourites, onion bhajis, samosas and poppadums.

For those with a sweet tooth that want to try something different, there will be Banana Doughballs served with either pistachio or coconut ice cream and drizzled with butterscotch sauce. Yum!

We know that you’re going to love this menu because you’ve already told us you do!

“I love that you’re doing a vegan curry and it’s delicious!” – David Heartly.

“Your Dhansak is just like my mums, amazing” – Varun Khan.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve at Robin Hill and appreciate all feedback from our customers, get in touch at info@robin-hill.com.

Jungle Fever and Jungle Fever After Dark

22nd July 2019 / No Comments

From 23^rd July – 31^st August Jungle Fever is back this summer at Robin Hill!

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays* from 10am-10pm you can step into a world of an African Safari with life-sized African animal puppets at Jungle Fever as FEEDING TIME returns for more interactive family fun as well as a Djembe African drums workshop which will really get the vibes going! Plus, there will be Live music, character meet and greets and a special jungle-themed performance.

The South Coast Falconry will be putting on a meet and greet where you can get up close and personal with your favourite feathered friends!

Brightsparks are BACK again this year! The show is bigger and better than ever, the Two Cheeky Monkeys will be lighting up the Woodland Amphitheatre yet again in addition Flaming Risque will be on every Saturday night!

Dreams really do come true…

27th June 2019 / No Comments

December 2019 will see Robin Hill launch its brand new and spectacular Christmas evening event – POLAR. Running over four weekends in December, the event will feature a stunning new Amphitheatre production that will delight audiences of all ages, plus a host of other festive activities as part of the award-winning event series at Robin Hill.

Step outside this festive season and experience the thrill of a Christmas dream come true… POLAR promises an enchanting Christmas journey with a spectacular show finale like no other!

Take the Winter Woodland Walk through sparkling ancient forests, enjoy the festive atmosphere of the POLAR Village while you warm up with traditional hot food and drinks, hop on board the Big Red Express, where Father Christmas himself takes the wheel, and tip-toe into the POLAR Hollow where you can meet Pippa, the life-sized cuddly polar bear!

Don’t miss Robin Hill’s rides given a winter makeover, with the Cows Express Junior Ride perfect for little ones, and the 4D Motion Cinema exclusively showing ‘Santa’s Sleigh Ride’ during POLAR!

The event finale is the dazzling Amphitheatre show, POLAR, that follows the magical tale of one boy’s Christmas dream come true, in a sensational dance and acrobatic theatre style production!

This newest addition to Robin Hill’s annual events calendar promises to be the most magical yet, delighting families of all ages as well as couples looking for a unique and romantic way to spend a winter’s evening. Glittering displays and enticing festive flavours will transport visitors through a dreamlike evening brimming with all the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve, with the finale POLAR show set to be the most spectacular production Robin Hill’s Amphitheatre has ever seen!

The POLAR Village will be the epicenter of the event, where customers can indulge in traditional festive treats including mulled wine, luxury hot chocolates, roasted marshmallows and delicious homemade food whilst soaking up live music and the beautiful woodland lighting displays.

Speaking about the new event, Alec Dabell, Managing Director and Owner said “We are delighted to bring this brand new and totally unique experience to the Isle of Wight. We think POLAR could be “the” event for families and loved ones this Christmas”.

Tickets for this limited capacity event go on sale at 10am Thursday 27th June, with Frequent Visitor Pass holders eligible for an exclusive discounted rate of just £17.50 for the first four days only of POLAR.

For more information, and to book your POLAR experience, visit www.robin-hill.com/POLAR

What a Whirl Wind few days…

31st May 2019 / No Comments

Sky High 2019 sees record visitor numbers

Following our first-ever Sky High hot air balloon event, we’d like to say a big thank you to all our visitors & partners…

“What a whirl wind few days we’ve had at Robin Hill Sky High 2019! Testing weather put paid to free flight, but 2 fantastic Night Glow shows have punctuated a challenging, yet very exciting inaugural event.

The team and I extend our sincerest thanks to all our visitors for being so flexible and understanding with the programming changes – we know a lot of you were disappointed (as were we!) with the cancellation of all launches. Thank you to those who came out in record numbers to support our ambitious vision.

Great moments of the event include our human image record attempt, sunrise photoshoot, a visit from ITV Meridian and an incredible photo of the event by the talented Sienna Anderson published in the Telegraph – not to mention 2 visually stunning Night Glow shows!

A massive thanks to our event partners Red Funnel Ferries, Isle of Wight Distillery, Island Photo Centre and to the crews and pilots who, although grounded indefinitely, pushed through some very adverse conditions to deliver the balloon activity that could be achieved.

