Best Theme Park Christmas Events 2026: Dates, Prices, and What’s Included

If you are looking for a festive family day out or a Christmas short break in the UK, then there are some great theme park Christmas events options for 2026. We love a Christmas theme park experience, and have visited a lot of the options on this list. From meeting Father Christmas at Chessington and LEGOLAND to watching fun shows and riding junior coasters in Alton Towers’ CBeebies land, these options offer something for toddlers, teenagers and plenty of grown-ups too.

The hardest part is deciding which one is right for your family. Some off the options on our list focus on a traditional visit to Santa, while others have Christmas shows, light trails, and some even include rides (great for the thrill seekers in your life!)

To help you make the right choice, I’ve compared the main theme park Christmas events for 2026 from events across the UK. I’ll cover what’s included, why we loved it (if we’ve been), who each event is best suited to and the important details to check before booking.

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!

The Best UK Theme Park Christmas Events at a Glance

THEME PARK	BEST FOR…	2026 EVENT DATES	FATHER CHRISTMAS?	OVERNIGHT OPTIONS
LEGOLAND Windsor	Lego-loving families	Selected dates, 21 November 2026–2 January 2027	This is optional, and has an extra charge	Yes
Chessington World of Adventures	A complete classic Christmas village experience	Selected dates, 21 November–24 December 2026	Included with Christmas village ticket	Yes
Alton Towers	CBeebies fans and resort breaks	Selected dates during the festive season	Included with Santa sleepovers	Yes
Drayton Manor	Fans of Thomas the Tank Engine	Selected dates, 28 November–24 December 2026	The Grotto experience is optional	Yes
Paulton’s Park	Families prioritising rides	Selected dates in December–3 January 2027	Show included: Grotto at extra charge	Yes, through partner hotels
Gulliver’s Theme Parks	A choice of different UK locations	Selected festive dates vary by resort	Available with selected Christmas packages	Yes

Which Theme Park Christmas Event Should You Choose?

With so many Christmas theme park options available, it can be hard choosing which one will work best for your family. So here’s a quick breakdown!

If meeting Father Christmas is going to be the most important part of your day, Chessington offers the most complete ‘classic Christmas’ experience. Chessington’s Christmas Village takes families through different festive activity zones like writing letters to Santa, and dancing in a silent disco. Finally, you meet Santa in his grotto and Toy Workshop, where you’re given an early selection of gifts. I think this is a great choice for believers of all ages! This will be our last year with a believer in the house, so I’m feeling sentimental about it.

If you want the strongest selection of rides, check out Paultons Park. Historically, theme parks in the UK close their biggest attractions during the winter month, but this isn’t true of Paulton’s. The rides they open at Christmas change from year-to-year, but this year’s published Christmas line-up includes attractions in Peppa Pig World, Tornado Springs, Lost Kingdom and the new Valgard area. (which we haven’t visited yet, but it looks awesome!)

LEGOLAND also opens more than 20 rides and attractions during the Christmas period, making it another good choice for families who want a proper theme park day as well as festive entertainment. Because we have one believer and one non-believer in the house, this is a really good choice for us. We LOVE LEGOLAND at Christmas and have visited a whopping three times: as well as the rides, the atmosphere, decor, and the additions to Miniland all make it perfect for Lego fans like my boys!

If your children are devoted to Thomas the Tank Engine, Drayton Manor is the obvious choice. We visited for Christmas when the boys were much younger, and obsessed with Thomas (as so many little boys often are) For preschoolers who love CBeebies, look at Alton Towers. The highlight for us of booking a Alton Towers festive weekend break is that you also get access to the epic Alton Towers waterpark too. We loved our Alton Towers festive break, but it is important to note that the bigger thrill rides in the park DON’T open at Christmas.

And if you want to turn your Christmas theme park experience into a festive mini-break? LEGOLAND, Chessington, Alton Towers, Drayton Manor and Gulliver’s all offer accommodation packages, and although more expensive, those also offer better value!

QUICK BOOKING BOX

Christmas at LEGOLAND Windsor

2026 dates: Selected dates from 21 November 2026–2 January 2027
Day-ticket price: From £34 per person
Best for: LEGO fans and families who want rides alongside Christmas entertainment

Booking link: Book your day ticket or festive weekend break here

LEGOLAND Windsor is so special at Christmas, when it transforms into a wonderland with festive decorations, a giant DUPLO Christmas tree, seasonal shows and more than 20 selected rides and attractions. We love LEGOLAND Windsor at Christmas so much that we’ve visited three times, although we’ve only met Santa here once (you can add this on as on optional extra, or ignore the man in red altogether!)

