Christmas 2026 is going to be a lovely one for theatre, pantomimes, festive concerts, family days out and a little alternative sparkle. This is Clarissa’s Corner’s growing guide to the best festive things to see and do in London, Greenwich, Bexley, Kent and beyond.

Last checked: 4 October 2026. I’ll keep adding local finds, FREE things to do, family days out, relaxed and SEND-friendly ♾️ sessions, festive theatre, light trails, markets, food and drink, alternative Christmas events and trusted ticket options here as they are announced.

FREE & Cheap Christmas Things to Do

• Trinity Laban Winter Opera Scenes — 2–4 December. FREE winter/festive opera scenes at Blackheath Halls; booking required.
• Bromley Christmas Switch-On — 15 November. FREE entry, no ticket needed. The Glades programme 1–2pm; Bromley High Street 2–6.30pm. The Hoosiers perform 5.20–5.50pm, Chesney Hawkes 6.10–6.25pm, and fireworks are scheduled for 6.30–6.35pm. Market food and funfair rides may cost extra; see the organiser’s timetable.
• Dartford Santa on Tour — 6–19 December. Free borough-wide Santa visits aboard a vintage red fire engine, with full route details due from the council later in the year.
• Greenwich Market Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch-On — 18 November. Free local festive opener, with the lantern parade from 4pm–4.50pm and the wider switch-on programme running 1pm–6pm.
• Charlton House Christmas Fair — 5–6 December. Free local festive fair as part of Charlton House’s wider Christmas programme.
• Hall Place Christmas Craft Fair — 14–15 November. A useful Bexley seasonal stop already covered inside the main Hall Place visitor guide.
• Chartwell — I Follow the Fox trail. £3.50 including a prize, with normal admission or National Trust membership also applying.

More Greenwich family events & free days out → · Hall Place & Gardens Bexley guide →

Greenwich Christmas

More Greenwich festive picks

• Queen’s House Ice Rink — open-air skating with the Greenwich skyline as the backdrop.
• Up at The O2 Snow Globe climb — a festive version of the roof climb with a wintery snow shower at the summit.
• The 13th London Pantomime Horse Race — Greenwich’s gloriously silly charity race returns with a TV & Movie Icons theme.
• Museum by Candlelight — The Fan Museum — a more atmospheric grown-up option, with the museum illuminated largely by candlelight and festive classical music.

Greenwich Market Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch-On

Wednesday 18 November 2026 · free
One of the nicest ways to start the local festive season, with a lantern parade through Greenwich and the town-centre Christmas lights switch-on programme.

Charlton House Christmas

Charlton House’s festive programme includes a free Christmas Fair, Santa’s Grotto, wreath-making, Mrs Claus storytelling, Santa Paws and Ghost Stories for Christmas. The standout accessible pick is Jack and the BeanSTEM on 29 November, with Makaton, sensory toys, multisensory elements, wheelchair access and a sensory/quiet room.

Jack and the BeanSTEM official details → · Greenwich Days Out & Events →

Santa at Severndroog Castle, Shooters Hill

Saturday 12 December 2026 · advance booking recommended
Climb the castle’s spiral staircase to the Lady James Room to meet Santa and Jingles the Elf. Each child receives a small, age-appropriate gift addressed to them by name. The organiser says tickets are selling quickly; check current times and prices before booking.

Accessibility note: This experience is upstairs via a spiral staircase. Contact the castle directly about access arrangements before booking if stairs are a barrier.

Official event and booking details → · Severndroog Castle guide → · Nearby: Woodlands Farm →

Santa at the Queen’s House & Old Royal Naval College

Greenwich has two especially useful Santa routes this year: quieter relaxed sessions at the Queen’s House and relaxed SEND-friendly Father Christmas workshop sessions at the Old Royal Naval College. Full access details are pulled out again in the accessibility section below so families do not have to hunt for them.

Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice Carol Concert

Friday 4 December 2026 · Old Royal Naval College Chapel · tickets from £20
Traditional carols led by the Trinity Laban Choir, special readings and a torch-lit procession, supporting Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice.

Carol Concert booking →

Bexley & Sidcup Christmas

Christmas at Danson Boathouse

Tuesday 1 December 2026
A current 2026 Bexley festive date from the Mayor of Bexley’s charity programme at Danson Boathouse. Full public-event details are still limited, so this stays as a local diary pick rather than a standalone article.

Hall Place & Gardens, Bexley

Hall Place already has a strong year-round visitor guide with its Christmas 2026 information folded in. Keep using that page for the practical venue details rather than duplicating them here.

Hall Place & Gardens Bexley: visitor guide, events & Christmas 2026 → · Bexley Days Out & Events →

Also in Bexley & Sidcup: Ruxley Manor’s standard Christmas Grotto and dedicated SEN Grotto ♾️ are listed in the Santa & Grottos and Accessible & SEND-Friendly Christmas sections below.

Bromley Christmas

Bromley Christmas Switch-On

Sunday 15 November 2026 · FREE · The Glades & Bromley High Street
Bromley’s free town-centre Christmas launch returns with live performances, school choirs and dance groups, roaming entertainment, market stalls, street food, a funfair and a fireworks finale. Updated 1 November: No ticket is needed. Activities begin at The Glades from 1–2pm, followed by Bromley High Street from 2–6.30pm. The Hoosiers are scheduled for 5.20–5.50pm, LED drummers for 6–6.10pm, Chesney Hawkes for 6.10–6.25pm, the countdown at 6.25pm and fireworks from 6.30–6.35pm. The event itself is free, but do not assume rides, food or drinks are free. Access and SEN: Event-specific accessible viewing and quiet-area arrangements have not been confirmed; the fireworks may be loud. Check the official Your Bromley programme before travelling.

Churchill Theatre Bromley’s Christmas programme includes Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel — The Christmas Escape and a run of festive nights including Christmas cabaret and Silent Disco. See the Churchill Theatre December 2026 guide →

Lewisham & Blackheath Christmas

• Festive Family Sing-Along — Blackheath Halls — 29 November, 1.30pm and 4pm; £12 / £10 concession, all ages.
• Trinity Laban Winter Opera Scenes — Blackheath Halls, 2–4 December: magical winter and festive opera scenes. FREE, but booking is required.
• A Jazzy Christmas with Jo Harrop — Blackheath Halls, 17 December: festive favourites reworked as swinging big-band numbers and sambas; tickets from £30.
• The Nutcracker — Blackheath Halls, 22–23 December: Let’s All Dance Ballet Company’s 52-minute festive family production, with performances at 1.30pm and 4pm on 22 December and 11am and 1.30pm on 23 December. £18 adults / £16 under-16s. The venue describes it as suitable for all ages, especially children including those with special needs.

Lewisham Days Out & Events Guide →

London Christmas Events

• Greenwich Theatre — Jack and the Beanstalk: 27 November 2026–10 January 2027.
• The Snowman at Peacock Theatre: 21 November 2026–3 January 2027.
• Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show: Christmas season at Theatre Royal Haymarket.
• Brigit’s Bakery Christmas Lights buses: several festive sightseeing and afternoon-tea routes already have dedicated Clarissa’s Corner guides.
• A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic and Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at Wyndham’s Theatre both run across the festive season.

The Snowman 2026 guide → · Brigit’s Bakery bus tours & afternoon tea experiences →

Dartford & North Kent Christmas

Dartford Christmas 2026

Dartford’s town-centre Christmas programme includes the Big Christmas Switch On on 14 November, Santa’s House from 28 November–19 December, Santa on Tour from 6–19 December and the Carol Concert on 9 December. Santa on Tour is a particularly handy FREE pick, taking Santa and his helpers around the borough on a vintage red fire engine.

