
On Friday night, I slipped into a sparkly LBD, grabbed four good girlfriends and set out to celebrate Christmas in style… under canvas!



I discovered Papa Kata while searching for marquee alternatives for my wedding. They provide amazing canvas tipis for all sorts of events and are based in Harrogate, Yorkshire. After much, much research we decided Papa Kata’s beautiful tipis were just a little out of our price range, but by then I was hooked. Luckily, I spotted an ad for ‘Papa Christmas‘ – a Christmas party under canvas, complete with Papa Kata’s distinctive styling, food, drink and a live band.



The theme for the evening was Moroccan, and the interior was just breathtaking. Multiple tipis were connected together to create a huge open space, but fire pits, twinkly lights and glowing lanterns kept us warm as toast.
The five of us settled on our bench, complete with fur throws and plenty of wine, ready for our three course Moroccan feast.




Hummus, olives, marinated vegetables and a delicious tomato tangine served with toasted pitas started us off. This was the only course I remembered to photograph before I was lost in the food – rare masala lamb with griddled courgette, bombay potatoes, a bean and vegetable tangine and minted yoghurt dressing, followed by cardamom pudding with orange and custard. Absolutely delicious.



When the food was finished and the wine bottles empty, we took to the dance floor – the live band played soul and Motown, followed by disco classics and, of course, Christmas tunes from the DJ.


It was a truly fantastic evening – every year my girlfriends and I have a night out to celebrate Christmas, but this was something completely different and the effort that went into creating this festive Moroccan wonderland made it extra special.
There are still tickets available for Papa Christmas 2012 – check the dates here. If you’re in Yorkshire or nearby and still looking for the perfect Christmas party setting, I’d thoroughly recommend it.
What I wore coming tomorrow!