Meet Father Christmas at Anglesey Abbey on ten dates from 5 to 23 December, £24.95 a child with one adult, plus admission. Parker's Piece Santa dates TBC.

The one Father Christmas visit near Cambridge with confirmed dates and prices for 2026 is at Anglesey Abbey, the National Trust house at Lode, on the north-east side of Cambridge. It runs on ten days between Saturday 5 and Wednesday 23 December, costs £24.95 per child including one adult, and has to be booked. Father Christmas will also walk around the Christmas market on Parker’s Piece at weekends, but those dates have not been published yet.

The quick answer

  • Anglesey Abbey: 5, 6, 12, 13 and 18 to 23 December, sessions from 9.45am, the last at 3pm. £24.95 per child with one adult, plus normal admission. Booking essential.
  • Parker’s Piece: Santa visits Christmas in Cambridge “every weekend throughout the festive season”. Free to enter; dates and times still to come.
  • Grand Arcade: no grotto announced. Its Christmas programme is “coming soon”.

Meet Father Christmas at Anglesey Abbey

The National Trust’s event page describes a short adventure with Christmas characters, then a story told by Father Christmas in the decorated Lower Gallery of the house. Every child gets a gift from Keel Toys, and there is a chance for a photo at the end.

Some details that will shape a booking:

  • It is a group session. Families share the story with other visitors; this is not a private grotto visit.
  • One adult per child ticket. The Trust says the Lower Gallery is too small for more. A baby in arms goes free if you have bought a ticket for another child in the family, but does not get a gift.
  • Ages: recommended for children aged 3 to 10. Every child needs a ticket.
  • Admission is extra. The Trust says normal admission to Anglesey Abbey applies and is not included in the £24.95 ticket.
  • No refunds or exchanges, unless the Trust cancels the event, and tickets cannot be moved to another date or time.
  • Allow time to walk. The house is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the visitor centre. The Trust asks you to arrive at the house courtyard 15 minutes before your slot, says late entry cannot be guaranteed, and warns that you wait outside before the session starts.

Dates and session times

The Trust lists the same seven 30-minute sessions on each of the ten days:

Days in December 2026 Session start times
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 9.45am, 10.35am, 11.25am, 12.15pm, 1.20pm, 2.10pm, 3pm
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 the same seven times
Friday 18 to Wednesday 23 the same seven times

The last session finishes at 3.30pm. Book a slot on the Trust’s booking page or by phone on 0344 249 1895. On 5 October the first session, 9.45am on 5 December, was still showing as available.

Anglesey Abbey is on Quy Road, Lode, CB25 9EJ.

Santa at the Christmas market on Parker’s Piece

The Christmas market and ice rink, run by Christmas in Cambridge, opens on Parker’s Piece on 13 November and runs to 3 January. Its Santa page says Father Christmas will visit “every weekend throughout the festive season”, making his way around Parker’s Piece and stopping to say hello to families. It reads as a walkabout rather than a sit-down grotto, and it says confirmed dates and times are still to come. The site is free to enter. Opening hours and ice rink prices are on our Christmas market and ice rink page.

What else is, and is not, confirmed

  • Grand Arcade. The shopping centre’s Christmas page says the full programme is “coming soon”. So far it lists new decorations from 3 November, a stage of local singers, choirs and dancers on Sunday 15 November from 11.30am to 4.30pm ahead of the lights switch-on, and late-night shopping from 14 to 23 December. No grotto is mentioned yet.
  • Wimpole Estate. The National Trust’s events listing for Wimpole, checked on 5 October, has no Father Christmas event for 2026 yet.

We will add each one when its organiser publishes dates and prices.

Getting there

Anglesey Abbey is outside the city and most families drive. For the city centre, our parking in Cambridge page covers the multi-storeys and Park and Ride, and Cambridge roadworks and travel lists anything that is shut. For the rest of the season see our pages on the Christmas lights switch-on, Cambridge Botanic Lights and the Cambridge panto.

Sources