Review: THURSFORD CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR 2025
Photo credit: Thursford Christmas Spectacular
Nestled in a small village near the North Norfolk coast is the Thursford Collection: a collection of steam trains, mechanical organs and fairground rides which was collated by George Cushing MBE. It also houses the fourth largest Wurlitzer Organ in Europe and since 1977 has been home to The Christmas Spectacular, which brings in droves of people every year from all around Europe.
Under the direction of George’s son John Cushing OBE – who we had the pleasure of meeting – Thursford Christmas Spectacular is just that…spectacular. As pointed out by compere Lloyd Hollett, there are 55 singers, 31 musicians, 23 dancers, an entire deputy orchestra, a jump rope troupe, a hand balancer, a duo of wheel acrobatics and, of course, one compere/comedian involved in making the show a success.
Photo credit: Emma Rooney
The show itself is only a portion of what can be experienced at Thursford. There is light trail to be enjoyed which takes you on a tour through the animal kingdom, and Santa’s Magical Journey, showing you how the elves make the toys, with lots of model elves, penguins, polar bears and snowmen to be enjoyed; all culminating in a visit to see the big man himself. The whole experience has been so well thought out and is appropriately - and beautifully - decorated with wreaths, Christmas lights and trees galore to add to the vibe. The small idyllic corner shop, toy shop and sweet shops are like something from the 1950’s and help to maintain the ambience.
The show itself has a 3 hour run time but has a generous 25 minute interval, with the ability to purchase probably the best mulled wine around and a mince pie.
The show begins with two bag-pipers warming the crowd up with Christmas carols, which continues with the strong chorus of singers. We are then treated to a portion from Wurlitzer organist Phil Kelsall, a gentleman who usually resides at Blackpool Tower Ballroom but, for the 45th year in a row, has made the trip to Norfolk for this Christmas show. His playing is - as you would expect - impeccable.
Lloyd Hollett arrives and introduces himself and some of the others, and warms the crowd with a few jokes. Hollett is a delight throughout the evening, with the right humour and balance for the age range in the audience. All of the jokes landed with impeccable comic timing but he also maintains a warm persona when not fully in joke mode, making everyone aware that he is more than just comic relief.
Photo credit: Emma Rooney
The highlight of the first act is the ‘March of the Toys’. The dancers are exquisitely timed, marching with straight legs in complete unison, captivating the audience with their rhythmic timing. In everything they perform throughout the show, they look graceful and effortless but this feels elevated. The fall of the toys shows their personal strength and guile as dancers, with each dancer supporting the next as they fall backwards.
The second half is opened by a medley of Disney songs played by the orchestra, which really shows off every instrument they have and how trained these musicians are. The highlight of the second half comes very early but it is spine-tinglingly beautiful. The lights go down and the singers head onto the stage in classic chorister robes to sing some traditional songs; the dancers carry candles and the singers break out into ‘Nessun Dorma’. It is sung absolutely flawlessly. The harmonies through the different vocal tones are memorising, along with the way that they use the contrasts from the tenors and sopranos to add such depth to the song.
The singers are a delight throughout, turning their hand to many different genres of song with ‘Oom-pah-pah’, classic carols, songs for the anniversary of VE day and a country style section. A small group take on a barbershop-esque section with ‘God Only Knows’ and the ’Twelve Days of Christmas’. They harmonise well and manage to fill the vast space with their presence. They clearly look like they are enjoying themselves as well.
Photo credit: Emma Rooney
There are sections from Duo Leole who does mind boggling things with large wheels, managing to defy the laws of gravity. Not only showing their skills but they also have tremendous musicality to add the performance element of their piece. We are also treated to a jump rope troupe who perform twice with agility to Kelsey’s Wee Reel and Gimme Gimme. They are vibrant and energetic, and add something unique to the show. Vladislav Knvostik is the other alternative act with his hand balancing, flanked by two singers singing ‘Now We Are Free’ from Gladiator. He shows off his strength by lifting his body up on two small plinths and contorting into shapes before holding the pose. His strength is impressive and the song choice adds dramatic tension to the piece. Another enjoyable moment is the dancers performing a section from ‘Riverdance’; they are lively, crisp and fluid in their movement. It’s always a delight to see this section of the show as it feels more hypnotic than any other section.
The costumes are outstanding, with so much detail put into every single one. Bravo to the costume team for managing to put so much effort into theming them all correctly, with war uniforms, toy soldiers, Oliver! themed costumes, beautiful ballgowns, black tie suits and country themed garments, which help to elevate the entire production.
The show finishes with all of the performers and a lovely rendition of ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which leaves feelings of warmth, coziness and joy for all of the festivities to come.
Thursford Christmas Spectacular has been running for 48 years for a reason. It is the perfect segue into the Christmas season and never fails to delight audiences.
There are only four days left to see it this year but tickets are already on sale for next year when it will undoubtedly be another spectacle.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Emma Rooney
Thursford Christmas Spectacular plays until 23 December, with further info here.