South Mill Arts' grotto is £19 a child, and 38 of its 89 slots had sold out by 8 October. Plus Father Christmas at Audley End and two bigger Christmas days out.
The Santa’s grotto in Bishop’s Stortford itself is at South Mill Arts, £19 a child, on ten dates from Saturday 5 to Thursday 24 December. It is selling fast: on 8 October, two months out, 38 of its 89 sessions were already sold out, and Saturday 19 December was down to its last one. Within a short drive there is Father Christmas at Audley End House on December weekends, the Audley End railway’s Christmas train from 21 November, and a new Christmas Wonderland at Hertfordshire Zoo. Every detail below is from the organiser’s own page or box office, checked on 8 October 2026.
The quick answer
- In town: South Mill Arts, 1-3 South Road, CM23 3JG. £19 per child, sessions every 40 minutes from 10am to 3.50pm on 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 to 24 December. No more than two adults per child.
- Relaxed grotto: Sunday 20 December at 3.50pm, phone-only on 01279 710 200.
- Near Saffron Walden: Father Christmas at Audley End House, weekends 5 to 20 December, £12 a child plus house admission for non-members; the Audley End Enchanted Railway Christmas Special, 21 November to 24 December, from £11.75.
- Broxbourne: Hertfordshire Zoo’s Christmas Wonderland, selected dates from 21 November, 9.30am to 7.30pm, with Santa’s Grotto included in the Wonderland ticket.
- At your door: the Round Table’s Santa sleigh tours the town on eight December evenings; see our Santa sleigh page.
In town: South Mill Arts
South Mill Arts’ grotto starts with a craft activity, then a visit to Santa, who gives every child a present, and ends with hot chocolate and cookies in what the venue calls its VIP Christmas Café. Each ticket admits one child, and the venue asks that no more than two adults come with each child (South Mill Arts). There are eight children to a session and no online booking fee.
Here is what was left on the box office on 8 October:
| Date | Sessions left (of 9) |
|---|---|
| Sat 5 Dec | all 9 |
| Sun 6 Dec | 7 |
| Sat 12 Dec | 3 (10.40am, 12pm, 12.40pm) |
| Sun 13 Dec | 3 (12pm, 12.40pm, 1.50pm) |
| Sat 19 Dec | 1 (1.50pm) |
| Sun 20 Dec | 2 of 8 (10am, 3.10pm) |
| Mon 21 Dec | 8 |
| Tue 22 Dec | all 9 |
| Wed 23 Dec | 7 |
| Thu 24 Dec | 2 (10am, 3.10pm) |
The weekends before Christmas and Christmas Eve are going first. The weekdays from 21 to 23 December are still almost empty.
Sunday 20 December has one session fewer online because its 3.50pm slot is the relaxed grotto, which can only be booked by phone on 01279 710 200. South Mill Arts’ panto, Beauty and the Beast, runs in the same building from 26 November; prices are on our panto page.
Father Christmas at Audley End House
English Heritage’s Audley End House and Gardens, off London Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4JF, has Father Christmas on weekends only from Saturday 5 to Sunday 20 December 2026. He tells some of his favourite seasonal stories to the group, then each family meets him, with time for photographs, and every child gets a traditional present to unwrap.
- Sessions: 10.20am, 11am, 11.40am, 12.20pm, 1.40pm, 2.20pm and 3pm. Arrive at least 15 minutes early, as he starts promptly.
- Price: £12 per child for non-members, £9.50 for members, booked in advance. Non-members also need admission to the house and gardens.
- Adults: one accompanying adult per child.
The Audley End railway Christmas Special
The Audley End Enchanted Railway, Audley End Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4JB, is run separately from the house. Its Christmas Special runs from 21 November to 24 December. The train runs through a lit forest to Father Christmas’ workshop, where Father and Mother Christmas greet each child from the carriage and give them a small gift. Back in the woodland there are lights, reindeer keepers making reindeer food, a post box for letters to the North Pole and a stage show; marshmallows and the carousel cost extra.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £23.50 to £40.50 |
| Child over 92cm | £23.50 to £40.50 |
| Child under 92cm | £11.75 to £20.25 |
| Essential companion | £6.75 |
| Under 1 | Free |
The price depends on the date and time you pick. There are also SEND sessions on selected days for children with special educational needs or disabilities (Audley End Enchanted Railway; SEND sessions).
Christmas Wonderland at Hertfordshire Zoo
Hertfordshire Zoo, White Stubbs Lane, Broxbourne EN10 7QA, is running a new Christmas Wonderland on 21, 22, 28 and 29 November and 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 to 24 December, open 9.30am to 7.30pm on those days. It has light displays, a digital Polar Express experience, elves, marshmallow roasting with Mrs Claus and Santa’s Grotto, where each child gets a Christmas gift.
Santa is only included with a Christmas Wonderland ticket; a standard day ticket does not include him. You book an entry time slot, not a set time with Santa. Evening tickets do not include the World of Animals or World of Dinosaurs, Blue Light Card discounts do not apply, and under-2s go free without a gift. The zoo’s FAQ page does not print prices; they are on its booking page (Hertfordshire Zoo).
Getting there and parking
South Mill Arts is in the town centre; every car park and tariff is on our parking page. On Saturday 5 December the town centre is also busy with the Christmas Fayre, and the town council says the road from the bottom of South Street to the end of North Street is closed from 6am to 7pm (Christmas Fayre). Audley End and Broxbourne are both a drive or a train ride away; check our roadworks page before setting off on a December weekend.
What we are still waiting for
Hertfordshire Zoo has not put prices on its FAQ page, and we will add them when we can read them on the zoo’s own site. We will recheck the South Mill Arts sessions in November, when the last weekend dates are likely to go.
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