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🎅 Santa, pantos & Christmas events for children in Leicester (2026)

Leicester’s Christmas starts with the lights switch-on on Wednesday 18 November, when Town Hall Square and Humberstone Gate fill with music, street performers and fairground rides and the Clock Tower tree is lit. The Christmas market on Gallowtree Gate runs from switch-on night to the end of December, and this year Jubilee Square becomes a winter garden with lit igloos instead of an ice rink. Curve has Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for older children and Daisy and the Trouble with Christmas for the under-8s, and De Montfort Hall’s panto is Beauty and the Beast. Santa trains from Loughborough on the Great Central Railway and the National Space Centre’s weekend Santa sessions are worth booking early.

Christmas events in and around Leicester

  • Leicester Christmas Market
    📅 Wed 18 Nov – Thu 31 Dec · Daily from switch-on night to the end of December
    Santa & Christmas · City centre

    Festive stalls with seasonal food and gifts along Gallowtree Gate. From the first weekend of December nearby Jubilee Square becomes a winter garden with snowy trees and lit igloos.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Curve
    📅 Sat 21 Nov – Sat 16 Jan · Matinee and evening performances; about 2 hours 30 minutes with interval
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre

    Curve's big Christmas musical, a Made at Curve production of the Roald Dahl story with Jonny Fines as Willy Wonka.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Gingerbread Pop-up Panto at Highcross
    📅 Sat 21 Nov – Wed 23 Dec · Saturdays 21 and 28 Nov, 5, 12 and 19 Dec, and Wed 23 Dec; short shows on the hour 10am to 6pm with an hour's break
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre · Free

    A mini panto in Mother Christmas's kitchen with Father Christmas and Pudding the Elf, near Next and Apple on the upper mall, with free sweets and gingerbread photo spots.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • The Santa Express at Oakfield Park
    📅 Fri 27 Nov – Wed 23 Dec · Wed to Fri from 4.30pm, weekends from noon (closed Mon and Tue until 11 Dec); 21 to 23 Dec from noon
    Santa & Christmas · Raphoe

    A 45-minute ride on a narrow-gauge railway through festive scenes to meet Father Christmas, with gifts for children, a puppet show, gingerbread decorating and Mrs Claus's post office. Allow 2 to 3 hours.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • The Great Central Santa Express
    📅 Sat 28 Nov – Thu 24 Dec · Selected dates; arrive 30 minutes before departure
    Santa & Christmas · Loughborough

    A steam train ride where Santa walks through the train with a gift for each child, plus an activity pack and treats, and a 25-minute stop at Leicester North for a photo in Santa's grotto.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Santa's Spaceport at the National Space Centre
    📅 Sat 28 Nov – Sun 20 Dec · Weekends only: 28 to 29 Nov, 5 to 6, 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 Dec; timed slots, allow 30 minutes
    Santa & Christmas · Belgrave

    A festive space mission at the Tetrastar Spaceport, then a visit to Santa in his grotto and a voucher for each child to choose a present in the elves' workshop.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Abbey Pumping Station Christmas Steam Day
    📅 Sun 29 Nov · 11.30am to 4pm
    Santa & Christmas · Abbey Park

    A family Christmas day with the Victorian beam engines in steam, a festive railway, crafts, a brass band, vintage buses and fire engines.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Daisy and the Trouble with Christmas
    📅 Mon 30 Nov – Sun 3 Jan · Morning and afternoon performances
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre

    A new stage version of Kes Gray's Daisy picture book, with songs, made for young children and their families in Curve's smaller studio.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Mother Goose at the Little Theatre
    📅 Fri 11 Dec – Sun 3 Jan · 25 performances; about 2 hours 30 minutes with interval
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre

    Leicester Drama Society's community panto, a smaller and cheaper alternative to the big city-centre shows.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Beauty and the Beast pantomime
    📅 Sat 12 Dec – Sun 3 Jan · Usually 11am and 3pm, or 1pm and 5pm; see dates
    Shows, theatre & panto · Clarendon Park

    Leicester's big traditional panto, with Jarred Christmas and Dame Jack Ballard.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking

Know one that’s missing? It takes a minute, and we check each one before it goes on the map. Add an event

Tips from people who’ve been

  • Book Santa early: the best grotto times often sell out by mid-November.
  • Check what’s included: a gift, a photo, a craft or a story, and whether grown-ups pay too.
  • Ask about quiet or relaxed sessions if loud music, crowds or queues are hard for your child.
  • Weekday visits and the first slot of the day are usually calmer than weekends.
  • Pantos often have relaxed and signed performances: look for them when you book.

Warm indoor places near Leicester for a cold day

Within 20 km: Soft play: 7 · Museum & attraction: 20 · Swimming & leisure: 13 · Trampoline & inflatable park: 2 · Cinema: 6

Other places

Christmas with children 2026: Santa, pantos and lights · See everything on the map