Chichester Festival Theatre's grotto lists 4 to 23 December. Breakfast with Father Christmas at Weald and Downland runs 5 to 11 December from £12.50 a child.

The two Father Christmas visits you can already plan around in Chichester are at Chichester Festival Theatre, whose grotto page lists 4 to 23 December, and the Weald and Downland Living Museum, which has breakfasts from 5 to 11 December and a “Green Father Christmas” on 12 and 13 December. The Weald and Downland dates and prices are published; the theatre has not yet put prices on its page.

The quick answer

  • Chichester Festival Theatre grotto: page reads 4 to 23 December; last year tickets were from £14 per child, adults free.
  • Breakfast with Father Christmas, Weald and Downland: Saturday 5 to Friday 11 December, 9am to 10am, £12.50 a child, £10 an adult.
  • Meet Green Father Christmas, Weald and Downland: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, 10am to 1pm, £15 for a child with one adult.

Checked on 25 September 2026.

Santa’s Grotto at Chichester Festival Theatre

The theatre’s Santa’s Grotto page currently reads 4 to 23 December. It does not print a year, but last year’s grotto opened on 6 December 2025, according to the Chichester BID listing, so we read these as the 2026 dates. No 2026 price is shown yet. Last year tickets were from £14 per child.

What the theatre says about a visit:

  • The CFT elves meet you, you walk through the grotto, and each child gets five minutes with Father Christmas and a present.
  • The whole visit takes 15 to 20 minutes; slots are every five minutes.
  • Adults do not need a ticket and go in free with their children, but the theatre asks you to keep adults to a minimum.
  • You can book up to four children per slot, but only two online. For three or four, call the box office on 01243 781312.
  • Babies under 12 months go free with a booked sibling but get no present; a baby on their own needs a ticket.
  • Arrive five minutes early. Late arrivals are not refunded or guaranteed entry, and the car park gets busy when shows are on.

The theatre’s Christmas shows run alongside it, including Hey! Christmas Tree for ages 3 to 7 in the Minerva: see our Christmas shows and pantomime page.

Breakfast with Father Christmas, Weald and Downland Living Museum

Saturday 5 to Friday 11 December, 9am to 10am, pre-booked online only. From the museum’s event page:

Ticket Price
Child £12.50
Adult £10
Under 2 (with breakfast and a gift) £10
Under 2 not needing breakfast or a gift Free

At least one adult must stay with children throughout. The museum cannot provide a high chair for a child who is not booked on.

Meet Green Father Christmas, Weald and Downland

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, 10am to 1pm. A child ticket including one adult is £15, and each extra adult is £5, from the event page.

Council grottos: not announced

Chichester District Council has put Father Christmas into its city centre programme before. In 2024 its market release pointed families to a Father Christmas grotto in East Street on 14 and 15 December, and in 2025 its Priory Park panto starred Santa, Mrs Santa and Norman the Elf at The Guildhall on 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 December, according to its 2025 events programme. Nothing is announced for 2026 yet. Its programme came out on 3 November last year.

Still to be confirmed

  • Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2026 grotto prices and when booking opens.
  • Any council or Chichester BID grotto in the city centre.
  • Santa visits at the district’s garden centres and in Selsey, Midhurst and Petworth.

For the markets that run alongside, see our Christmas markets page.