Christmas Crown Trail
Inspired by the re-opening of Norwich Castle Keep and Henry I celebrating Christmas 1121 at Norwich Castle, the Christmas Crown Trail was a free, family-friendly festive treasure hunt across Norwich.
Launched on 20 November 2025 and running until 5 January 2026, the Christmas Crown Trail guided visitors across the city centre to locate festive displays and search for crowns and clues within creative shop window designs. This fun and festive trail was a treasure hunt adventure designed to boost footfall and showcase the city’s businesses. People taking part were able to collect clues from windows at 30 locations, solve a puzzle, and enter a competition for the chance to win prizes donated by Norwich Castle.
Christmas can be expensive, and keeping everyone happy at this time can be stressful, which is why the trail aimed to offer a free and enjoyable activity. It encouraged families to pause everyday routines and spend time enjoying Norwich’s historic and creative city, whether with pre-school or school-age children, alongside parents, carers, friends, or grandparents, during the week or at weekends.
This is Christmas for the curious.
A printed map showing the trail locations was distributed across the city centre and made available online. The Christmas Crown Trail map also included the locations of light installations and festive windows across the city.
The Crown Trail was part of a wider campaign to:
- Encourage residents and visitors to shop in person in Norwich
- Showcase local fabulous festive shopping destinations, businesses of every size
- Share the story of Norwich’s royal Christmas past in an engaging, creative family-friendly way whilst celebrating the opening of Norwich Castle – the jewel in the crown!
- Generate local PR and an online buzz for Norwich
- Create awareness locally and regionally for Norwich as must-visit festive city for shopping, eating, and entertainment.