The entertainment on offer changes slightly every year but for 2026 you can expect to find an Elf Training Academy Show, Festival of Flurries, the Nutcracker’s Marching Band and a festive opening show. Children can meet LEGO Santa and join the Build to Give activity, where families build a LEGO heart to help trigger a LEGO set donation.

Wondering what rides you can enjoy? This year it includes: The Dragon, LEGO NINJAGO The Ride, LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure, LEGO City Driving School, DUPLO Dino Coaster, Dragon’s Apprentice and several smaller family rides. It is a good selection, with a little bit of something for everyone! There’s definitely enough there to keep kids of a wide range of ages entertained, though I think the rides in LEGOLAND Windsor are best suited to primary-school aged kids.

Meeting Father Christmas at LEGOLAND

Like I said, you can choose to make meeting Santa part of your LEGOLAND Windsor experience or just….not! Your kids won’t feel like they’re missing out if they don’t, as the grotto is hidden away, so they won’t be taunted by something they can’t have!

Meeting Father Christmas isn’t included with standard Christmas park admission, so you’ll have to consider that extra cost. The grotto upgrade currently starts from £27.50 per child and includes a special LEGO gift. We were actually happy to pay it because the boys were excited to get a LEGO gift instead of the landfill stuff you often find in other grottos.

LEGOLAND Christmas Short Breaks

We’ve stayed over at the LEGOLAND Hotel before, and in a partner hotel booked via the Lego website, but we’ve never tried a Christmas short break. They offer exactly the same as a regularl package, but with Christmas decor as far as the eye can see! Festive sleepovers currently start from around £70 per person, based on a family of four sharing a room.

👉Legoland Windsor Hotel Review: Everything You Need To Know For First-Time Visitors

Families can choose between the LEGOLAND Resort Hotel, Castle Hotel, Woodland Village and participating partner hotels.

CHECK LEGOLAND CHRISTMAS TICKETS HERE

Christmas at Chessington World of Adventures

2026 dates: Selected dates from 21 November–24 December 2026
Price: Theme park entry from £24; Christmas Village and theme park from £32
Best for: Families who want a structured, traditional Father Christmas journey
Booking link: Book your day ticket or festive weekend break here

Christmas at Chessington is such a fun and classic experience, just like you’ll find in grottos all over the country but on a bigger, and slicker scale. You get to experience selected rides with the zoo, SEA LIFE aquarium, and fun festive entertainment. But you can also add on an optional visit to the Christmas Village (and honestly? this is the best bit!)

If you choose to visit Chessington at Christmas, you need to get the right ticket. The cheaper theme-park-only ticket includes the rides and attractions that are open (not all of them are), the zoo, SEA LIFE, Christmas pantomime, and carollers. It does not include entry to the Christmas Village or the opportunity to meet Father Christmas, you’ll need a Christmas Village and theme park ticket for that.

The activities in the Christmas village vary every year: This year, families receive a Christmas Village Passport and pass through an Elf Welcome, Letters to Father Christmas, a silent disco and Cookie Corner before entering the grotto. Afterwards, they visit the Toy Workshop where they may receive an early Christmas present (Spoiler alert: They do!)

Chessington Christmas Short Breaks

We’ve never done a Chessington short break, we’ve only ever visited for day trips, so I can’t give a first hand review of the experience. But Christmas short breaks are advertised from around £62 per person, based on a family of four. Packages include an overnight stay in a Chessington Resort Hotel, breakfast, parking, Christmas Village entry, hotel entertainment and one day in the theme park, zoo and aquarium.

CHECK CHESSINGTON CHRISTMAS TICKETS AND SHORT BREAK PRICES HERE

Christmas at Alton Towers

2026 dates: Selected dates during the festive period; check the live calendar
Best for: CBeebies fans, preschoolers and families looking for a resort break

Booking link: Book your day tickets and short breaks here

We’ve just returned from an Alton Towers Scarefest weekend break with the boys, and it’s a theme park we genuinely love. But at Christmas, they do things a little bit differently! You have to choose from three different Christmas experiences: Magical Days Out, Santa Sleepovers and post-Christmas Festive Breaks. But perhaps the biggest change is that the resort don’t open any of its bigger roller coasters. Instead, Christmas visits focus on selected family rides being the rides they open, festive entertainment and resort activities.

