Done your Christmas shopping yet? Fancy a day out under one roof the whole family will enjoy?

If you haven’t been to Brighton before then it’s well worth a visit!

Brighton

We’ve lived in Brighton (Hove, actually – it’s a bit of a local joke) for six years now, and they don’t call it London-by-sea for nothing. Especially when it comes to shopping.

As well as Brighton’s famous Lanes, where you’ll find all sorts of weird and wonderful shops and boutiques (Choccywoccydodah is a must) there’s the main Churchill Square shopping centre which has everything you could possibly want under one roof.

We were invited to see what they’ve got going on in the run up to Christmas and if you’ve still got shopping left to do – or even if you haven’t – here’s why you should go.

10 reasons to go Christmas shopping in Brighton

1. There are 80 high street stores under one roof in Churchill Square including the Lego shop, where kids can play with Lego until their heart’s content, Build A Bear workshop and H&M Kids (love that shop).

Brighton

2. There’s a Zara Home. Enough said.

3. There’s a Smiggle. And it’s next to Zara Home. Our oldest loves Smiggle and will happily browse for ages tinkering with all the bits and pieces – meaning I can browse for ages in Zara Home next door. Win win.

4. There’s a Lego Grotto – made entirely out of Lego. Open until Christmas Eve and to celebrate Lego’s 60th birthday, families can make their way through a Lego maze with games and activities along the way before meeting the big man himself.

Brighton

We were met by one of Santa’s elves and escorted through the maze, which includes a pin-the-tail on the Lego reindeer game, the chance to ‘be’ an elf and lots of super-duper Lego.

There’s even a Lego turkey and sprouts!

Brighton

Entry is £7 per child which includes meeting and having a photo with Santa as well as a gift. There are also autism friendly hours, which I think is a really thoughtful touch. Our three loved the experience, especially the elves and presents made out of Lego, and couldn’t get over the fact they met Santa inside the shopping centre’s Christmas tree.

Brighton

5. There are Giving Trees. Each tree, which you’ll find dotted about the centre, has tags representing different gifts which you can buy, hand to the Churchill Square team at the customer service desk and they will pass on to the Rockinghorse Charity for children in hospital over Christmas. Which is what Christmas is all about.

6. If it’s cold, dark and raining it doesn’t matter. Everything is under one roof – including the car park – so you can drive in and shop until you drop without getting cold or wet.

7. There are lots of restaurants to choose from. From good old McDonald’s to an Italian Kitchen to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, there’s something for everyone.

8. There’s a baby changing and feeding room. It’s separate to the toilets (hurrah!) and has breastfeeding-friendly chairs you can comfortably feed in away from the hub bub of the shops.

9. There’s late night shopping for a whole week. From Monday December 17 to Saturday December 22 the centre is open from 9am to 8pm. So, if you don’t fancy Christmas shopping with the kids in tow you can head out in the evening instead.

10. The Christmas lights include a giant bauble you can walk inside. And it doesn’t get much better than that when you’re seven, four and one.

Brighton

Have you been to Churchill Square shopping centre before or are you planning a trip to Brighton this Christmas? I’d love to hear about your experience!

We were gifted entry to Churchill Square’s Lego grotto and a shopping voucher in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions are my own and based on my own honest experience.

If you liked this you may also enjoy reading:

A bird’s eye view of London’s Christmas lights with The Original Tour

Why I won’t be contributing to the teacher’s Christmas gift collection

An open letter to the kids in the playground this Christmas

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