Father Christmas Experience 2022
New for 2022, Father Christmas takes a break from his busy schedule to visit Harewood and settle down with small groups of kids, mums, dads, grandparents and guardians to find out what’s top of everyone’s Christmas list this year.
Set in Harewood’s Pastry Room and Old Kitchen, booking for Father Christmas this year was initially via ballot registration. Due to popular demand, two new dates have been added on 9 + 16 December, and you can book tickets here >>.
Father Christmas at Harewood
Father Christmas will be welcoming families for a cosy festive experience throughout December, settling in the Pastry Room Below Stairs to meet you and your children for an authentic, atmospheric and memorable encounter.
Small groups of eight children (and their grown-ups) will join Santa for half an hour, with a story, a chat with every child, a special gift and a family photo opportunity too. Everyone will feel the Christmas spirit among the twinkling lights and beautiful decorations in his rooms, making this an experience you’ll cherish.
Father Christmas will be at Harewood every weekend from 26 November, then every day from 16 to 24 December. Tickets cost £25 per child. On Christmas Eve, you can book for an even more special Father Christmas Experience before he sets off around the world, with an extra gift, for £35 per child.
Father Christmas tickets
Harewood loves its Members and very much loves Father Christmas visiting. His time here is limited though and so this year we initially operated a ballot system for tickets. Due to popular demand we are pleased to now offer 2 further dates. Book now >>
Please note the terms and conditions for Member bookings:
+ You can book one Father Christmas session. You can book for up to 5 children. On the day, you can bring up to 4 adults, with a maximum of 2 adults per child in your booking. You are not able to book multiple sessions.
+All children, with the exception of ‘babes in arms’ or under 6 months, require a ticket before joining the event on the day. Only children with a purchased ticket will receive a gift from Father Christmas.
+ All accompanying adults must be named Members (i.e. the adults’ names must be on a Membership card), and must be the parents, grandparents or guardians of the children.
+ Children cost £25 each. There is no charge for accompanying Member adults and no need to pre-book – access to Long Live the Christmas Tree! is guaranteed.
+ There will be 8 children in each session, from different bookings.
+ Our team will check all bookings; if any of the above conditions have not been met (for example an invalid Membership), we will refund the tickets and they will be offered to other ticket buyers.
+ Otherwise, tickets will be non-refundable and non-transferable.
+ All adults on on Member bookings will be required to show their Membership card on arrival at the Father Christmas Experience. Please note that if your Membership is due to expire between booking the experience and visiting Harewood House, that you will need to be sure to renew your Membership to gain entry.
FAQs
How many Father Christmas places are available this year?
There are twice as many places available this year compared to 2021. There was such high interest in Father Christmas last year that we were keen to offer as many places as possible, whilst still creating a special, family-oriented experience. However, as a charity with a focus on ensuring the best possible Harewood experience for everyone all year round, there is a limit to the volume of tickets we can make available to visit Father Christmas.
Is this a group experience?
Yes, this year we have planned a group experience rather than individual family sessions. There will be 8 children in each session, and up to 2 adults per child. Following very high interest in Father Christmas last year we were keen to make more places available, and we are confident that this will a special, memorable experience for each family. Each session will be half an hour (compared to the ten-minute individual family sessions last year), every child will have the chance to speak individually with Father Christmas, and every family will have a photo opportunity in our beautifully decorated rooms.