Dartford Christmas events → · The Orchard Theatre Dartford guide →

Also in Dartford: Cinderella at The Orchard Theatre and James Phelan’s The Secret Room are surfaced again in the theatre and alternative Christmas sections below.

Sevenoaks & West Kent Christmas

Tonbridge Christmas Fest — Tonbridge Castle

27–29 November, 3–6 December and 10–13 December 2026 · free general entry
Tonbridge Castle hosts three festive weekends with live entertainment, seasonal food, meet-and-greets and paid experiences including the Christmas Cabin Father Christmas grotto. This one has enough going on to warrant a fuller Clarissa’s Corner guide, so the hub can stay useful without trying to squeeze every attraction onto this page.

Tonbridge Christmas Fest official details →

Hever Castle — A Nutcracker’s Christmas

20 November 2026–2 January 2027
Hever Castle’s 2026 Christmas theme is A Nutcracker’s Christmas, with festive displays, an outdoor Christmas trail, evening illuminations across the castle, gardens and lake, fairground rides and an optional Father Christmas grotto.

Penshurst Place — Christmas mini-panto

5–23 December 2026
The Christmas Cavity Calamity! mini-panto joins Penshurst Place’s festive programme, with dedicated quiet sessions confirmed on selected dates. I’ve also pulled this one into the Accessible & SEND-Friendly ♾️ section below.

Chartwell — I Follow the Fox & #DrawWithRob

19 November 2026–3 January 2027
Chartwell’s festive family trail is based on Rob Biddulph’s I Follow the Fox. The £3.50 trail includes a prize, with normal admission or National Trust membership applying. Rob Biddulph also appears in person for festive #DrawWithRob family workshops on 12 December.

Chartwell festive family programme →

Knole — A Christmas Woodland Wonder

The existing Knole visitor guide already carries its 2026 Christmas programme, including the nature-inspired Christmas Woodland Wonder and free deer spotter trail. Use the main guide for current access and practical details.

Knole Sevenoaks visitor guide →

Wider Kent Christmas

Christmas at Bedgebury

20 November–31 December 2026 · selected evenings
The illuminated forest trail returns to Bedgebury National Pinetum with a reimagined route, new installations and festive favourites through the trees.

Chartwell — Christmas Market & I Follow the Fox

Westerham, Kent · 19–22 November market; 19 November–3 January trail
Market 10am–4pm, free to browse without garden admission; non-member parking £6. Gardens and house cost extra. Family trail £3.50 plus admission; house displays start 27 November. Closed 24–25 December.

National Trust details and booking · Our Chartwell guide

Ightham Mote — Christmas in a Medieval Manor

Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent · 21 November–3 January · 11am–4pm
Decorated rooms and festive family trail. No separate event charge, but normal admission applies (adult £14 without Gift Aid; children 5–17 £7); members free. Non-member parking £4. Closed 24–25 December.

National Trust details and booking

Scotney Castle — A Fairytale Christmas

21 November 2026–3 January 2027
Scotney Castle has decorated fairytale interiors, a Gingerbread Man trail and Late Nights & Lights on 12, 13 and 18–21 December. Standard admission applies; advance car-parking booking is essential for evening dates. Official National Trust details · Our Scotney Christmas guide.

Ham House — The Robin’s Tale

Richmond, London · 28 November–3 January
Decorated Stuart rooms, robin-themed story, paper bird sculptures and family activities. No extra event fee; normal admission or membership applies. House 11.30am–3.30pm, gardens 10am–4pm. No booking needed; closed 24–25 December.

National Trust details and booking

Port Lympne Illuminated

27 November 2026–2 January 2027
An after-dark illuminated trail through the wildlife reserve with new installations, festive zones, family entertainment and an optional Santa’s Grotto.

