Popular children’s story The Gruffalo is coming to Kew Gardens on 17 October, just in time for the half-term break.
The Gruffalo Adventures attraction allows families to play the role of the ‘little brown mouse’ and follow the Gruffalo’s trail through the Kew Gardens Arboretum.
Along the way, children can follow the tracks of various animals to meet much loved characters from author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s book, including the Gruffalo himself.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said: “We are thrilled to bring such an iconic tale to Kew Gardens, in what is set to be a great adventure for families over the half-term break.
“The Gruffalo is a perfect fit for Kew Gardens, and we hope visitors venturing through Kew’s landscape will be transported to Donaldson and Scheffler’s much-loved universe.”
Visitors will be able to find fox footprints, an owl feather xylophone and a snakeskin gong, allowing them to find the book’s characters Fox, Owl and Snake, as well as learning more about the animals as they hunt.
And the highlight of the event will be of course the iconic children’s character The Gruffalo, who will be making timed appearances during the half-term period.
Gruffalo Adventures is set against the back drop of Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens and its Arboretum, home to 14,000 trees and various forms of wildlife.
Kew Gardens’ autumnal coloured landscape includes vibrant shagbark hickory, maple and sweetgum trees and visitors can also explore the Kitchen Garden where it is the season for abundant beetroots, carrots and pumpkins.
Brand Director at Magic Light Pictures, Daryl Shute said: “We are thrilled to be announcing this partnership with Kew Gardens. To bring The Gruffalo to this iconic deep dark wood of West London is really exciting.
“By combining the beauty of Julia and Axel’s characters with the theme of ‘the marks we leave behind’, Kew has created a really original activation, which guests will love for sure.”
Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, will also host its own version of Gruffalo Adventures.
Gruffalo Adventures runs between 17 October and 1 November and visitors need to book through the website at www.kew.org.
