Father Christmas is at Tatton's farm from 21 November, Lapland is back at Capesthorne Hall, and Brookside's Santa trains start 26 November at £2.50. Dates here.

There are three confirmed places to see Father Christmas around Macclesfield in 2026, and they could hardly be more different: a farmyard grotto at Tatton Park from 21 November, the full-day Lapland Manchester show in the grounds of Capesthorne Hall near Siddington, and a £2.50 train ride past Santa’s Factory at Brookside in Poynton from 26 November.

The quick answer

  • Tatton Park, Father Christmas at the Farm: 21 November to 24 December, selected dates, 10.30am to 4pm. Book ahead.
  • Lapland Manchester, Capesthorne Hall: the last tickets for 2026 were released on 11 September.
  • Brookside Miniature Railway, Poynton: from Thursday 26 November, £2.50 a ride, no booking, but no sit-down visit with Santa.

Tatton Park: Father Christmas at the Farm

Father Christmas and his elves take over a grotto at Tatton’s farm from 21 November to 24 December on selected dates, 10.30am to 4pm, last entry 3pm (Tatton Park: Christmas 2026). Around the grotto there are roaming entertainers, choirs, brass bands, crafts, a pop-up Christmas café and the farm animals. Tickets are booked through Tatton’s site; parkland vehicle entry is charged on top, currently £9 on weekdays and £10 at weekends from 2 November (Tatton Park: pricing).

New this year is Santa Paws on Friday 18 December: bring the dog to meet Santa at the farm, make a festive treat bag and try the agility course.

Tatton is also where the Christmas mansion and the Yuletide light trail are; both are on our Tatton Park at Christmas page.

Lapland Manchester at Capesthorne Hall

Lapland UK opened its second site, Lapland Manchester, in the grounds of Capesthorne Hall, Congleton Road, Siddington, SK11 9JY in 2025, and it is back for 2026 (LaplandUK: Lapland Manchester). This is the big-ticket option: a 4.5-hour booked visit with toy-making in the elves’ factory, gingerbread with Mother Christmas, skating on Father Christmas’s frozen pond and a personalised visit with Father Christmas.

Each booking includes an invitation parcel sent before the visit, a husky soft toy for every child, a toy from the factory for Christmas Day and a souvenir photo, and parking is free (LaplandUK: tickets). Lapland says the final release of 2026 tickets was on 11 September; prices vary by date and are shown on its booking pages. LaplandUK also runs a Superstar Day, a reduced capacity day adapted for children with additional needs, with medics and BSL signers available; its tickets page has the details for each site.

Brookside Miniature Railway, Poynton

Brookside does Christmas differently, and says so (Brookside Miniature Railway: Christmas). Santa moves his Factory into the railway buildings from Thursday 26 November, and the trains run past it; on certain days Father Christmas waves at the trains. There is no personal meeting with Santa and no present. What you get instead is no queue and no booking: trains leave every three to four minutes, you buy tickets at the station shop on the day, cash or card, and the fare is the normal £2.50.

The railway is inside Brookside Garden Centre, London Road North, Poynton, SK12 1BY.

Santa’s sleigh round the streets

Macclesfield Round Table has taken Father Christmas round the town’s streets on a sleigh in December, collecting for local causes, and posts its routes on its Facebook page. It has not published 2026 routes yet. Poynton Round Table runs its own sleigh round the village; see our Christmas lights page for what is known.

In town on 28 November

Macclesfield has no lights switch-on, but Step Into Christmas fills Market Place on Saturday 28 November, 11am to 5pm, free (Macclesfield Town Council). The full schedule is not out. The Christmas Treacle Markets follow on 29 November and 20 December; both are on our Christmas markets page.

What is still to be confirmed

  • Tatton’s exact grotto dates and ticket prices, which show on booking.
  • Round Table sleigh routes. Usually published in late November.
  • Whether Father Christmas appears at Step Into Christmas.

Driving to Tatton or Capesthorne on a December weekend? Our roadworks and travel page lists the road closures around the district.

Sources

Checked on 25 September 2026. We will update this page as more grottos and the sleigh routes are announced.