Christmas Events for Kids in Crawley (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

3 min read

For 2026, we confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Crawley, running from 5 December to 31 December. Every listing links straight to the host. This page is part of our guide to Christmas events for kids in the UK.

The short version

  • Kids’ Christmas events confirmed for 2026 in Crawley: 2
  • First: Aladdin, Crawley, 5 December
  • Free events: None confirmed yet

Below is every event we could confirm, grouped by area, with the date, time, price and the small things parents ask about (booking, ages, what is included).

At a glance: Christmas events for kids in Crawley

Kids’ Christmas events
2 confirmed for 2026
Areas
Crawley
Season
5 December to 31 December
Free events
None confirmed yet
Last checked

Christmas events for kids in Crawley

Listed soonest first: 2 confirmed events in Crawley.

Panto or Christmas show

Aladdin

Expand to see the parent tip

The Hawth in Crawley presents Aladdin from Saturday 5 to Thursday 31 December 2026. There is a relaxed performance on Saturday 12 December at 10.30am, and an audio-described, BSL-interpreted and captioned performance on Saturday 19 December at 2.30pm.

Use the booking link to check show times, prices and age guidance before planning your day.

Parent tip: The relaxed performance on 12 December suits children who need a quieter, more flexible show.

Host
The Hawth (opens in a new tab)
Where
The Hawth, Crawley (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with The Hawth (opens in a new tab)

New events in Crawley every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Crawley every day and adds them to this page. Enter your email for one weekly update with the latest finds.

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Crawley event researched for you.

  • New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Crawley.
  • Exclusive access to free events Be first to hear about new free events in Crawley.
  • Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
  • Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
  • One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.

Coming up on this page

  • 1 Santa
  • 1 Story time
  • 1 Lights
  • 1 Shows

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Story time with Santa

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas

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Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas runs on Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, then daily from Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 December 2026, from 10am to 6pm.

Book on the event website and check the 2026 prices there. In 2025 the programme included Storytime with Santa and Santa's Grotto at £14.95 per child, with advance booking essential.

Parent tip: Book ahead through the event website, as the council advises. Check the 2026 price when you book.

Host
Crawley Borough Council (opens in a new tab)
Where
Tilgate Park, Crawley (opens in maps)
Booking
Essential
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Crawley Borough Council (opens in a new tab)

New events in Crawley every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Crawley every day and adds them to this page. Enter your email for one weekly update with the latest finds.

Free. Unsubscribe at any time. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

More Christmas events for kids in the UK

A story for the trip home

Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents. It is a cosy story to share on the way home after a big day out.

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolour corgi peeking from a red train

A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolour. Ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon.co.uk (opens in a new tab)

Christmas events for kids in Crawley: questions parents ask

What are the 2026 Christmas events for kids in Crawley?

For 2026, we confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Crawley, each on its host’s own page: Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas and Aladdin. Each one is listed above with times, cost and a link to the host.

Where can kids see Santa this year in Crawley?

Where to see Santa: Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas. Check the listings above for times and booking.

Where are there Christmas story times for kids in Crawley?

Christmas story times on this page: Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas.

How do you confirm these events?

We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city, library or tourism calendar. We last checked every listing on 5 November 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.

Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.

Christmas events for 2026 are coming in late November

More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.

The story of Christmas in Crawley

Crawley has a market licence from around 1203 and a new town plan from 1947. The Christmas story in town runs from Queens Square to Tilgate Park.

A market licence in 1203 and a new town in 1947

Crawley's first mention is around 1203, when a licence to hold a weekly market was granted. The railway came in the 1840s and ended the town's coaching trade. On 9 January 1947 Crawley was confirmed as a new town, joining Three Bridges, Ifield and the old market town. The Development Corporation, formed in February 1947, aimed for about 50,000 people within 15 years. By 1962 about 59,000 people lived there, and Gatwick Airport, opened in June 1958, was brought inside the town boundary in 1974.

Carols at the bandstand and a £14.95 grotto in 2025

In 2025 the lights went on at Queens Square on Saturday 29 November, with carol singing at the Memorial Gardens bandstand from midday and live performances from 1pm to 5.30pm. Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas opened on 6 December with Storytime with Santa and Santa's Grotto at £14.95 per child. The Queens Square Christmas Fayre ran 9 to 23 December, and a free solstice laser show lit up County Mall on 13 and 14 December.

The Dickens illustrator who lived in Crawley

John Leech (1817 to 1864), the artist who illustrated Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, was a Crawley resident, says Crawley Museum. Its Victorian Dickensian family day has covered carols and how the Victorians created Christmas. For a festive outing today, the pantomime Aladdin runs at The Hawth from 5 to 31 December 2026, with a relaxed performance on 12 December.

Traditions today

  • Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas: Visits on selected days from 5 to 23 December 2026, booked through the event website. In 2023 the park also had its resident reindeer and free marquee shows.
  • The Hawth pantomime: Aladdin runs from 5 to 31 December 2026, with a relaxed performance on 12 December.

A fact for kids

Crawley got its market licence around 1203, so shoppers have been buying things in the same town for about 800 years.

