Jingle bells! Christmas in York 2026 will be here before we know it, and it’s going to be another magical festive season for families. If you’re looking for the best family-friendly Christmas events in York, you’ve come to the right place. From enchanting Santa’s grottos to sparkling Christmas light trails, side-splitting pantomimes to festive days out, there’s something for kids of all ages to enjoy this December.
Whether you live in York or you’re planning a Christmas visit (it’s a brilliant time of year to come and see us), we’ve rounded up the top things to do in York with kids this Christmas, and we’ll keep updating our guide as more events are announced. Top tip: many of York’s most popular Christmas events sell out quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment (and make sure you stay off the naughty list!).
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🧑🎄 Where to see Santa in York
✨ Christmas shows and pantomimes
🎄 The Ultimate Christmas Guide to York
💰Free and cheap things to do in York
🛌 The best places to stay in York with kids
🎄 Where to see Santa in York
From magical boat trips and steam-train journeys to festive farms and historic houses, there are plenty of memorable places to meet Father Christmas in and around York. Many sell out early, so advance booking is recommended.
Meet Father Christmas on the river with City Cruises’ Santa Experience
Get ready for an extraordinary Christmas adventure aboard a City Cruises boat, where you’ll be joining Santa himself for a magical cruise along the stunning river Ouse! Explore Santa’s North Pole Grotto then step onto the most festively adorned boat in York, accompanied by one of Santa’s treasured elves and St. Nick himself.
📅 Selected dates in November and December 2026
📍 City Cruises York
🔗 Visit the City Cruises website
Magical Christmas Experience at Mother Shipton’s
Step into a world of festive magic at Mother Shipton’s Christmas Experience. Wander through the winter woodland, meet Santa in his cosy grotto and enjoy the cheerful elves, festive displays and Christmas Village. Each child with a Santa Experience Ticket receives a festive activity pack and a magical pass. Warm up with hot chocolate, gingerbread and toasted marshmallows, then explore the famous Petrifying Well and Cave.
📅 28 November to 24 December 2026
📍 Mother Shipton’s, Prophecy Lodge, High Bridge, Knaresborough HG5 8DD
🔗 Visit the Mother Shipton’s website
Santa’s Christmas Tour at York’s Chocolate Story
Santa needs help finding some missing Christmas chocolate before he returns to the North Pole! Join Santa and his elf for an interactive festive tour, discover how chocolate is made and enjoy plenty of delicious samples along the way.
Children can decorate a chocolate lolly, meet Santa and receive an age-appropriate gift and sweet treats. Grown-ups receive a hot chocolate and festive gift too! Christmas truffle-rolling tours and family chocolate masterclasses are also available on selected dates.
📅 28 November to 23 December 2026
📍 York’s Chocolate Story, 3-4 Kings Square, York YO1 7LD
🔗 Visit the York’s Chocolate Story website
Piglets Adventure Farm Magical Sleigh Ride
Check in at Elf Airlines before boarding a magical sleigh ride through the trees to Santa’s Woodland Village.
Children can meet Santa in his cosy grotto, use a magic key to enter the Toy Shop and choose a special gift. There’s also an interactive Elf Academy show, festive activities at the Polar Post Office, reindeer-food making, Mrs Claus’s Sweet Shoppe and plenty of seasonal food and drink.
📅 Selected dates in November and December 2026
📍 Piglets Adventure Farm, Towthorpe Grange, Towthorpe Moor Lane, York YO32 9ST
🔗 Visit the Piglets Adventure Farm website
Christmas at Stockeld Park
Make a full festive day of it at Stockeld Park, with Santa’s Grotto, sparkling Winter Illuminations, six outdoor playgrounds and the giant Snowflake Maze.
Families with Gold tickets can also enjoy the Jack and the Beanstalk Christmas pantomime, while ice skating and Playhive sessions can be added to selected tickets. Santa meets one family at a time in his cosy log cabin, reached through an interactive North Pole village and enchanted elevator.
📅 21 November to 24 December 2026
📍 Stockeld Park, Wetherby Road, Wetherby LS22 4AN
🔗 Visit the Stockeld Park website
All Aboard The Santa Express on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
All aboard the Santa Express for an hour-long steam train journey between Pickering and Levisham. Santa and his mischievous elves will visit families on board, with songs, games and entertainment inspired by this year’s Gingerbread Man theme. Every child will receive a gingerbread man soft toy and festive book to take home.
