The Paddington Bear Experience
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: County Hall, London

This multi-room immersive Experience is London’s newest family attraction situated on London’s South Bank. Step into Paddington’s world by helping him and the Brown FAMILY prepare for a VERY special occasion, The Marmalade Day Festival!

Board the train from Paddington Station to 32 Windsor Gardens and be transported to the Peruvian jungle, where you’ll meet beloved characters from the films, help them solve puzzles and play games to make the Marmalade Day Festival the best celebration ever! Join Paddington himself for a photo, dance to the Calypso band and even try a Marmalade Sandwich. 

Paddington Bear has been a national treasure for decades, and there's now an immersive experience at Southbank's County Hall to celebrate him and his favourite sandwich filling - marmalade. It's worth noting that the experience is focused heavily on the Paddington films rather than the books by Michael Bond. But one thing's for certain: the celebration of Paddington is utter perfection.

As you step into the venue, you're transported to Gruber's Antiques Shop which doubles as both a gift shop and a ticket booth for you to check in to the experience. Once tickets have been shows, you're taken to "Paddington Station" and informed that today is Marmalade Day and you're treated to music from Tobago and D'Lime - just like the films!

When it's time to board, you're taken on the train and with a puff of steam, you're on your way to the iconic 32 Windsor Gardens, home of the Brown family and Paddington himself. The train is impressive with London flashing past as we chug along, joyfully dancing to music.

Mrs Brown is waiting for us as we exit the train and tells us all we need to know about Marmalade Day and the preparations we must undertake. We're led inside the house and it's here we undertake most of our tasks such as arranging damaged portraits and fixing Paddington's fridge! We're then made aware that there's not enough Peruvian oranges to make the marmalade, so we must travel to Peru!

The Peru section of the experience was both mine and my nephew's favourite part as the walls of the larder part to reveal a jungle, adorned with tunnels, rope bridges and sand pits. My nephew managed to find a piece of the sought-after map which he was very excited about, and it's the magical moments like this that make the experience truly worth it. While all of the sets from Rebecca Brower were sensational, it was the Peru section that made this truly unforgettable for adults and children alike.

At the end of the led-through experience, you're met with an animatronic Paddington who interacts with the small group. It's incredibly realistic and left me feeling quite emotional.

You're then free to explore the streets of Windsor Gardens, which are currently looking rightfully festive. Christmas trees and fairy lights adorn the houses, creating the perfect atmosphere. However, the magic truly begins when a Christmas song plays and snow begins to fall; the faces of awe will stay with me forever.

At the Marmalade Day Festival, you can buy marmalade sandwiches, ice cream, and sweet treats. There's colouring stations provided, as well as carnival games, photo opportunities and of course, the chance to meet the main bear himself!

There's plenty to explore and while the experience itself lasts just over an hour, we also spent a similar amount of time enjoying the festivities and dancing in the snow. The Paddington Bear Experience makes for a truly enchanting afternoon out, particularly during the festive season where they've clearly put in the effort to making the visit as magical as possible. An unforgettable day out for all the family.

You can book tickets to The Paddington Bear Experience, here.

**photo credit: Alex Brenner**