Castle Howard's Christmas is A Dickens of a Christmas, 12 November to 3 January: adults £24 to £40 by date, Father Christmas from £60, parking £7.25.

Castle Howard’s Christmas this year is A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard, from Thursday 12 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. The House is dressed as a Victorian Christmas, with characters from Dickens’s novels, Ebenezer Scrooge “and a ghost or two” among them, brought in with projections, soundscapes and staged surprises. It is made by the same two companies behind the Wizard of Oz and Alice Christmases of past years, CLW Event Design and imitating the dog, and everything is on sale now (Castle Howard).

The quick answer

  • Dates: the House, 12 November to 3 January. Father Christmas from 21 November, the Jellycat Shop grotto from 28 November.
  • Price: adults £24 to £40, children £12 to £20, depending on the day and time you book, plus a 5.5% booking fee. The Gardens alone are from £15.
  • Parking: £7.25 a car, booked with your tickets. Blue Badge holders park free.
  • Booking: everything is pre-booked online and the House runs on 30-minute entry slots. Walk-up tickets cost more and are not guaranteed.
  • Is it on this year? Yes, every date and price on this page is published by Castle Howard and on sale.

A Dickens of a Christmas: the House

This is the main ticket. You book a 30-minute window to enter the House, for example 10.30am to 11am, and can go in at any point within it. The ticket also covers the Gardens from first opening, either 9.30am or 10am depending on the date.

Castle Howard’s FAQ gives the full price range: £24 to £40 for adults and £12 to £20 for children, set by the date and time you choose. Child tickets cover ages 1 to 15; from 16 you need an adult ticket, and babies under 12 months go free as babes in arms. All online orders carry a 5.5% booking fee, and tickets bought by phone or on the day “are subject to an increase”.

The time slots are colour-coded, and the colour decides which discounts apply:

  • Universal Credit: £6 a person on Yellow slots, for up to two adults and two children from the same household. Bring your letter or online account to the Ticket Office.
  • Max Card: £10 a person on Yellow and Blue slots, for one adult and up to three children.
  • Not accepted at Christmas: the York Pass, the Yorkshire’s Great Houses, Castles and Gardens pass and Art Fund passes are all suspended, and there are no Blue Light or pensioner discounts.

Essential carers go free on all dates with proof of carer status.

Seeing Father Christmas: two different tickets

There are two ways to meet him, and they are not the same thing.

Father Christmas in the Castle Santa’s Grotto in the Jellycat Shop
Dates 21 November to 24 December, selected dates 28 November to 24 December, selected dates
Price From £60 a child (Member discount) From £37.50
What you get A Christmas show, then a one-to-one with Father Christmas; a gift for every child A one-to-one visit to Santa; a Jellycat for every full-price ticket
House and Gardens Included Not included; add them before checkout
Who it suits Recommended for age 4+; maximum two adults per booking All ages
Wheelchair access Not wheelchair accessible Fully wheelchair accessible

Castle Howard asks you to arrive 30 minutes before a Father Christmas showing and 15 minutes before a House or grotto slot, because latecomers are not let in. There is a relaxed performance of Father Christmas in the Castle on Sunday 22 November at 4.45pm and a BSL-interpreted one on Sunday 13 December at 11am.

Our Santa in York page compares the grottos in and around the city if £60 is more than you planned to spend.

Afternoon tea and the wreath workshops

Both teas are add-ons: you cannot book them on their own, only with a Dickens or Gardens ticket.

  • A Christmas Carol Theatrical Afternoon Tea, hosted by a live actor, four courses with cakes by Florian Poirot. From £60 a person, £35 for children. Dates: 28 and 29 November; 5, 6, 12, 13 and 18 to 23 December.
  • Christmas Afternoon Tea in the Grecian Hall. From £50 a person, £30 for children, with a Light Christmas Afternoon Tea at £40 on selected dates. Served on selected November dates, daily in December except 24, 25 and 26 December, and on 1 to 3 January.
  • Wreath Making Workshop in the Garden Centre, 19 November to 11 December, selected dates. Two hours, materials and tea and coffee included, from £50, age 16+, ten places a session.

One small inconsistency to know about: the afternoon tea listing heads its run “15th November”, but its own November date list starts on the 14th. If you want the 14th, check it shows in the booking system before you plan around it.

Gardens only, from £15

The Christmas Gardens ticket runs for the whole season, 12 November to 3 January, from £15 for adults, and covers the lakes, woodland and temples, the Skelf Island adventure playground, and the shops and cafés. Dogs on leads are welcome in the Gardens. The Walled Garden is closed for the winter. Universal Credit Gardens tickets are £4 and Max Card £5, on all dates.

If you only want the shops, the Stable Courtyard, with the Farm Shop, the new Jellycat Shop and the Courtyard Café, is free to visit, with free parking. The Christmas Shop beside the House needs an admission ticket, and the Garden Centre has Christmas trees from mid-November.

Calm and accessible sessions

For A Dickens of a Christmas, with fewer people and fewer sound and lighting effects:

  • Calm sessions: Saturday 14 November, 9.30am to 10.30am; Monday 23 November, 2.30pm to 3.30pm; Sunday 3 January, 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
  • BSL-interpreted tour: Sunday 13 December, 9.30am, meeting at the House entrance.

Touch boxes are in selected rooms for anyone on the day. Pushchairs, prams and large rucksack carriers are not allowed in the House; there is a covered space for them in the Christmas Marquee, and small baby carriers and hip seats can be borrowed at the House entrance.

Parking, the bus and opening times

Parking is £7.25 a car, plus the booking fee, booked with your tickets. If you turn up without it, Castle Howard warns you “may be subject to higher charges on the day”. Blue Badge holders and Members (one car a booking) park free. Bring your parking confirmation to the Ticket Office.

Without a car, bus route 81 runs daily from York and Malton direct to Castle Howard, according to Castle Howard’s own travel FAQ. Our parking in York page covers the city car parks if you are starting from the centre, and the roadworks and travel page has what is dug up on the way out of town.

Opening times are not fully published yet. Castle Howard says the House, grounds and shops keep “variable opening times over the festive period”, that its opening times page “will be updated as we move closer towards Christmas”, and that the House often closes earlier than the Gardens. Check the House time for your date before you set off.

Castle Howard is cashless: cards only, including at the cafés.

Eating on site

New this year is Tommy’s Pie Shop in the Christmas Marquee by the House, where Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks sells his pies, including a Castle Howard steak and ale made with estate-reared beef. The marquee also does hand-carved turkey rolls, stone-baked pizza, soup and sandwiches. The Courtyard Café in the Stable Courtyard has table service, and the trailers sell hot drinks and marshmallows for toasting.

More Christmas in York

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