Allow extra time at Pickering Station for the Naughty or Nice Scanner, Christmas games, Santa’s letterbox, festive sing-alongs and Christmas Emporium.
📅 28 and 29 November; 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 22 to 24 December 2026
📍 North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering Station, Park Street, Pickering YO18 7AJ
🔗 Visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway website
⭐️ Christmas shows and pantomimes
Nothing marks the start of Christmas quite like a family trip to the theatre. York’s festive programme includes big traditional pantomimes, gorgeous family shows, concerts and plenty of seasonal silliness.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at York Theatre Royal
Mirror, mirror on the wall, York Theatre Royal’s 2026 pantomime promises to be one of the most magical of all.
Expect lavish costumes, stunning sets, dazzling special effects and plenty of family-friendly jokes. Children’s TV favourite Richard David-Caine joins York panto favourites Robin Simpson and Tommy Carmichael, with Jenny Gayner starring as the Wicked Queen.
Family tickets are available for every performance, with savings of up to £61.
📅 4 December 2026 to 3 January 2027
📍 York Theatre Royal, St Leonard’s Place, York YO1 7HD
🔗 Visit the York Theatre Royal website
The Further Adventures of Peter Pan at Grand Opera House York
Fly back to Neverland for The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook, York’s swashbuckling musical pantomime. Join Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Smee for a brand-new adventure packed with songs, spectacular choreography, gravity-defying flying, special effects and plenty of laugh-out-loud comedy. Musical theatre and TV star Tom Lister stars as Captain Hook, with audience favourite Jimmy Bryant returning as Smee.
📅 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027
📍 Grand Opera House York, Cumberland Street, York YO1 9SW
🔗 Visit the Grand Opera House York website
✨ Festive days out and Christmas light trails
Christmas at York Castle Museum
Travel through Christmases past at York Castle Museum, where the famous Victorian street of Kirkgate will be decorated with twinkling garlands, Christmas trees and snow-covered cobbles.
Families can encounter Green Father Christmas and Ebenezer Scrooge, listen to festive music and carols and enjoy storytelling and Christmas crafts. The museum will also host special evening performances for adults, including An Evening with Ebenezer Scrooge and seasonal ghost stories, with dates to be announced.
📅 14 November 2026 to 4 January 2027
📍 York Castle Museum, Tower St, York YO1 9RY
🔗 Visit the York Castle Museum website
A Winter Adventure at JORVIK Viking Centre
Discover JORVIK as you’ve never seen it before this winter! Step into the icy world of the Vikings and discover how they braved the cold, kept themselves and their animals warm, what they ate and how they entertained themselves during the long, dark Yorkshire months. Pre-booking a timeslot is essential.
📅 Open throughout the Christmas period except 24 to 26 December 2027
📍 JORVIK Viking Centre, 19 Coppergate, York YO1 9WT
🔗 Book online at jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk
A Christmas Tail at Fairfax House
Fairfax House will be transformed for Christmas with lavish Georgian decorations, beautiful greenery and hundreds of tiny mice hidden throughout its historic rooms.
Inspired by Aesop’s fable The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, this year’s festive trail follows a group of curious country mice as they experience grand city celebrations, fabulous fashions, tempting bargains and an extravagant Georgian ball. Each mouse has a unique outfit hand-stitched by Fairfax House volunteers, so keep your eyes peeled as you explore.
📅 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
📍 Fairfax House, Castlegate, York, YO1 9RN
🎟️ Adults £9.50, children aged 16 and under go free
🔗 Visit the Fairfax House website
A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard
Charles Dickens’s best-loved stories will take over Castle Howard for a spectacular Victorian Christmas. Follow an immersive journey through the house as Ebenezer Scrooge, mysterious ghosts and other familiar characters are brought to life through theatrical installations, atmospheric soundscapes, projections and festive surprises.
Families can also book Father Christmas in the Castle, featuring a live show and individual family visit, or Santa’s Grotto in the Jellycat Shop. Christmas afternoon teas, winter walks and seasonal shopping complete the experience.
