Ho, Ho, Ho – Christmas will be here before you know it and the wee ones will be asking to see the man in red.
Luckily for us, there are plenty of places to meet Santa in Halifax and Calderdale; from woodland grottos to garden centres, Christmassy train rides and behind-the-scenes North Pole tours!
Here’s our pick of where to get a glimpse of Santa, his elves and even Rudolph before Christmas Eve.
Santa Steam Specials – Keighley & Worth Valley RailwayAll aboard! Ride in a specially decorated coach with festive music, pixies and of course, Santa bringing gifts! Grownups get a drink and a mince pie and there’s a Winter Wonderland display to look at in the Oxenhope Exhibition Shed.
Tickets from £10-19.50. Babies under six months are free. From November 30, 2019.
Visit Santa’s magical woodland grotto in the woods at Ogden Water, where you can make Christmas arts and crafts, visit Santa and receive a gift.
Tickets from £9. Saturday, December 14, 2019. To book, visit ticketsource.co.uk. Wheelchair accessible. No dogs.
Meeting Santa can be hungry work and Gordon Rigg Garden Centre has you covered. Santa will join children at the breakfast table at Cotton Weavers Cafe on ten dates between November 30 and December 24, 2019, at 9-10.30am. As well as feasting on a delicious breakfast, children will meet Santa and receive a gift and a selection box, while parents enjoy a free hot drink.
If you would prefer to visit Santa in his beautifully-decorated grotto, it is open every day until December 24. Tickets are £8.99, include a gift from Santa and can be bought from customer services on the day of your visit. Children can also make crafts while in the waiting area.
Weekdays 4pm-7pm
Weekends 11am-4pm
Christmas eve 11am-2pm
Westgate ArcadeSanta and his elves will be welcoming children to his magical grotto at Westgate Arcade in Halifax. Kids can give Santa their wish list and get a present and certificate in return.
Santa will be there every Saturday and Sunday from November 30-December 15, 2019, and every day from December 16-24.
Grotto hours are 11am-5pm.
Tickets £5 per child. No need to book. .
Help Santa, Ellie the Elf, Rudolph and the gang sort out his workshop and get the presents delivered in time for Christmas 2019!
Each child will also receive a Christmas gift and join in with lots of interactive songs.
Tickets £12.50 for children and £9.50 for adults. Box Office: 01422 351158.
Write a letter to Santa and visit his house, where he will read you a story and give you a gift
Child (includes one adult): £9.99. Each additional adult: £4.99. From December 7, 2019.
Santa will arrive during a free family fun day on November 30 2019, with face painting, mince pies, balloon modelling, crafts games and more between 2-4.30pm. You can visit Santa in his grotto, discover your elf name, make reindeer food, create a decoration to take home and choose a special Christmas present.
Tickets are £7.99 per child and you can find a list of available times by visiting https://www.kershawgardencentre.co.uk/santa/
Visit Santa and enjoy crafts in the cottage, face painting, story time with Santa, cookies, hot chocolate and a gift. Tickets are £7.50 and currently sold out, but according to the FB event, more will be coming available.
December 14, 2019, between 10am-3pm.
Fire & Water, Sowerby BridgeAs well as meeting Santa, you’ll get to walk through a Christmas street and experience winter scenes come alive! There will be festive games and treats and for £3 per child receive a gift, drink, snack and a professional photo with Santa.
December 21, 2019. 2-6pm.
All the proceeds from this Santa’s grotto will go to charity, with the fun beginning on November 30 at 1pm, after Santa and his elves do a tour of the local villages.
Tickets cost £7.50 and dates are available between December 1-22, 2019. Dates and times may be subject to change, please call 01274 833472 for confirmation.
Santa will be calling into the gorgeously festive The Piece Hall for breakfast at Blondin’s on December 21 & 22, 2019. Children will be able to enjoy breakfast, a drink and a gift, for £7.95. Booking essential.
Santa’s enchanted grotto boasts some of the friendliest elves in town and you can meet Santa and get a gift for £4 per child.
It will be open from 2.30pm-3.30pm during term time and 11am-4.30pm on weekends from November 23, 2019. Tickets can be booked at the Info Desk.
There’s also an interactive winter show, Snow Day, included with admission/annual pass.
Santa will greet visitors in his cosy log cabin with twinkling lights and plenty of festive cheer. Tickets from £8.50. Santa will also be hosting an autism friendly grotto on November 23 & 24, in conjunction with Autism Angels. To book a slot, email Autism Angels directly at info@autismangels.co.uk. As well as seeing Santa, you can see the enchanting winter illuminations, go nordic skiing, get lost in the maze and take part in lots of other fun activities (extra charges apply). Get 10% off Stockeld Park tickets with the code: MUMCALDERDALE.
Enchanted robbins will take you on a magical storytelling tour, then you will meet Santa and choose your own gift from his toyshop!
From November 16, 2019. Tickets from £10.95-£12.95 per child (two adults free per child). Children under 12 months £7.95-£9.95(includes age appropriate token gift and opportunity for photo).
Each child will receive a passport to the North Pole, check in with the elves and even go through a special naughty or nice scanner. You can wait in the departure lounge and write a letter to Santa before meeting the man himself and receiving a gift. Tickets include a full day out at Cannon Hall Farm and cost £16.95 for children aged 2 and over, £8 for children under 2 and £8.95 for adults.
Check in at Elf Airlines, see your name in lights on the departure board and create your own Piglets Passport while you wait. You’ll board Santa’s sleigh and ride through woodland and twinkling lights to his grotto among the trees. You can enjoy a festive show from Santa’s Little Helpers, visit Santa and unlock the toy shop with the magic key he will give you, where you can choose your own gift. Adults get a free warm mince pie and mulled wine, and the whole family can enjoy the rest of the day in the heated play barn. Tickets are £4.95 for under 1s, £11.95-£16.95 for children aged 1-16 and between £8.95-£12.95 for adults.
Visit Santa and his elves in his tree-lined grotto at the North Pole, make a souvenir to take home and write a postcard to Santa. The whole experience lasts around 40 minutes and is open after school and on weekends. £12.95 per child (plus £4 estate entry for children over 5).
Preschoolers can visit him for a shorter experience in his cosy cabin in the Elf Village on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, between 11am-2pm.
Two relaxed sessions are running for children with additional needs, on December 3 & 12. To book, call Breeze office on 0113 378 3167.
Other Christmas activities are included in The Christmas Experience (£8 adults, £4 children over 5), with the 12 Days Walk, Wildlife World, house, estate and gardens, Fairy Dell and Elf Village (activities extra).
Wrap up warm for a two hour Christmas experience where you can build a teddy in the Elf Workshop, enjoy choreographed shows, ride on the Santa Express, meet Santa in his magical grotto and more. Tickets also include all the fun of the farm.
Tickets cost £21.95 aged 1 and over (under 1s free but no gift) and adults £15.95. There are price increases between December 21-24.
Open on weekends between November 30 and December 22, as well as December 23 & 24, 2019.
Special “Just Be You” sessions for children with additional needs are available on December 7,8, 14 & 15.
This is a two hour drive from Halifax so slightly further away, but you’ll enjoy a special sleigh ride and find Santa waiting for you in a cosy yurt. All the yurts will be transformed into magical locations for interactive games, a fun-packed family show and challenges.
December 14, 2019. 10am-4pm. Tickets £10.
Where is your favourite place to see Santa? Share your tips with other families in the Calderdale Mumbler Chat Group.