We will be reviewing the event programme and all the feedback received with a view to planning the next Sky High for you, fingers crossed bigger, better and less windy in the future!” – James Crofts, Robin Hill Park Manager

The park is open 10.00 until 18.00 for the rest of the week so pop back and make the most of your Frequent Visitor Passes or 7 day return ticket. If you haven’t already, sign up to our mailing list via our website www.robin-hill.com to keep up to date with all park news and future events.

Photographers Shoot Sky High

30th May 2019 / No Comments

The weather may not have been fully on our side this week but that hasn’t stopped our visiting photographers from capturing some incredible images of the event!

We want to say a big thank you to the thousands of visitors so far this week for their support whilst Sky High finds its feet in 2019 and a special thank you to all the photographers who have shared their images with us. Here’s a selection of some of our favourites!

Don’t forget to enter our #ShootSkyHigh competition for your chance to WIN a Fuji Finepix 130!

Robin Hill goes SKY HIGH in Southampton

12th April 2019 / No Comments

This morning (12^th April 2019), we teamed up with our friends at Red Funnel (include Ted Funnel, to Red Funnel bear) to take a hot air balloon ‘sky high’ from Mayflower Park, Southampton, just meters away from the Red Funnel Ferry Terminal.

Guests joined the team to enjoy this exciting new aerial spectacular. They had the opportunity to meet the pilots and experience one of the remarkable hot air balloons, which tethered from Southampton’s coastline.

James Crofts, Park Manager of Robin Hill said:

‘It was a fantastic morning; the weather was perfect! We are really excited to be bringing a brand-new event, Sky High to the Isle of Wight this May. Huge thank you to the team from Robin Hill, Red Funnel and Bloon for delivering a fantastic experience for the guests that attended. Tune in to ITV Meridian tonight at 6pm to watch it all unfold.’

Sky High is a brand-new event that will see over 40 hot air balloons take to the skies over Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight this May half term.

Sky High will take place at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight from 27^th – 30^th May (10am – 10pm). In partnership with Red Funnel Ferries, visitors can set sail to the Isle of Wight from Southampton and marvel at the sight of over 40 hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes, taking flight from and tethered in the Lower Valley of Robin Hill Country Park.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the pilots, walk inside the balloons and possibly even win the chance to take flight*. There will also be kite making and flying workshops for the kids.

A special twilight event, Night Glow will also take place on the 27^th May and 29^th May, where visitors will have the opportunity to see the balloons at nightfall, lit up in all their glory, together with incredible sound and light production. Refreshments and live music will also be available throughout the evening.

Join us as we take to the sky!

Save 20% off ferry travel when you book Sky High tickets with Red Funnel. Simply add your Robin Hill admission tickets for Sky High, then add a ferry booking to your basket before you checkout!

Sheep Ashore!

10th April 2019 / No Comments

Shaun the Sheep arrives at Robin Hill!

Shaun the Sheep set sail to the Isle of Wight with Wightlink Ferries this weekend. Shaun and his entire flock left Mossy Bottom Farm to spread their mischievous frolics and sheepish shenanigans to launch Championsheeps Live at Robin Hill’s brand-NEW event, Farm Fest this Easter (running from 6th April – 27th April, 10am – 5pm).

Shaun’s trip to the Isle of Wight started on-board the new Wightlink ferry, Victoria of Wight, where he got the chance to meet the captain and learn how to navigate his way over to the beautiful Isle of Wight. In true farm yard style, Shaun arrived at Robin Hill Country Park on-board a Massy Ferguson tractor, thanks to C&O Tractors, which is now on display at Farm Fest this Easter!

Shaun the Sheep will be at the baa-brilliant Farm Fest, from the 8th – 12th & 15th – 19th April, for farm-tastic family fun!
Hop on-board for a rumbling tractor ride, spend some time making friends with the farmyard animals in the Touring Petting Farm and test your skills in Shaun’s Championsheeps Live which includes the Free-Range egg and spoon race, Naughty Pig Sack Race, Shirley’s bouncy hopper Pie-Athlon and plenty more opportunities to get involved!

Massey Fergusson and C&O Tractors will be joining the shenanigans with a tractor display, competition and Pedal Tractor Races throughout the event. A wonderful showcase of one of the UK’s most famous tractor brands, a chance to win some goodies and an opportunity for the children to race mini tractors.

Meet the miniature horse, miniature donkey, alpaca, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and even a tortoise at the Petting Farm between 20th – 22nd April 2019.

Find out more about Farm Fest and the activities running throughout the Easter half term here.