📅 112 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
🎅 Father Christmas experiences run on selected dates from 21 November to 24 December
📍 Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA
🔗 Visit the Castle Howard website
York Christmas Market 2026
York Christmas Market returns to Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, bringing alpine chalets, seasonal food and plenty of festive atmosphere to the city centre.
Browse locally made gifts, crafts and treats, with more than 80% of traders coming from Yorkshire. It’s free to visit, but we recommend avoiding weekend afternoons if you’re exploring with children and would prefer a quieter experience.
The market will close every Tuesday in 2026, giving traders a weekly rest day, although York’s shops, attractions and restaurants will remain open.
📅 12 November to 21 December 2026
🕥 10.30am to 7pm, Wednesday to Monday
🎄 Closed on Tuesdays; closes at 5pm on 21 December
📍 Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, York
🎟️ Free entry
🔗 Visit the York Christmas Market website
Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland
Get your skates on for the return of Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland at York Designer Outlet. Celebrating its 21st year, this popular festive attraction features the North of England’s largest outdoor ice rink, complete with a 30-foot Christmas tree at its centre.
Families can also enjoy fairground rides, festive food and warming drinks at The Chalet. Santa will be welcoming children to his cosy log cabin in the Enchanted Woodland, with visits available to book separately.
📅 November 2026 to January 2027, exact dates to be confirmed
📍 Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, St Nicholas Ave, York YO19 4TA🎟️ Free entry; skating and Santa tickets sold separately. Funfair tokens available on site
🔗 Visit the Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland website
Christmas Tree Festival at York Minster
York Minster has a selection of fabulously festive activities that children will enjoy, from a Christmas Tree Festival to the York Minster crib service. The Christmas Tree Festival runs from 28th November 2026 to 5th January 2027 with over 70 trees on display in the stunning Nave, Chapter House and Lady Chapel. We’re really excited that Little Vikings is dressing a tree once again, and our theme is a celebration of family-friendly York. Many of our partners are joining us in creating a tree that shows how amazing York is for kids.
📅 📅 28th November 2026 to 5th January 2027
📍 York Minster, Deangate, York YO1 7HH
🔗 What’s on at York Minster
Christmas at Barley Hall
This medieval hall will, once again, be beautifully decorated for Christmas, making it the perfect place to get into the festive spirit. Plus, this year there are two wonderful events taking place in December: Broadside Ballads with Henry Bird on 10th and A Medieval Christmas Feast at Barley Hall on the 12th.
📅 Open daily
📍 Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, York YO1 8AR
🔗 Visit the Barley Hall website
Get stuck in at DIG!
In need of a break from Christmas mayhem? Then venture into the world of Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon School at DIG! This fab exhibition brings the book to life with plenty of interactive elements to keep your little Vikings entertained. It’s included with your ticket to DIG, so your family can go from archaeologists to dragon trainers!
📅 Open daily
📍 DIG: An Archaeological Adventure, St Saviourgate, York YO1 8NN
🔗 Visit the DIG York website
✨ Free and cheap Christmas activities in York
Christmas can be expensive, but enjoying York’s festive atmosphere doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Wander through York Christmas Market, see the city’s Christmas lights, walk the walls, follow a free Little Vikings walking trail or visit the National Railway Museum. Take a look at our guide to free and cheap things to do in York for even more inspiration.
FAQs – York at Christmas
Does York have a Christmas market?
Yes. York Christmas Market takes place in the city centre, with festive chalets, food, drinks and gifts along Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square. Note that it is closed on Tuesdays in 2026.
Is York nice at Christmas?
Christmas is one of the best times to visit York as a family. The city is draped in twinkling lights, there are decorated trees around every corner and you can expect a very warm welcome from the shops, restaurants and attractions.
Where can you see Santa in York?
There are lots of places to see Santa in York, including Castle Howard, Piglets Adventure Farm, Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and many more. Find our pick of the best on the Little Vikings website and note that you’ll need to book in advance.
What can you do in York at Christmas?
There’s plenty of festive fun to be had in York at Christmas: visit the markets, meet Father Christmas, take in a pantomime, enjoy a family meal out at one of the many restaurants or see the attractions all decked out for the festive season.
Are there free things to do in York at Christmas?
Yes. Families can enjoy York’s Christmas lights and markets, walk the city walls, follow a free Little Vikings trail and visit attractions including the National Railway Museum.
