Warrington Santa's Grottos: 2026 Dates and Prices

Two Warrington grottos have published their 2026 dates and prices, and both are bookable now. The town centre has announced nothing.

Walton Hall and Gardens: ten days, £14 a child

Warrington Disability Partnership runs a fully accessible grotto at Walton Hall and Gardens, Walton Lea Road, Higher Walton, WA4 6SN. The venue has published the full 2026 date list. (waltonhallgardens.co.uk)

The Sunday opening times are not all the same, which is easy to miss: 29 November and 13 and 20 December start at 10.30am, but 6 December does not open until 11am.

£14 per child, which the organiser says covers the booking fee, the visit to Santa, a present and a puzzle trail. Accompanying adults are £2 each. Photographs and gifts are sold separately on the day, and there are craft activities alongside the grotto.

One thing to check before you rely on the last week. The event page’s own date field says the grotto runs to 23 December, while the list of dates underneath it stops on Tuesday 22 December. The date list is the more specific of the two, but if you want the 23rd, ring first.

The contact given is Ellie Thompson on 01925 240 064. Her email is printed two different ways on the venue’s site, as e.thompson@ on the grotto page and ethompson@ on the Santa Dash page, both at disabilitypartnership.org.uk. Use the phone number if the first one bounces.

Gulliver’s World: open 14 November, shut most weekdays

Gulliver’s World at Warrington bills “Christmas at Gulliver’s” as running 14 November to 24 December 2026. Every package includes a ride on the North Pole Express to meet Santa in his grotto, a gift the child chooses from the Elf Workshop, and Santa’s Enchanted Elevator. (gulliversworldresort.co.uk)

That headline range hides a lot of closed days. The park’s own opening calendar shows it open on 21 of those 41 days, and shut on the other 20.

• November: Saturday 14, Sunday 15, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 only, each 10.30am to 5pm.
• December: Friday 4, Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Monday 7, Friday 11, Saturday 12, Sunday 13, Monday 14, Friday 18, then daily from Saturday 19 to Thursday 24.

Watch the two Mondays. Monday 7 and Monday 14 December are open 10.30am to 12pm, a ninety minute day. The three Fridays, 4, 11 and 18 December, run 10.30am to 3pm, and Christmas Eve closes at 2pm. (opening calendar)

That matters because the off-peak Smasher and Cracker packages both advertise “selected Christmas rides and attractions from 10.30am until 3pm”, and the Twinkle package promises “theme park entry from 1pm”. None of those is possible on a day the park shuts at noon. Check the calendar against the date you are booking.

The packages

The £12 North Pole Express is the cheapest way to see Santa here, and Gulliver’s is explicit that it is a one hour festive experience with the rides “non-operational”. Do not book it expecting a theme park day.

Gulliver’s also states that approximately 65% of its regular rides and attractions operate during the Christmas season.

There is a live discount. The code XMASGW takes 25% off Christmas packages and sleepovers on named dates only: day visits on 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 November and 21 December, and sleepovers on 13, 14, 15, 20, 22 and 29 November and 3 and 10 December. Note that several of the sleepover dates, including 13 November and 3 and 10 December, are days the park itself is closed, so a sleepover is not the same as a park day.

Christmas Eve is run as a Santa Send-Off, with the same three package types and a 2pm close.

The town centre: nothing announced

Warrington BID has published nothing about Christmas 2026, and there is no 2026 town centre grotto on any official page we can find. Its news feed stops at Warrington Mela on 6 September.

In 2025 the town centre grotto was The Grinch in Whooville Grotto in Time Square, part of Warrington Unwrapped, where children met the Grinch and received a Grinch teddy. (wearewarringtonbid.co.uk) That programme was announced in early November, about a week before it opened, so a 2026 equivalent would not be expected to surface until then. We will add it here when it does.

The rest of Walton’s festive diary

Alongside the grotto, Walton Hall and Gardens has three other bookable Christmas events for 2026:

• Tiny Tots Christmas Zoo Adventure, Monday 30 November, 10.30am to 12pm, from £15. Aimed at ages 3 to 5, a guided zoo tour plus a bauble craft session. One adult per child, and the adult must attend.
• Christmas at the Zoo, running between 5 and 19 December, from £15 per child. A 45 minute Children’s Zoo tour then a craft session, one hour in all. One ticket covers one child and one accompanying adult.
• Santa Dash 2026, Sunday 6 December from 10am, a 3km walk, jog, run, push or cycle for Warrington Disability Partnership. The listing price is £12 but the body of the same page says “the entry fee is £14, which includes a five-piece Santa suit”, a certificate and a medal. Confirm the price when you book.

Getting there

Walton Hall and Gardens is off Walton Lea Road in Higher Walton, south of the swing bridges, and Gulliver’s World is off Shackleton Close in Old Hall, north west of town. Both have their own car parks. For everywhere else, our parking in Warrington page has the council tariffs, and roadworks and travel is worth a look before a December Saturday.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Santa’s grotto at Walton Hall and Gardens?

£14 per child, which Warrington Disability Partnership says covers the booking fee, the visit to Santa, a present and a puzzle trail. Accompanying adults are £2 each. Photographs and gifts cost extra on the day.

When does the Walton Hall grotto open?

Saturday 28 November 2026 is the first date. It then runs on both days of the following three weekends, plus Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December, ten dates in all. Opening times vary by day, so check the table above before you travel.

How much does it cost to see Santa at Gulliver’s World?

The cheapest option is the off-peak North Pole Express at £12, a one hour experience with the rides switched off. Full Christmas days start at £28 for the peak Smasher package and run to £39 for Twinkle, which adds the Land of Lights lantern festival.

Is Gulliver’s open every day at Christmas?

No, and this is the trap. Gulliver’s advertises Christmas as running 14 November to 24 December, but its own opening calendar shows the park shut on 20 of those 41 days. Two of the open days, Monday 7 and Monday 14 December, close at 12pm.

Is there a Santa’s grotto in Warrington town centre?

Nothing has been announced for 2026. In 2025 the town centre grotto was The Grinch in Whooville Grotto in Time Square, part of Warrington Unwrapped, which Warrington BID announced about a week before it opened.

Do you have to book in advance?

Yes for both. Walton Hall’s price explicitly “includes a booking fee”, and every Christmas visit to Gulliver’s is sold as a pre-booked package.

What we are waiting on

A 2026 town centre grotto from Warrington BID, expected early November. Land of Lights dates, which Gulliver’s is promoting as a fourth season but has not yet dated on its Christmas page. And clarity on whether the Walton Hall grotto runs on 23 December.

More of the season: Warrington pantomime and things to do in Warrington.

Checked 6 September 2026.