Whipsnade's Meet Santa is £19.50 a child, weekends from 21 November then daily 12 to 24 December. Plus Willows, Tring's free festival and what is still TBC.

Where can children meet Santa near Hemel Hempstead this Christmas? On 8 October only two of the big grottos had published 2026 dates and prices, and both are just outside Dacorum: Whipsnade Zoo and Willows Activity Farm. The two free town festivals in Tring and Berkhamsted both bring Father Christmas to town, and Hemel’s own Santa sleigh has not announced its 2026 routes yet. This page follows each one and will be updated as the rest are confirmed.

The quick answer

  • Whipsnade Zoo, Meet Santa: weekends from Saturday 21 November, then daily from 12 to 24 December, sessions between 8.30am and 4.30pm. £19.50 a child, and you need a zoo ticket as well unless your session is 3.30pm or later.
  • Willows Activity Farm, London Colney: Santa Spectacular on sale now, child from £54.95 to £69.95, adult from £29.95 to £39.95, plus a 75p booking fee. Willows lists the season as November to December without the daily dates.
  • Tring Christmas Festival, Saturday 28 November: free, with Father Christmas and his real reindeer.
  • Berkhamsted Festival of Light, Sunday 22 November: free, with a Santa’s parade and the Elves’ Posting House.
  • Hemel Rotary Santa Sleigh and The Marlowes: nothing published for 2026 yet.

Whipsnade Zoo: Meet Santa

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo says Meet Santa is returning in 2026 and that people who registered their interest will hear first when tickets are released (Whipsnade Zoo). The zoo’s own answer to “what are the dates for Meet Santa 2026?” is that sessions run between 8.30am and 4.30pm on weekends from 21 November, then daily from 12 to 24 December. The grotto is in the River Room at the Learning Hub. Children do festive crafts, meet Santa and take home an early Christmas present.

Session Price Length
Meet Santa £19.50 a child About 30 minutes
Meet Santa Relaxed (quieter, dimmer) £19.50 a child About 30 minutes
Meet Santa and Animal Feed £35.50 a child, £12 an adult About 1 hour
Meet Santa, Feed and Treat Crafting £44.50 a child, £16.50 an adult About 1 hour 30 minutes

Members, Fellows and Patrons get Meet Santa Priority sessions at £17.50 a child on set dates. The Feed and Treat Crafting sessions are best for children aged five and over, and the zoo says the animals involved depend on availability on the day.

Some practical points from the zoo’s own FAQ:

  • Zoo entry is extra. A Meet Santa ticket does not include admission. The exception is a session at 3.30pm or later: those come after last entry, so you can go straight to the grotto without a zoo ticket, but you cannot explore the zoo afterwards.
  • Up to three children per booking, with one or two adults. Only five people can be in the grotto at once.
  • Babies in arms who will not meet Santa or get a gift do not need a Santa ticket. Adults can meet Santa too, on a child ticket.
  • The grotto is indoors, but you may wait outside for your slot, and the animal sessions include outdoor parts.

The wider Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo season runs from 21 November to 24 December, with activities for zoo visitors: a reindeer story session, How to Train Your Reindeer, at 11.30am and 3pm, festive ceramic painting from 1pm to 2.30pm, both on 21, 22, 28 and 29 November and 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 to 24 December, plus an advent calendar door opened at the Farm at 11.15am and 1.30pm every day from 1 to 24 December.

At the time of writing the page did not say on which day Meet Santa tickets go on sale. We will add it here when it does.

Willows Activity Farm, London Colney

Willows’ Santa Spectacular is a full day out rather than a grotto visit, and it is already on sale through the farm’s ticket portal (Willows Activity Farm). Children walk through a winter wonderland to Santa’s grotto, where he gives them a key to his Toy Shop to choose a present. The ticket also covers a Create-a-Cuddle soft toy, gingerbread decorating, reindeer food making, festive shows, funfair rides, a tractor ride and the reindeer in the farmyard.

Prices on the ticket portal, each plus a 75p booking fee (Willows ticket portal):

Ticket Price range
Child over 90cm, with toy, Create-a-Cuddle and gingerbread £54.95 to £69.95
Adult £29.95 to £39.95
Child under 90cm, with gifts £32.95 to £34.95
Child under 90cm, visit to Santa without gifts £9.95 to £13.95
Essential companion Free

The price depends on the date you pick. Willows says to allow at least four hours, and about an hour for the walk to Santa. The time you book is when you start that journey, not when you see Santa. Tickets are limited and must be booked online, the site is cashless, and it closes at 4pm on Christmas Eve. Willows’ separate Festive Fun days do not include Santa.

Tring Christmas Festival: Saturday 28 November

Tring Together’s free festival on Saturday 28 November, 3.30pm to 8.30pm, promises Father Christmas and his real reindeer alongside more than 100 stalls, three stages and a funfair (Tring Together). Last year the grotto and reindeer were in the Memorial Garden, according to Living Magazines’ write-up of the 2025 festival. The charity has not published whether the grotto needs booking this year. Our Tring Christmas Festival page has the full day.

Berkhamsted Festival of Light: Sunday 22 November

Berkhamsted Town Council lists the Festival of Light for Sunday 22 November, with festive stalls on the High Street and the Elves’ Posting House at St Peter’s Courthouse (Berkhamsted Town Council). The council gives the time as 2pm to 6pm; Living Magazines gives 3.30pm to 6pm and lists a Santa’s parade among the afternoon’s events (Living Magazines). Details are on our Festival of Light page.

Not announced yet

  • Hemel Rotary Santa Sleigh. The sleigh’s online calendar had no 2026 dates when we checked on 8 October. Last year it went live on 22 October and the sleigh was out from 22 November. Our Santa sleigh page has last year’s routes and will carry the new ones.
  • The Marlowes. The shopping centre’s events page listed only its half term animal day on 8 October, with nothing for Christmas yet (The Marlowes).
  • Hemel Hempstead Christmas lights switch-on. No 2026 date yet; see our switch-on page.

Getting there and parking

Dacorum’s town centre car parks charge seven days a week, which matters on a Saturday at the Tring or Berkhamsted festivals: our page on parking in Hemel Hempstead has the tariffs. For Whipsnade and London Colney, check the roadworks and travel page for overnight motorway closures before an early session. The town festivals close roads in the centre, and closures will be added to each festival page when the county council publishes them.

Sources