The last main week of the season at Crich in any normal year is one of the highlights of the year with the popular Starlight event taking place complete with special lighting effects and trams running after dark. Now, 2020 is anything but a normal year but even though it isn’t possible for the usual Starlight event to happen it has been announced that for three days at the end of October they will be opening until 1830.
Since reopening in July, Crich has been open Tuesdays-Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays (plus August Bank Holiday Monday) but this period of special opening will see the first Friday opening since March too!
From Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th October the museum will be open until 1830 (with last admissions at 1700) and trams will continue to run until 1800. This will allow visitors to ride on the trams in the dark but there will be no other usual Starlight events, including the special lighting effects seen in previous years.
Crich will also be opening for an extra weekend on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November between 1000 and 1730.
Amanda Blair, Marketing & Business Development Manager at Crich, said: “Unfortunately we can’t run our Starlight event, which would normally include illuminations and activities, this year, but we want to give visitors the unique experience to ride on the trams in the dark, which is why we have selected 3 days in October during most schools’ half term. We recommend visitors bringing torches if they wish to take the Woodland Walk. We would normally end the season on Sunday 1st November this year, but we have decided to offer an additional weekend, as we were closed for over three months due to Covid-19. We’re hoping that the weather is kind, and that people will make the most of the last weekend before the winter shut down for essential maintenance.”
The now standard Covid-19 restrictions will remain in place with tram rides requiring booking at admissions upon arrival and all tram rides will continue to be Town End to Glory Mine and back with no alighting or boarding en-route.
Please note this is the plan as this article is published but with the ever evolving Coronavirus restrictions you are strongly advised to check both with the museum and also the restrictions in place for the area you live in.