Dudley Zoo and Castle Continue To Help Make Grand Theatre A Roaring Success

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Dudley Zoo & Castle announced a continuation to a partnership that sees two family-friendly attractions unite - the popular 85 year-old zoo and the annual family pantomime - a tradition that spans 128 years at the theatre.

Dudley Zoo & Castle have extended their sponsorship of Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for a further two years, making them the local partner until at least 2024. The Grand Theatre attracts thousands of families to Wolverhampton each year, as does a collection of the world's rarest animals to Dudley, who find their home in the grounds of an 11th Century castle at Dudley Zoo.

Head of Commercial & Events at the Grand Theatre, Paula Jones said: "We are delighted to welcome back Dudley Zoo as local partners. Working with the team at the Zoo and being able to take our pantomime stars to meet some of the Zoo stars is always a great experience. We would like to express our thanks to everyone involved and here's hoping the relationship continues to build on the strong foundation that we already have."

Zoo Director, Derek Grove said: "We're delighted to be continuing our partnership with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre again for the next two years. The magic of theatre always delivers great fun for all the family and we're excited to be involved once more."

The Chronicles of Dudley Castle is the popular Santa's grotto in the 11th century castle this year and opens on December 1 and runs until Christmas Eve, with prices for the festive package starting from £15 for children aged one and above and £15 for adults.

DZC Marketing Manager, Andrea Hales, said: "Our grotto has been a popular event in thousands of families' Christmas countdown celebration for decades and we're so pleased to be able to reinstate the experience in the castle again following the last few years. We're delighted to have already secured our first bookings and we look forward to welcoming everyone on site in December."

Admission to 'The Chronicles of Dudley Castle' not only includes a visit to Santa and a special gift, but also entry to the zoo, allowing visitors to see the reindeer herd and friends across the rest of the 40-acre zoo site.

Earlier this year, the cast of ALADDIN went to visit Dudley Zoo and spent time feeding the lorikeets, meeting the snakes and Ben Cajee read a bedtime story to the tapirs!

Tickets for ALADDIN at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 3 December are now on sale at grandtheatre.co.uk.