Wonderland Night: the evening Miravalle became a fairy tale
We didn't want to present Miravalle. We wanted everyone who came to live it like a fairy tale. That is how La Noche de las Maravillas, our Wonderland Night, was born.
The White Rabbit waited in The Gallery, watch in hand, to hand over the first object of the route
It was Wednesday 9 September. At eight in the evening we opened Miravalle's doors to companies, agencies and wedding planners. The invitation asked for just two things: come in business casual and bring a little imagination.
It was the launch of the new Miravalle under the management of Grupo Life Gourmet, and we could have done it the way almost everyone does: a welcome, a walk through the rooms with someone reciting capacities, and drinks at the end. We preferred that nobody should have to imagine what an event at the estate looks like. So we staged a real one.
We chose Alice in Wonderland as the common thread. Each space became a chapter of the story, and guests had to walk through it to discover the tale. This is the route we designed, stop by stop, and the ideas any company can take away to create a memorable event.
- 7stops on the route map
- 3objects: a key, a playing card and a rose
- 36dishes on the menu
- 1trip to Porto raffled at the end
Why theme an event instead of just presenting it?
Because a story gives the route a purpose. When guests know a character is waiting in the next room, they move on. When they have a mission, they talk to each other. And when every space is a different chapter, they remember the whole evening, not just the end.
A well-chosen theme also makes many decisions simpler. Signage, staff costumes, decoration, dish names and the welcome gift are no longer designed separately. Everything answers the same question:
Would this make sense inside the story?
If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. But only by collecting three objects will you open the doors of Miravalle.
From the map every guest receivedCheck-in: through the keyhole
The story began before anyone crossed the threshold. The first instruction on the map was clear: “Begin your adventure with Alice and go through the keyhole.” So that is exactly what guests found first: Alice waiting for them at check-in, and the feeling that reality had just been left outside.
Not even the signage followed the usual rules. Nobody was directed to a car park or a reception desk. The signs invited guests to follow the White Rabbit, to look for The Gallery or simply to wonder: “Or was it that way?” For once, getting a little lost was part of the game. The map itself warned: “Don't trust every arrow. Some of them may lead you astray.”
The card soldiers at the door and Alice on the path to The Gallery.
The Gallery: “The White Rabbit's Burrow”
The sign at the entrance to The Gallery gave the first clue: “The White Rabbit's Burrow. This is where the journey begins.” Inside the door the White Rabbit was waiting, watch in hand. The map was clear: follow him to win the first piece of the route, a key.
Inside, every detail spoke the same language. Clocks under glass domes, top hats turned into centrepieces and flowers spilling out of them as if they had just grown. The first bite was no accident either: a macaron marked “Eat me”, filled with foie gras and apple, which opened the culinary route just as it opens the adventure in the book.
- Space
- The Gallery · 380 standing, 220 seated
- Character
- The White Rabbit
- Object
- A key
- Bite
- Eat me: foie gras and apple macaron
The welcome mirror, the table clocks and the macarons bearing the estate's monogram.
The Atrium: “The Mad Hatter's Tea Party”
“Take a seat, tea is served.” That was how The Atrium welcomed its guests, turned for one night into the most famous tea party in literature. Pink toile tablecloths, flowers spilling over the tables, silver teapots, towers of macarons and a setting that invited you to sit down, even if nobody was in a hurry to do so.
Upstairs in the hall, no object was handed out. At tea time guests were simply told that, following the map, the Mad Hatter was waiting in the garden with the next piece of the route. Meanwhile the drinks reception carried on with a live cooking station inspired by the tea party, where a truffled toastie of cecina and brie or a mollete bun with Comté and tatemada sauce were made to order.
- Space
- The Atrium · 420 standing, 270 seated
- Scene
- The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
- Object
- A playing card, down in the Atrium Garden
- Station
- Sandwiches in Wonderland, cooked live
Pink toile, silver and macarons: the tea party, set up in The Atrium.
And then, the Atrium Garden
From the hall you went down to the garden, and the route changed pace: a stroll among flowers, crystal chandeliers hanging from the trees and a new scene of the story in the open air. There a team of florists made fresh flower crowns for guests, one by one, as part of the experience.
The Mad Hatter was there too, mingling with guests and handing out the playing card, the second piece of the route. Almost without trying, he became one of the most photographed characters of the night. And the flower crowns stayed on for the rest of the party.
The flower crowns and the Mad Hatter in the Atrium Garden.
The Meadow: “The Red Queen's Garden”
“Painting the roses red”, announced the sign in the garden of The Meadow. Red roses in every corner, a sign nailed to a pine tree warning “Off with her head!” and the Queen herself, in character, among the guests.
The third piece arrived on a tray. The map dared guests to get a red rose “without her noticing”, but in the garden it was the waiters who handed it over, topped with a lychee and rose sphere: you ate the bite and kept the flower. With the key, the card and the rose collected, only the last stop remained.
- Space
- The Meadow Garden
- Character
- The Red Queen
- Object
- A red rose, served with the drinks
- Bite
- A rose for the Queen: lychee and rose sphere
The Queen, her warning and the third object of the route.
