Chichester's free Festive Family Day is Saturday 12 December, 10am to 4pm: five free activity stops, a stamp passport, a samba band at noon and stilt walkers.

Chichester’s Festive Family Day is on Saturday 12 December 2026, from 10am to 4pm, and everything in it is free. Chichester BID, the city centre business improvement district, announced the day on 20 October. It is built around five activity stops across the city centre and a passport that children get stamped as they go.

The quick answer

  • When: Saturday 12 December 2026, 10am to 4pm.
  • Where: five stops across Chichester city centre: Jam Café, the Cathedral, the library, the Festival Theatre’s Play Café and V2 Radio on East Street.
  • Price: free. No booking is mentioned.
  • The passport: do at least four activities, get each one stamped, then take the passport to V2 Radio on East Street to claim a festive gift, while gifts last.

This year’s theme is Never Land, tied to Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure, the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s Christmas production. Everything on this page is from the BID’s own Festive Family Day announcement.

The five stops

Stop Where What
Jam Café South Street Making Christmas candles and festive crafts with Sarah and the team
Chichester Cathedral Eastern Arm, entered from West Street Never Land Christmas crafts, run by Culture Spark Chichester
Chichester Library Tower Street Making a Peter Pan treasure map
Chichester Festival Theatre Play Café Minerva Theatre bar, upstairs Creative activities and a reading area
V2 Radio East Street Christmas music all day, and where you collect the gift

The Festival Theatre stop is at Oaklands Park, just outside the city walls, a short walk north of the other four.

Live entertainment

  • Samba band: 12pm to 1pm.
  • Stilt walkers: three performances, at 11am, 1.30pm and 3pm.

The BID has not said exactly where in the city centre either will perform.

Getting the passport

The passport is printed in the Christmas in Chichester festivities brochure. You can also pick one up at any of the participating venues, or download a copy from the BID’s announcement and print it at home. The BID says the gifts are subject to availability.

On the day, families can also carry on with Tinker Bell’s Christmas Treasure Hunt, which hides clues in participating shop windows. It launches on 21 November with the lights switch-on.

What else is on that day

Saturday 12 December is a busy one. The Novium Museum’s indoor Christmas market is the next day, Sunday 13 December, and the Festival Theatre’s Hey Christmas Tree has three performances on the Saturday. Our Christmas markets page, Father Christmas page and Christmas shows page have the rest of the weekend.

Parking and getting there

The BID has published no road closures for the day, and the stops are all ordinary shops and buildings rather than street stalls. Our parking in Chichester page has the city car parks and tariffs, and the roadworks and travel page has current closures.

Still to be confirmed

  • Where in the city the samba band and stilt walkers will perform.
  • Whether the district council repeats last December’s weekend parking offer.

This page will be updated as either is published.

Sources