Aberdeen Science Centre will host a sleigh-full of festive fun this Christmas, including the return of its annual Science with Santa event, a Christmas Escape Room and its first Holiday Hangout session. 

Mixing science with the magic of Christmas to create unforgettable memories for young children and their families, these events will offer affordable and fun days out before Christmas. 

The Science with Santa event, taking place on Sunday, December 21, will see children aged 5-12 enjoy a Christmas-themed workshop and a scavenger hunt, joined by Santa and his most scientifically gifted elves.    

Booking is now open for the event, which is sponsored by commercial cleaning company Tidy Green Clean, marking its fourth consecutive year of festive collaboration with Aberdeen Science Centre. 

During the Science with Santa event, children will explore different chemical reactions as participants make soap in the Reindeer Spa Workshop, as they help Santa’s furry friends look their sparkly best, before searching high and low for festive treats hidden throughout Aberdeen Science Centre in the Christmas scavenger hunt, before getting to meet Santa himself. 

Other activities will include an arts and crafts activity station that will allow children to make festive ornaments, which they can take home for their own Christmas tree.  

Standard admission to the Science with Santa event will cost £18.95, and £13.95 per additional child. Aberdeen Science Centre STEM Passport holders will receive discounted entry at £10 per child.   

Aberdeen Science Centre will also host a Christmas Escape Room, available from Saturday, December 6 until Sunday, January 4, that allows families or groups to sneak into Santa's office and follow clues to uncover the location of his Nice List, adding their names to the list and escaping before they are caught by the elves.

The escape room experience will include festive puzzles, crosswords, riddles, sorting activities and more. 

Parents and guardians looking to complete some last-minute gift shopping can keep their children entertained at the centre’s Holiday Hangout in the run up to Christmas. Taking place on Monday, December 22, the session will be available for children aged 6-12 and filled with fun, hands-on activities in a friendly and supportive setting. 

Supervised by Aberdeen Science Centre’s experienced team, children will be encouraged to join in, explore new skills and enjoy trying out a variety of exciting and festive science projects while their parents are busy finding the perfect gifts for friends and family.  

The Holiday Hangout will run from 9:30am-2pm, priced at £20 per child. Water, diluting juice and snacks will be provided for children attending the session.  

Calli Buchanan, Visitor Experience Manager at Aberdeen Science Centre, said: 
“Christmas is one of our favourite times of the year and this December we are offering more surprises than a Christmas cracker. We are thrilled to once again welcome Santa Claus and his cheeky elves through our doors for our annual Science with Santa event and we will put families through their paces to solve merry mysteries in our Christmas Escape Room. We are then offering parents the opportunity to get some Christmas shopping completed while we entertain their young ones in our first Holiday Hangout session.  

“We are grateful for the continued support of Tidy Green Clean for our Science with Santa activities, which allow us to ensure families can enjoy high-quality, hands-on science fun at an affordable price while creating magical festive memories together.” 

Tidy Green Clean is an environmentally friendly commercial cleaning company, offering a range of commercial cleaning and facilities management services across Scotland.  

In addition to the festive fun, the centre will also explore DNA and biology as part of its Amazing Bodies theme running across November and December. This will include a special “Inside Out” virtual reality experience that will allow visitors to explore the human body, including the brain, eyes, heart and digestive system. 

Places at each of the Christmas-themed activities will be limited, so parents are encouraged to book ahead to avoid disappointment.    

To find out more about what is happening at Aberdeen Science Centre this Christmas, and book a space at the festive events, click here.