The festive season is upon us, and with this extra magic in the air, Santa’s visit on the cards, and the school holidays fast approaching, the kids in your life are probably buzzing with excitement. Make the most of family time and check out some of the fantastic things to do with kids in London this Christmas.
Whether it’s stepping into a bewitching new world, meeting a jolly man with a red suit, or getting their happiness fix at a dopamine-boosting museum, you can cram their days with festive fun and adventure. We’ve pulled together a few ideas to get you started…
1-10. Pay Santa a visit at his grotto
Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa, and no doubt your kids have got a long list of wishes to pass on to the big man himself. Luckily, while there’s only one bearded man in the red suit, there’s plenty of Santas Grottos dotted around the city.
🎅🏻 Hamley’s Regent Street
🧝🏻 Eltham Palace
🎅🏻 Kenwood
🧝🏻 Winter Wonderland
🧝🏻 Vauxhall City Farm
🎅🏻 London Transport Museum
🧝🏻 Camden Market
🎅🏻 St Pancras International
🧝🏻Natural History Museum
11-14. Explore a Christmas market in the heart of London
Whether you’re after stocking fillers, Santa encounters, crafty workshops or fairground-style fun, London’s family-friendly Christmas markets deliver it all, each with its own personality rather than the traditional Alpine feel you might find in Europe, which handily means you can hop between a few without the kids complaining of déjà vu.
🎅 South Bank Christmas Markets
🎄 Trafalgar Square Christmas Market
15. Hop aboard a festive steam train
For a long time, families could only hop aboard London’s festive Steam Dreams Santa Steam Express, but it now has a suitably magical companion in the form of The Polar Express at Euston.
Departing from Victoria on December 20 and 22, the Santa Steam Express runs four 75‑minute trips each day in beautifully decked‑out 1970s carriages, with Father Christmas and his helpers working their way through the train to hand out gifts to younger passengers. Grown-ups can treat themselves too, with upgrades that add extra legroom, snacks and a glass of mulled wine for a very well‑deserved early Christmas present.
Or families can hop aboard The Polar Express, which steams out of London Euston on an hour to 90‑minute adventure that whisks you from north London into the heart of the story, complete with pyjama‑worthy magic, hot chocolate, singing, and a make‑believe journey all the way to the North Pole.
16. See the spellbinding flurries of snow in Covent Garden
Don’t want to take the gamble on whether it will, or won’t, snow? If your kids are gazing out the window, adorned in woolly hats and looking at the high heavens with expectant eyes, make a beeline for Covent Garden. The area hosts their very own snow showers!
Visit the West Piazza for daily snow flurries on the hour, every hour from midday to 9pm.
17-26. Get lost in the magical story of a West End Show
Yes, pantos may be the classic Christmas shows we typically go for, but the chorus of “He’s behind you” has a tendency to haunt a parent’s dreams. One way to skip the sleepless nights will be to direct your attention to a West End show.
For 2025, highlights include:
🌟 Sleeping Beauty at the London Palladium
🎭 Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyric Hammersmith.
🌟 Cinderella at Hackney Empire
🎭 The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum
🌟 Snowman at Peacock Theatre
🎭 Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol
🌟 Alexandra Palace with Sleeping Beauty on Ice and the riotous Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.
🎭 Gruffalo’s Child at the Lyric Theatre
🌟 Pinocchio at the Globe
27. Catch your favourite Christmas movies at a retro cinema
For a magical Christmas day out with kids, head to Backyard Cinema’s immersive winter wonderland in Bermondsey, where little ones can wander through a fairylit forest before snuggling into a retro-style cinema with snow fluttering down before each screening of family favourites like Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch and The Muppet Christmas Carol. With live festive cabaret, singalong classics, themed bars for the grown-ups and plenty of photo ops along the way, it turns a simple trip to the movies into a full-blown Christmas adventure for the whole family.
28-32. Enjoy an immersive experience for all the family
London’s immersive experiences can transport the whole family for a few hours; into our history books, into optical illusions, and even into a fun world inspired by bubbles! The below exhibitions have specific Christmas-themed activations for the Christmas holidays too, so embrace the festive cheer, and cool decor, and forget the real world for an hour or two.
🎟️ Paradox Museum. Over 50+ mind-bending, fun optical illusions under one roof in Knightsbridge.
🎟️ Jurrasic World Experience. An immersive, family-friendly dinosaur exhibition at NEON, Battersea Power Station, where you wander through film-inspired sets, meet lifesize prehistoric creatures and baby dinos, and feel as if you’ve stepped inside the Jurassic World movies.
🎟️ Squid Game: The Experience. An interactive multiplayer event at Immerse LDN in Excel London, where participants of all ages compete in real-life versions of the Netflix series’ games like Red Light Green Light and Marbles, explore recreated sets, and enjoy photo ops and merch in a 60-minute session.
🎟️ Neverland at Kenwood: A breathtaking Light Trail. For a spellbinding Christmas outing with kids, wander the Neverland light trail at Kenwood House, where families can explore breathtaking illuminations supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity with every ticket sold.