The part of the park that’s fully open at Christmas is CBeebies Land which is why I generally say Alton Towers at Christmas is suitable for preschoolers and younger primary-school children.

Alton Towers Santa Sleepovers

We previously stayed at Alton Towers for a Santa Sleepover when our boys were younger. Although that review and its photographs are now rather old (you can check it our here) it means we know how much the hotel entertainment and resort atmosphere help to make the event so special!

Santa Sleepover packages include your hotel stay, breakfast, visit into the park, Christmas entertainment and a visit to Father Christmas with a gift. Certain packages may include extras such as Alton Towers Waterpark or Extraordinary Golf. Our package included the water park, and even now it’s one of the boys highlights (they’re such water babies!) so if your kids love swimming or water slides, I recommend adding it on.

CHECK ALTON TOWERS CHRISTMAS TICKETS AND SHORT BREAK AVAILABILITY HERE

Magical Christmas at Drayton Manor

2026 dates: Selected dates from 28 November–24 December 2026
Best for: Thomas Land fans and families wanting a mixture of rides, shows and Santa

Booking link: Book your tickets here

When they were preschoolers, both of the boys loved Thomas and Friends, so we made several trips to Drayton Manor, including on at Christmas! Magical Christmas at Drayton Manor combines Thomas Land rides with festive entertainment, an Aladdin pantomime and optional Father Christmas visits. Realistically though, I think you have to at least a passing fan of Thomas for this to be the right choice for your family!

Almost all of the rides that are open at Christmas are in Thomas Land. That includes Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster, Thomas and Percy’s Submarine Splash, Cranky’s Drop Tower, Bertie Bus, Harold’s Helicopter Tours, Sodor Classic Cars and many other Thomas Land attractions. Outside of Thomas land, Accelerator and The Bounty Pirate Ship are also on the list.

Entertainment is spread throughout the day, including festive Thomas Land balcony shows and Rory and Lory’s Christmas Show. Families can travel on the decorated Sodor Railway, toast marshmallows and finish the day with a lake show combining a 30-metre water curtain, projections, lights, music and fire effects.

Meeting Father Christmas at Drayton Manor

When we visited, we added on the Enchanted Christmas Grotto to our visit. This is an optional experience where kids can enjoy festive entertainment, meet Father Christmas and receive a small gift (this was a Thomas snow globe the year we went, but obviously it varies).

Drayton Manor also offers a dedicated SEND Christmas Grotto with reduced sensory stimulation, additional time with Father Christmas and a wheelchair-accessible setting I think this is such a great addition, and something more parks and grotto experiences should consider.

👉 CHECK DRAYTON MANOR TICKET PRICES AND AVAILABILITY HERE

Christmas at Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World

2026 dates: Selected dates in December 2026–3 January 2027
Best for: Families prioritising a substantial ride selection

Paultons is another park we’ve only visited once and only when the boys were very small (and going through their Peppa Pig phase) so I’ve taken the information about their Christmas event directly from their website. Christmas at Paultons Park combines festive shows, illuminations and character appearances with what looks like (on paper) one of the strongest published Christmas ride line-ups in this guide.

Peppa Pig World is decorated for Christmas, and you can meet Peppa and George wearing their festive outfits. If you visit before Christmas, you can take part in Santa’s Storytime which runs until 24 December, while Frosty the Snowman and seasonal snow flurries continue until 3 January.

So which rides will be open? According to the 2026 operating list you can enjoy rides throughout Peppa Pig World, Tornado Springs, Lost Kingdom and Valgard: Realm of the Vikings. Highlights include Storm Chaser, Cyclonator, Flight of the Pterosaur, Velociraptor, Ghostly Manor, Drakon and Vild Swing, alongside a large selection of rides for younger children.

In my opinion, this makes Paultons an interesting option for families with mixed-age children. Preschoolers can enjoy Peppa Pig World, while older children have access to family coasters and more adventurous attractions.

Can You Meet Father Christmas at Paultons Park?