Leeds Castle — Wallace & Gromit + Christmas Lights

Leeds Castle is one of the strongest festive days-out combinations already on the site: Wallace & Gromit: A Cracking Christmas Caper runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, while the separate illuminated Christmas Lights trail runs from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Wallace & Gromit at Leeds Castle Christmas 2026 → · Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle 2026 →

Christmas Lights & Illuminated Trails

• Christmas at Bedgebury — 20 November–31 December: illuminated forest trail with new installations.
• Hever Castle — A Nutcracker’s Christmas: evening illuminations across the castle, gardens and lake.
• Scotney Castle Late Nights & Lights: special December illuminated evenings alongside its Fairytale Christmas.
• Port Lympne Illuminated — 27 November–2 January: wildlife-inspired after-dark light trail.
• Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle 2026 — dedicated guide already live.
• Greenwich Market Christmas Lights Switch-On — free local option on 18 November.
• Christmas Lights Afternoon Tea Bus London — festive sightseeing plus afternoon tea.
• Peppa Pig Christmas Lights Bus — family route aimed at younger children.
• PAW Patrol Christmas Lights Bus — another family-friendly London lights route.
• Paddington Christmas Lights Bus — keep as draft until its standalone page is ready to go live.
• Further afield — The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail, Cheshire: Tim Burton’s Jack Skellington-inspired illuminated trail at Arley Hall & Gardens, 22 October 2026–3 January 2027. Read our dedicated dates, tickets and accessibility guide →

Leeds Castle Christmas Lights → · Christmas Lights Afternoon Tea Bus → · Peppa Pig Christmas Lights Bus →

Christmas Markets & Fairs

• Charlton House Christmas Fair — 5–6 December — free local festive fair.
• Eltham Palace Christmas Fair — 5–6 December — makers, festive treats and a wreath trail, included with admission; English Heritage members enter free.
• Hall Place Christmas Craft Fair — 14–15 November — already covered within the Hall Place visitor guide.
• Chartwell Christmas Market — 19–22 November — useful add-on to the Rob Biddulph festive programme.

Santa, Father Christmas & Grottos

Ruxley Manor Christmas Grotto — Sidcup

7 November–24 December 2026
Ruxley Manor’s Christmas Grotto returns with reindeer-food making, Mother Christmas, a Father Christmas visit and a Toy Workshop. There is also a separate programme of dedicated SEN grotto sessions with reduced music and lighting, less overstimulating elf interaction, sensory toys and a more flexible Father Christmas meeting.

Ruxley Manor Grotto → · Ruxley Manor SEN Grotto ♾️ →

Santa’s Grotto at the Queen’s House — relaxed sessions

Royal Museums Greenwich is running quieter Santa sessions described as ideal for neurodivergent and SEND visitors. Current relaxed sessions include 15 November at 2.45pm, 28 November at 11.15am, 4 December at 5.15pm and 10 December at 5.15pm.

Queen’s House Santa booking →

Father Christmas at the Old Royal Naval College

Admiral’s House is running standard visits, babies-and-toddlers sessions and Father Christmas’s Workshop, including relaxed SEND-friendly workshop sessions at 9.30am on 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 December.

Old Royal Naval College Father Christmas details →

Family Christmas Days Out

• Bewl Water Santa Experience — personalised Santa meeting wrapped into a longer woodland Christmas adventure.
• Mission Christmas at Historic Dockyard Chatham — interactive family mission ending with Father Christmas.
• Wallace & Gromit at Leeds Castle — strong family/character day-out option.
• Christmas at Paultons Park — selected December dates through 3 January 2027, with Peppa Pig World dressed for Christmas.
• Chartwell — I Follow the Fox — book-themed festive family trail.
• The Snowman at Peacock Theatre — classic family Christmas theatre.
• The Nutcracker — Blackheath Halls, 22–23 December: short festive ballet for all ages, with a post-show photo opportunity with the dancers.
• Peppa Pig Christmas Lights Bus — London sightseeing with a festive character theme.

Christmas at Paultons Park 2026 → · The Snowman 2026 guide →

Accessible & SEND-Friendly Christmas ♾️

This is one of the sections I want to keep especially practical. Where quieter sessions, relaxed performances, sensory adjustments, wheelchair information or companion/carer arrangements are confirmed, I’ll pull them out here rather than burying them in individual listings.