The Meadow: “The Enchanted Forest”
The route ended in the great hall of The Meadow, transformed for one night into The Enchanted Forest. The welcome sign put it plainly: “Here the journey ends. Here the celebration begins.” After the walk around the estate, the story reached its final chapter.
There was one last mission: show the key, the card and the rose to get into the final party. Then drop your ticket in the box and wait for the draw for a trip to Porto. The rest needed no instructions: drinks, live music, a DJ and every character gathered on a giant chessboard that closed the story just as it had begun.
- Space
- The Meadow · up to 1,000 standing, 700 seated
- Entry
- Show the key, the card and the rose
- Raffle
- Ticket in the box · a trip to Porto
- Music
- Live band and DJ
The full cast, the live music and the draw for the trip. And the flower crowns from the garden, still on.
How do you tell a story through food?
At Wonderland Night the food didn't accompany the story: it told it. Every dish was named after a chapter, and the menu read like the contents page of a book. The culinary route brought together 36 dishes across stations, bites and desserts, spread all over the estate. This was the story, told plate by plate.
Bites served in the hall and the Sweet Madness table, set among chess pieces.
“Sweet Madness” closed the night among life-size chess pieces, the finishing touch to a route that had begun hours earlier. The story ended, but the idea stayed: when the food is part of the story, the event is remembered long after the last bite. Grupo Life Gourmet's four culinary lines can be adapted to any celebration, and you can explore them on our catering page.
What goes on behind a night like this?
While guests walked through the story, another one was unfolding out of sight. In the kitchen, every porcini branch, every flower and every plate of moss and petals was assembled one by one before going out. Nothing reached its place by chance.
The same was true outside the kitchen. Actors, florists, musicians, technicians, map and menu printing, set-up, service and coordination worked as one team to make it all look easy. That is probably the least visible part of an event, and also the most important.
Plating the bites in the estate's kitchen.
The night in pictures
Tap any image to see it full size.
What can your company take away from this night?
It isn't about copying a fairy tale. It's about building a story. When an event has a common thread, every decision stops standing alone and becomes part of a single experience. That is what guests remember when they get home.
- 01
Start with a story
It doesn't have to be a fairy tale. It could be a book, a film, an era or even one of your brand values. If you need to explain it, it probably isn't the right one yet.
- 02
Turn the venue into a route
Each space can be a different chapter. A change of scene keeps interest up, sets the pace and moves the event forward naturally.
- 03
Give guests a mission
A small activity is enough to get people moving, talking and taking part. The best networking is almost never forced.
- 04
Let the food tell the story too
Dish names, presentation and service can all be part of the story. When the menu tells it too, the experience holds together.
- 05
Create hosts, not extras
Characters are not just decoration. They welcome guests, guide them, spark conversation and keep the story moving.
- 06
Design a good ending
Every route needs an ending. A toast, an award or a surprise brings everyone back together and makes the experience end on a shared memory.
What if the next story were your company's?
Wonderland Night was created to present an estate, but the method can be adapted to any corporate event. It isn't about repeating a fairy tale, but about building an experience of your own that speaks for your brand, brings your team together and leaves a lasting memory.
The Christmas party is the best moment to do it. In December every team celebrates, but very few remember where they were a few weeks later. A well-built story makes the difference.
At Miravalle we can adapt it to whatever format you need:
- Three indoor spaces, ready for events of different sizes and layouts: The Meadow seats 700 and holds 1,000 for a standing reception, The Atrium 270 and 420, and The Gallery 220 and 380.
- In-house kitchen by Grupo Life Gourmet, with menus tailored to each event.
- Full production, from styling and music to actors and technical production.
- Just 35 minutes from Madrid, with parking inside the estate.
If this year you want your Christmas party to be more than a dinner, we would love to start imagining it with you. All formats and capacities are on our page for corporate events at Miravalle.
What if this year your party told a story too?
Tell us how many you are, what you would like to celebrate and when. We will design a menu and an experience so that your team remembers the night long after it ends.
Frequently asked questions about company Christmas parties at Miravalle
-
Company dinners and galas are planned for groups of 100 to 800 guests. By space, The Meadow seats 700 and holds 1,000 for a standing reception, The Atrium seats 270 and holds 420 standing, and The Gallery seats 220 and holds 380 standing.
-
Miravalle is on the Ctra. de La Coruña (N-6), km 44, in Guadarrama: 35 minutes from central Madrid on the A-6, exit 42. There are 340 free parking spaces inside the estate.
-
Yes. What carries over is the method: a story as the common thread, a route through the estate's spaces, a small mission for guests, a menu with a script and an ending that brings everyone together. We choose the story with you: a book, a film, an era or one of your brand values.
-
The kitchen belongs to Grupo Life Gourmet, which runs the estate: four culinary lines and menus tailored to each event, all produced in-house.
-
Nothing changes. All three spaces at the estate are indoors, so the dinner and the party don't depend on the weather.
-
We reply within 48 working hours of receiving your request.