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

Sheffield’s Christmas centres on the city centre market, which runs from 12 November along Fargate, Pinstone Street and The Moor, with an ice rink in Tudor Square, a snow slide and Santa’s Grotto on Barker’s Pool. The Lyceum pantomime is the big family show and was already sold out by early November, so book the Montgomery’s Stick Man or other shows early too. Just outside the city, Chatsworth and Wentworth Woodhouse both run decorated-house Christmases that must be booked ahead, and Magna opens an indoor ice rink from 19 December.

Christmas events in and around Sheffield

  • Christmas at Chatsworth: the 12 Days of Christmas
    📅 Sat 7 Nov – Sun 3 Jan
    Santa & Christmas · Chatsworth, Derbyshire

    The house is decorated on a 12 Days of Christmas theme with a light and sound trail in the garden. Storytime with Father Christmas runs at the farmyard on set dates.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Fox Valley Christmas Lights Switch-On
    📅 Sun 15 Nov · Afternoon; exact times not given
    Santa & Christmas · Stocksbridge

    Live entertainment and a countdown to the lights switch-on, with a festive market of local traders and street food alongside.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Cinderella, the Lyceum panto
    📅 Sat 28 Nov – Sun 3 Jan · Matinees and evenings; times vary by day
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre

    Sheffield's big family pantomime at the Lyceum, the classic Cinderella story with songs, slapstick and audience shouting.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Alice in Wentworth Wonderland
    📅 Tue 1 Dec – Sun 3 Jan · Tue to Sun 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.15pm; closed 7 and 14 Dec and 25 and 26 Dec
    Santa & Christmas · Wentworth, Rotherham

    Follow Alice through the decorated state rooms of the stately home, with a Drink Me and Eat Me trail, dress-up and Wonderland games.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Concerteenies at Christmas: Festive Singalong
    📅 Fri 4 Dec – Sun 6 Dec · Fri 4 and Sun 6 Dec, 10.30am and 12.30pm (45 minutes)
    Music & concerts · Little Sheffield

    An interactive festive gig for little ones with accordion, fiddle and cello, songs, actions, bubbles and percussion.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Stick Man
    📅 Sat 5 Dec – Sun 3 Jan · Performances at 10.30am, 1.15pm and 4pm on various days; about 1 hour 5 minutes, no interval
    Shows, theatre & panto · City centre

    A stage version of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, with songs and puppetry, short enough for young children.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Victorian Christmas Market at Kelham Island Museum
    📅 Sat 5 Dec – Sun 6 Dec · Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun 10am to 5pm
    Santa & Christmas · Kelham Island

    A Victorian-style market in the industrial museum, with children's fairground rides, miniature engine rides, Santa's Workshop and Grotto, walkabout characters and the River Don Engine running on the hour.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Disney On Ice: Discover the Magic
    📅 Wed 9 Dec – Sun 13 Dec
    Shows, theatre & panto · Attercliffe

    Mickey and friends on ice, with scenes from Moana, Frozen, Toy Story and Coco.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking
  • Winter Skating at Magna
    📅 Sat 19 Dec – Sun 17 Jan · 45-minute sessions through the day
    Santa & Christmas · Templeborough, Rotherham

    An indoor ice rink inside the old steelworks, so skating goes ahead whatever the weather, with hot chocolate in the café afterwards.

    🎟️ Tickets & booking

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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 Sheffield for a cold day

Within 20 km: Soft play: 19 · Museum & attraction: 34 · Swimming & leisure: 26 · Trampoline & inflatable park: 3 · Cinema: 7

Other places

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