Hogshaw Farm's Father Christmas opens weekends from 28 November, £29.95 a child. Mead Open Farm from 5 December. What is confirmed near Aylesbury so far.

The first confirmed Santa’s grotto near Aylesbury this year is Hogshaw Farm’s Christmas at the Farm, which opens on Saturday 28 November 2026. It runs at weekends, then every day from 19 to 24 December. Children’s tickets are £29.95.

Mead Open Farm near Leighton Buzzard follows from 5 December. The town centre grotto and the garden centre grottos had not published 2026 dates when we checked on 6 October, and this page will be updated as they do.

Hogshaw Farm: weekends from 28 November

Hogshaw Farm and Wildlife Park is on Claydon Road, Hogshaw, MK18 3LA, in the country north-west of Aylesbury between Waddesdon and Winslow. Its Christmas at the Farm page gives these dates:

  • Standard sessions: weekends from Saturday 28 November, then daily from Saturday 19 to Thursday 24 December
  • SEN sessions: the mornings of 28 and 29 November and 5 and 6 December, set aside for children with special educational needs

Children follow elves through a winter wonderland, make reindeer food and plant a mini Christmas tree on the way, then meet Father Christmas “in the big red tractor” for a private chat before picking a present from the toy workshop. Full farm entry is included.

Prices from the farm’s page:

Ticket Price
Adult £17.50
Child, 1 to 15, taking part £29.95
Disabled visitor and carer, taking part £29.95
Under 1 with a gift £12.95
Under 1, not taking part Free

A Flexi-Book add-on, bought with the tickets, lets you change the date once for £4.95 a booking. Members have to enter their membership number at the basket to get their discount.

Mead Open Farm: from 5 December

Christmas at Mead Open Farm in Billington, LU7 9JH, starts on 5 December according to the farm’s events listing. It is near Leighton Buzzard, just over the Bedfordshire border.

A ticket covers a group story with Father Christmas in his grotto, a toy from the grotto, a teddy from the Make a Bear workshop, gingerbread decorating with Mother Christmas, reindeer food, a letter at the North Pole Post Office, the Elves Workshop walkthrough, the new Super Sprouts show and the Alpine Village, plus the farm’s play areas and barns.

What to know before you book, from the farm’s own FAQ:

  • Everything is pre-booked. Your time slot is when you meet Father Christmas. Arrive at least 20 minutes before it; the farm opens from 9.30am.
  • Miss the slot and there is no refund, and no guarantee of a later one.
  • Everyone needs a ticket, including babies under 1. Under-1s get the toy and bear but do not make reindeer food or decorate gingerbread.
  • Changing the date costs £5 a ticket; moving to another time on the same day is free if there is space.
  • A Disabled and Carer ticket admits both people, with proof of disability (PIP, DLA or Blue Badge).
  • SkyTrail, the climbing wall and the tractor rides are closed on Christmas visits.

The farm’s page does not show prices before you choose a date. Members get 20% off if they book by 31 October.

Not confirmed yet

  • Hartwell Nurseries, Stone (HP17 8RZ). The garden centre’s website is advertising its Winter Wonderland trail with Father Christmas, with tickets sold through TicketSource. The booking site would not open for our checks, so we have not been able to confirm the 2026 dates or prices. We will add them once we have read them on the booking page.
  • World’s End Garden Centre. Some listings online give “Saturday 15 November to Wednesday 24 December” for its grotto experience. Those are 2025 dates: 15 November 2026 is a Sunday. The garden centre has not published 2026 dates that we can find.
  • Friars Square Shopping Centre. The centre has run a grotto in past years, but its website was not loading properly on 6 October and we found no 2026 dates.
  • Green Ridge Primary Academy PTA, Berryfields. Its PTA page lists “Christmas Festive Fun with Santa’s Grotto” among the events it runs, but no 2026 date.
  • Waddesdon Manor has no Christmas event this year. See our Waddesdon Manor Christmas page.

Other places to see Father Christmas

Aylesbury Town Council says Father Christmas will be in the illuminated parade at Christmas on the Cobbles on Sunday 22 November, which is free. Details are on our Christmas lights switch-on page, and the markets and fairs are on our Christmas markets page.

Getting there

Both farms are out of town and are easiest reached by car. For town centre visits, tariffs and Blue Badge parking are on our Aylesbury parking page, and anything closing the roads in is on the roadworks and travel page.

Sources

All checked on 6 October 2026.