• Penshurst Place — The Christmas Cavity Calamity!: dedicated quiet mini-panto sessions are confirmed on selected December dates.
• The Nutcracker — Blackheath Halls, 22–23 December: Blackheath Halls describes the production as suitable for all ages, especially children including those with special needs. This is not being labelled as a relaxed performance; check with the venue for individual access requirements.
• Ruxley Manor SEN Grotto — selected dates from 21 November–4 December: reduced music and lighting, gentler elf interaction, sensory toys and flexibility around how Father Christmas communicates with each child.
• Jack and the BeanSTEM — Charlton House, 29 November: Makaton, sensory toys, interactive and multisensory elements, sensory/quiet room and wheelchair access. One free carer ticket per group with qualifying PIP/DLA evidence.
• Queen’s House Santa relaxed sessions: quieter sessions aimed at neurodivergent and SEND visitors.
• Old Royal Naval College Father Christmas: relaxed sessions with softer lighting, reduced noise and fewer visitors.
• Cinderella — Orchard Theatre Dartford: relaxed performance 17 December, chilled performance 19 December, audio-described performance 28 December.
• Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem — Stratford East: BSL, captioned, audio-described and relaxed performances scheduled.
• Jack and the Beanstalk — Hackney Empire: BSL, relaxed/dementia-friendly and audio-described dates scheduled.
• Peter Pan — New Wimbledon Theatre: relaxed performance on 30 December.
• Cinderella — Fairfield Halls: captioned performance on 21 December and relaxed performance on 30 December.

Accessibility & SEND guides →

Pantomimes & Family Theatre

Sleeping Beauty — Churchill Theatre Bromley

5 December 2026–3 January 2027
Vernon Kay stars as Billy in Churchill Theatre Bromley’s festive Sleeping Beauty.

Full Sleeping Beauty guide →

Hansel and Gretel — The Christmas Escape

5–22 December 2026 · Churchill Theatre Studio
A shorter 50-minute interactive festive show for ages 2+.

Jack and the Beanstalk — Hackney Empire

21 November–31 December 2026
Clive Rowe directs and stars as Dame Trot in Hackney Empire’s 125th-anniversary festive panto.

Hackney Empire dates & access → · Plan your visit →

Cinderella — Orchard Theatre Dartford

12 December 2026–3 January 2027
The reopened Orchard Theatre welcomes back panto with Cinderella, starring Joe Pasquale.

The Orchard Theatre visitor guide →

Cinderella — Broadway Theatre Catford

9–31 December 2026
Amelle Berrabah stars as Fairy Godmother with Wayne Rollins returning as Buttons.

Cinderella — Fairfield Halls, Croydon

11 December 2026–3 January 2027
Starring Lee Latchford-Evans as Prince Charming.

Robin Hood — Stag Theatre Sevenoaks

11 December 2026–3 January 2027

Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem — Theatre Royal Stratford East

21 November 2026–2 January 2027
An East London reimagining of Robin Hood with a strong local identity and a useful run of access performances.

Peter Pan — New Wimbledon Theatre

5 December 2026–3 January 2027
Jessie Wallace stars as Captain Hook, with Aston Merrygold as Peter Pan.

Jack and the Beanstalk — Richmond Theatre

5 December 2026–3 January 2027

Christmas Theatre, Concerts & Shows

• A Christmas Carol — The Old Vic: 12 November 2026–9 January 2027.
• The Nutcracker — Blackheath Halls: 22–23 December, family-friendly festive ballet from Let’s All Dance Ballet Company.
• Christmas Carol Goes Wrong — Wyndham’s Theatre: 18 December 2026–23 January 2027.
• BYMT Presents ’26 — Woolwich Works: 6 December at 6pm.
• Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice Carol Concert: 4 December at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel.
• James Phelan: The Secret Room — Dartford: 21 December, 7pm and 9.30pm.
• Churchill Theatre festive nights: Step Into Christmas, That’ll Be Christmas, Christmas Cabaret Ex-Drag-Aganza and the festive Silent Disco are all covered in the Churchill December guide.