Father Christmas appears in the Christmas Wish and Santa’s Storytime stage shows until 24 December, and watching these shows is included in your standard entry. A personal visit to Santa’s Grotto is a separately charged extra and must be reserved in advance, if you want to do that too.

👉 CHECK PRICES AND AVAILABILITY FOR PAULTONS PARK AT CHRISTMAS HERE

Christmas at Gulliver’s Theme Parks

2026 dates: Selected dates vary by resort
Best for: Younger families who want a choice of locations and packages

There are four Gulliver’s theme parks located all over the UK, and Gulliver’s operates Christmas events at three of its family theme park resorts. Those are:

● Gulliver’s World in Warrington

● Gulliver’s Land in Milton Keynes

● Gulliver’s Valley near Rotherham

We’ve only visited the Milton Keynes park, and only in the summer months. This is a smaller,regional theme park with smaller rides and less slick theming than the bigger players on this list. But the regional locations mean that it’s easy to access and they also tend to have lower ticket prices.

Gulliver’s parks are designed specifically for families with younger children, so the ride line-up is naturally better aligned with its Christmas audience than a park dominated by large thrill rides.

👉 CHECK PRICES AND BOOK GULLIVERS CHRISTMAS TICKETS HERE

Theme Park Christmas FAQs

Which UK Christmas Theme Park Has the Most Rides Open?

I took some time out to answer his question and have a count up! Based on the ride information published for 2026, Paultons Park appears to have one of the most substantial Christmas selections. Its line-up covers Peppa Pig World, Tornado Springs, Lost Kingdom and Valgard, with attractions suitable for younger children and more confident riders.

LEGOLAND Windsor is also advertising more than 20 rides and attractions. Drayton Manor has a broad Thomas Land selection, while Chessington and Alton Towers operate more limited winter programmes.

Which Christmas Theme Park Is Best for Older Children?

Based on our experienced with Big Explorer (who is 13) I think that LEGOLAND can still work for older LEGO fans, while Chessington may appeal to mixed-age families, as they usually open one or two of their bigger thrill rides at Christmas. But if i’m being honest, teenagers who are interested only in major thrill rides may prefer a different kind of festive day out. Alton Towers’ headline rollercoasters do not form part of its usual Christmas offering.

Which Christmas Theme Park Is Best for Toddlers and Preschoolers?

So many of the Christmas theme park events are aimed at toddlers, pre-schoolers, and kids who still believe in Santa. For toddlers and preschoolers, I think the best options are:

● Alton Towers for CBeebies Land fans

● Drayton Manor for Thomas Land

● Paultons Park for Peppa Pig World

● LEGOLAND Windsor for DUPLO rides and LEGO entertainment

Your choice may ultimately come down to which characters your child loves most and how far you’re willing to travel.

Our Verdict: The Best UK Theme Park Christmas Events for 2026

There isn’t a single best UK theme park at Christmas. In reality, the best option will vary from family to family but depending on what you’re looking for, I would recommend:

● Paultons Park would be my pick for the best mix of both rides and Christmas entertainment.

● Chessington is the park i’d choose for a structured Christmas Village and traditional Father Christmas journey, like you’d find in a traditional grotto experience.

● LEGOLAND Windsor (one of our favourite parks) is the best choice for LEGO fans of all ages who want festive shows and rides.

● Drayton Manor is a more niche pick best suited for Thomas Land fans and its dedicated SEND grotto.

● Alton Towers would be our choice for CBeebies fans or a festive resort break.

● Gulliver’s is an option for younger families wanting the convenience of a park close to them, thanks to its several possible UK locations.

Final Thoughts and Further Reading

Theme parks at Christmas pose a very different experience to visiting in the height of the summer months, or when the parks are fully operational. But they’re a great place to meet Santa, soak up some festive atmosphere, and see the parks you know from a whole new perspective.

Still planning your next UK theme park adventure? Check out some of our other tips and guides:

👉 The Best Theme Parks In The UK For Kids (Complete 2026 Guide)

👉 Best Halloween Theme Park Breaks For Families In The UK (2026 Guide)

👉 Alton Towers or Legoland Windsor: Which Theme Park is Best For Kids?

👉 These Are the 10 Best Rides at Legoland Windsor 2026

👉 Alton Towers Scarefest 2026 With Kids: Is It Worth It?

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!