Bamburgh Castle's grotto is £19.95 a child, Lilidorei's from £26.50 and Kielder's full day from £44.50. Five Northumberland Santa visits with dates and prices.

Northumberland has five Father Christmas visits with 2026 dates already published, from a £19.95 castle grotto at Bamburgh to a full-day Winter Wonderland at Kielder. Most open in late November and the popular weekend slots go first. Here is what each costs and what it includes, from the organisers’ own booking pages.

The quick answer

  • Cheapest grotto: Bamburgh Castle, £19.95 per child, 28 November to 22 December, plus castle admission for everyone.
  • Biggest day out: Kielder Winter Wonderland, from £44.50 per person plus a £6 booking fee, eleven dates from 28 November.
  • Santa trains: the Aln Valley Railway’s new Santa’s Steam Train Adventure runs on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 21 December from Alnwick.

The five compared

Where Dates Price Admission also needed?
Bamburgh Castle 28 Nov to 22 Dec £19.95 per child Yes, castle admission for all
Lilidorei, The Alnwick Garden 20 Nov to 24 Dec £26.50 to £38 per child Yes, Lilidorei or Winter Lights ticket
Kielder Winter Wonderland 28, 29 Nov; 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 to 23 Dec From £44.50 per person No, all-in day ticket
Aln Valley Railway, Alnwick 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 Dec Not shown yet No
Heatherslaw Light Railway From 5 Dec Not shown yet No

Bamburgh Castle

Father Christmas is in a grotto at the castle from 28 November to 22 December, 10.30am to 4pm. The Father Christmas Experience page prices it at £19.95 per child, including a private meeting and a gift exclusive to the castle. Every child and every adult must also hold a castle admission ticket, booked together; annual pass holders pay only the grotto ticket. Up to four children share a slot.

The castle’s State Rooms carry its Christmas installation, A Christmas Carousel, every day from 14 November to 3 January, included with admission and free for under-fives.

Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden

Father Christmas has a grotto in the Lilidorei play village from 20 November to 24 December. Tickets on the Garden’s booking page include a private visit and a gift, and are priced by date:

Ticket Price per child Daytime (10.15am to 3pm) Evening (4.30pm to 7pm)
Saver £26.50 21, 22 Nov; 4 Dec 23 to 25 Nov; 30 Nov to 2 Dec
Standard £34.50 28, 29 Nov; 5, 6, 10, 11, 17, 18 Dec 21, 22, 27 to 29 Nov; 4 to 10 Dec; 14 to 17 Dec
Premium £38 12, 13 Dec; 19 to 24 Dec 11 to 13 Dec; 18 to 23 Dec

Adults going with a child need their own admission: a Lilidorei day ticket for daytime slots, or a Winter Lights ticket for evening slots. Winter Lights starts at £11.50; see our Alnwick Garden Winter Lights page. The Garden also runs Breakfast with Father Christmas in The Treehouse from 5 to 19 December.

Kielder Winter Wonderland

A full day at Kielder Waterside, NE48 1BT: Mrs Christmas, the elves’ workshop, a walk through the forest to Father Christmas, a Christmas theatre show and the reindeer. The organiser’s dates and prices page lists 28 and 29 November and 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 December. Tickets are from £44.50 for children aged 2 to 14 and for anyone 15 or over, £10 for under-twos, plus a £6 booking fee. Your timings are allocated when you book. Saturday 28 November is a relaxed day for families with additional needs, at half capacity with reduced noise and raised lighting.

Tickets are sold through Bookwhen, where slots are listed from 29 November.

Aln Valley Railway, Alnwick

The railway has a new format for 2026. Santa’s Steam Train Adventure runs on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 21 December from Lionheart Station, NE66 2EZ. The organiser, Fox and Edwards, describes a return steam journey of about 55 minutes with Mother Christmas and elves, and Santa walking through the train with a plush gift for every child. Children also get an activity book, juice and a baked treat; adults get a mince pie. Dogs are not allowed. The railway notes the event “is in a different format from previous years”, so older reviews describe a different trip.

The same railway holds its Christmas Fair with steam trains on Sunday 29 November.

Heatherslaw Light Railway, near Ford

The narrow-gauge line’s Christmas Special 2026 starts on Saturday 5 December, on “specially decorated steam trains”, with multiple dates. Under-twos travel free and get a present. The railway has not yet shown the other dates, times or fares on its site.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Santa grotto in Northumberland?

Of the grottos with published prices, Bamburgh Castle at £19.95 per child, though every visitor also needs a castle admission ticket. Lilidorei’s saver dates are £26.50 per child, plus a Lilidorei or Winter Lights ticket for the adults.

When does Father Christmas arrive at Lilidorei?

Friday 20 November 2026, with visits until Christmas Eve. Daytime slots run 10.15am to 3pm and evening slots 4.30pm to 7pm.

What does a Kielder Winter Wonderland ticket include?

It is a full day rather than a grotto visit: the workshop, the forest walk to Father Christmas, a theatre show and the reindeer are all included, from £44.50 each plus a £6 booking fee. There is a relaxed day for families with additional needs on Saturday 28 November.

Still to be confirmed

  • Aln Valley Railway and Heatherslaw fares and departure times: both are on their booking pages later in the autumn.
  • Town-centre and shopping-centre grottos, none of which has published 2026 dates yet. This page will be updated as they do.

For the lights and markets that go with a Santa visit, see the Christmas lights switch-on and Christmas markets pages.