Santa at the Great Hall from 28 November (£20 a child, £7 adults), Marwell Hall from 20 November, and the Father Christmas Express from 12 December.
Three Father Christmas visits in the Winchester district have published their 2026 dates and prices: the Great Hall in the city centre, Marwell Hall at the zoo, and the Watercress Line’s Father Christmas Express from Ropley. All three say they sell out, and the first slots are already booking.
The quick answer
- Great Hall, Winchester: Saturday 28 November to Wednesday 23 December. £20 a child with a gift, £7 an adult. Five-minute slots.
- Marwell Hall, Marwell Zoo: from Friday 20 November to Christmas Eve on set dates. A 45-minute grotto, only sold with a zoo or evening ticket.
- Father Christmas Express, Watercress Line: 12, 13, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 December from Ropley. Children £27.50, adults £22.50, more on Christmas Eve.
Side by side
| Where | Dates | Child | Adult | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Hall, Winchester | 28 Nov to 23 Dec | £20 | £7 | 5 min with Santa, plus crafts and museum entry |
| Marwell Hall, Marwell Zoo | Selected dates 20 Nov to 24 Dec | Grotto add-on to a zoo ticket | Zoo or evening ticket | 45 min |
| Father Christmas Express, Ropley | 12, 13, 19, 20, 22, 23 Dec | £27.50 (age 1 to 15) | £22.50 | Steam train ride plus station activities |
| Father Christmas Express, Christmas Eve | 24 Dec | £34.50 | £28.50 | As above |
Santa’s Grotto at the Great Hall
The hall that holds the Round Table is turned into a grotto from Saturday 28 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026. The details, from Historic Winchester’s booking page:
- Prices: adults £7; children aged 0 to 5 £20; children 6 and over £20. Every booking needs at least one adult and one child.
- Gifts: under-6s get a plush reindeer or polar bear; 6 and over choose a wooden Snakes and Ladders, Ludo or Draughts.
- Included: entry to the Great Hall and the Westgate Museum, a five-minute slot with Santa and his elf, two elf-led crafts, elf games, letter writing and a hot chocolate per ticket.
- Slots: up to eight people per five-minute slot; book two slots back to back if there are more of you. Arrive five minutes early, because a missed slot may not be rebooked.
When we checked on 25 September, one of the first morning slots on 28 November was already sold out.
Santa’s Grotto at Marwell Hall
Marwell Zoo runs Christmas at Marwell from 20 November to 31 December, but Santa is only there on these dates:
- Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November
- Friday 28 to Sunday 30 November
- Friday 5 to Sunday 7 December
- Thursday 10 December (Quiet Session)
- Friday 11 to Sunday 13 December
- Thursday 17 December (Quiet Session)
- Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December
The grotto lasts 45 minutes: the Frozen Forest with the Head Elf, storytelling in the Nordic Forest, making a wish jar or wish star, then a private family visit with Santa. Each child gets a gift the zoo values at £14.95.
You cannot book the grotto on its own. It has to go with a daytime zoo ticket (10am to 4pm) or a Fire and Ice evening ticket (4pm to 7.30pm, last entry 6pm). The zoo says the grotto sells out every year and is likely to sell out in advance. On the two Quiet Session Thursdays the grotto has low-level sound and sensory lighting, and visitor numbers are reduced.
The Father Christmas Express
The Watercress Line runs a steam train with Father Christmas on board from Ropley to Medstead and back. It only departs from Ropley. Activities run from 9.30am to 3.30pm, and include a Present Junction where children swap a magic token for a present, an Elf Doors trail, the miniature railway, letter writing and reindeer food to take home.
- 12, 13, 19, 20, 22 and 23 December: under-1s £12 (gift, no seat), ages 1 to 15 £27.50, adults £22.50.
- 24 December: under-1s £14.50, ages 1 to 15 £34.50, adults £28.50.
- A £2.50 booking fee applies and booking in advance is essential. Flexible tickets cost more but can be moved with three working days’ notice.
Getting into the city
For the Great Hall, the council’s park and ride runs Monday to Saturday only, with no buses on Sundays or bank holidays (Winchester City Council). Car parks are on our parking in Winchester page. The Christmas market is a few minutes’ walk away at the Cathedral, and the pantomime is on Jewry Street from 4 December.
Still to be confirmed
- Brambridge Park garden centre at Colden Common: Visit Winchester still shows its 2025 grotto dates (21 November to 24 December, selected dates). The 2026 dates are expected in October. This page will be updated.
- Winchester Science Centre: no 2026 Christmas programme published yet.
- Marwell grotto prices: shown only at checkout on the zoo’s booking page.
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