Churchill Theatre December 2026 guide →

Festive Food, Afternoon Tea & Experiences

• Christmas Lights Afternoon Tea Bus London — classic festive sightseeing/afternoon-tea combination.
• Peppa Pig Christmas Lights Bus — family character version.
• PAW Patrol Christmas Lights Bus — themed family route.
• Grinchmas Afternoon Tea Bus — festive character experience running into January 2027.
• The Cat in the Hat Afternoon Tea Bus — includes Christmas lights on relevant dates from mid-November.
• Christmas Bauble Workshop at The Admiral Hardy, Greenwich — 16 December — a creative grown-up festive evening.

Christmas Lights Afternoon Tea Bus → · Grinchmas Afternoon Tea Bus → · The Cat in the Hat Afternoon Tea Bus →

Alternative / Grown-Up Christmas

• TuckShop’s Jack and the Beanstalk — Emerald Theatre: all-drag adult panto, 2 December 2026–10 January 2027, 18+.
• Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce: gloriously unconventional Christmas performance in London.
• Ghost Stories for Christmas — Charlton House: 6 December, with the venue advising it is not suitable for under-10s.
• Christmas Cabaret Ex-Drag-Aganza — Churchill Lounge: adults-only festive drag cabaret on 11 December.
• James Phelan: The Secret Room — Dartford: intimate 62-seat magic show, recommended 12+.

TuckShop adult panto guide → · Taylor Mac London 2026 →

Christmas Trips Worth Travelling For

• Mission Christmas — Historic Dockyard Chatham, 29 November–24 December: a new interactive Elfenezer Christmas mission through the Dockyard’s secret substation, ending with Father Christmas.
• Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Santa Specials — 28 November–24 December: steam-train journey, Santa grotto, magician, festive refreshments, model railway and a snowy return to New Romney.
• Bewl Water Santa Experience — selected dates 28 November–24 December: Santa’s Quest through an enchanted woodland with festive bakery, elves, live shows and a personalised family meeting with Father Christmas.
• Christmas at Paultons Park 2026 — family theme-park Christmas break/day out.
• Alton Towers Santa Sleepovers & Christmas stays — already included in the main Alton Towers 2026–27 planning guide.
• Leeds Castle — easy to turn Wallace & Gromit plus the separate lights trail into a bigger festive day or overnight trip.

Christmas at Paultons Park 2026 → · Alton Towers Christmas & short breaks →

Festive Watchlist

Cinderella at the London Palladium is announced for 5 December 2026–10 January 2027, with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters. I’ll move it into the main theatre list once the booking route is properly live rather than treating a sign-up page as a finished ticket option.

Planning Your Festive Outing

Check the official venue or organiser page before travelling: performance times, access provisions, ticket prices and availability can change. Where Clarissa’s Corner already has a useful full guide, I link to that rather than copying the whole thing into this hub.

Some links on Clarissa’s Corner may be affiliate links. If you book through one, Clarissa’s Corner may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Where there is no suitable affiliate route, I keep the useful official booking link instead.

Christmas at Eltham Palace, Greenwich: The 5–6 December Christmas Fair is part of a wider festive programme including Father Christmas, wreath making with afternoon tea, Festive Fun and a members’ Henry VIII event. See the official programme and booking details. Our fuller local guide is being prepared for publication.

Christmas at Eltham Palace: See our complete 2026 guide to the Christmas Fair, Father Christmas, wreath-making and festive family events, including booking and access notes.

Sophie’s Surprise Christmas Party — Soho

13 November 2026 – 10 January 2027 · Underbelly Boulevard Soho · Ages 16+

Acrobatics, comedy and an outrageous festive party, with tickets advertised from £28.50.

See our full show and ticket guide