Questions about Christmas in Crawley

When is Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas in Crawley in 2026?

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas runs on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, then daily from Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 December 2026, from 10am to 6pm. Booking and prices are on the event website.

When did Crawley become a new town?

Crawley was confirmed as a new town on 9 January 1947, after a public inquiry at Montefiore Hall in Three Bridges in November 1946. The new town merged Three Bridges, Ifield and the old market town of Crawley, and the Development Corporation was set up in February 1947.

How old is Crawley's market?

Crawley's first known mention is around 1203, when a licence to hold a weekly market was granted. That makes the market roughly 800 years old. The spelling Crawley, rather than older forms, appeared around 1316. The railway followed in the 1840s and ended the town's coaching trade.

What did Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas include in 2025?

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas opened on 6 December 2025 with Storytime with Santa and Santa's Grotto. The grotto cost £14.95 per child. Check the 2026 prices when booking.

What dates is Aladdin at The Hawth in Crawley in 2026?

Aladdin runs at The Hawth from Saturday 5 to Thursday 31 December 2026. The venue lists a relaxed performance on Saturday 12 December at 10.30am and an audio-described, BSL-interpreted and captioned show on Saturday 19 December at 2.30pm. Prices and standard times are on its booking link.

How do families book Santa at Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas?

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas runs on 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, then 19 to 23 December 2026, from 10am to 6pm, and says booking is through the event website. In 2025 the Santa visit cost £14.95 per child and advance booking was essential.

What did Crawley Museum's Victorian Dickensian family day cover?

Crawley Museum has held a Victorian Dickensian Christmas family day, with traditional carols and a look at how the Victorians created Christmas. It fits the town's link to John Leech, the Dickens illustrator. The museum's own Christmas page gave no 2026 date for it, so check with the museum before planning a visit.

What free Christmas things happened at County Mall in 2025?

County Mall hosted a free solstice laser and music show in 2025, on 13 December from 11am to 5pm and 14 December from 11am to 3.30pm. No booking was needed, but entry depended on capacity. The 2026 programme has not been announced yet.

What is the link between Crawley and A Christmas Carol?

John Leech (1817 to 1864), who illustrated Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, lived in Crawley. The museum has held a Victorian Dickensian Christmas family day, with traditional carols and a look at how the Victorians created Christmas.

What happened at the Crawley lights switch-on in 2025?

The 2025 switch-on was on Saturday 29 November. Carol singing started at the Memorial Gardens bandstand at midday, and Queens Square had live performances and the switch-on from 1pm to 5.30pm. The council described the celebrations as free entertainment, with no ticket price listed.

Is there a Christmas market in Crawley?

Queens Square hosted a Christmas Fayre in 2025, from 9 to 23 December, with street food, arts and crafts and festive gifts. It opened 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sundays. Its 2026 dates have not been announced yet.

Besides Aladdin at The Hawth, what can kids do at Christmas in Crawley in 2026?

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas is the other confirmed 2026 outing, on selected days from 5 to 23 December, with booking through the event website. Aladdin at The Hawth runs from 5 to 31 December, and its relaxed performance on 12 December suits children who need a quieter show.

Which ages does Aladdin at The Hawth suit?

Check the booking link for the age guide and ticket prices before buying. There is a relaxed performance on Saturday 12 December 2026 at 10.30am, which is the best fit for young children who find a full theatre difficult.

Where should a family with a three-year-old go for Christmas in Crawley in 2026?

Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas is on selected days from 5 to 23 December 2026, with Santa visits booked through the event website. The Hawth's Aladdin has a relaxed performance on Saturday 12 December at 10.30am. Neither page prints an age guide for toddlers, so check the booking details first.

Is anything on in Crawley on Christmas Day itself?

None of the 2026 events on this page fall on 25 December. Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas ends on Wednesday 23 December, while Aladdin at The Hawth runs through 31 December, so check which days it plays.

How big is Crawley and how many neighbourhoods does it have?

Crawley had about 114,000 people in 2019 and 14 neighbourhoods. It is the largest inland town in West Sussex. The original new town plan aimed for about 50,000 people within 15 years, and around 59,000 lived there by 1962, when the Development Corporation was dissolved.

How did Gatwick Airport become part of Crawley?

Gatwick Airport opened in June 1958 beside the town, after the government announced in 1950 that it would be London's second airport. It was brought inside Crawley's boundary in 1974. Before that, an airfield opened nearby in the 1930s, and Gatwick racecourse opened in 1891.

Does The Hawth have a relaxed Christmas show for children who need a quieter performance?

Yes. The Hawth lists a relaxed performance of Aladdin on Saturday 12 December 2026 at 10.30am. It also lists an audio-described, BSL-interpreted and captioned performance on Saturday 19 December at 2.30pm. Contact the venue through its booking link for details on what to expect.

Did Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas have reindeer in the past?

In 2023, the opening weekend of Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas included the park's resident reindeer, free shows in a marquee at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, a crafts and food fair and a winter wonderland in part of the forest. Entry was free that year, though some attractions charged.

How was Crawley planned in the late 1940s?

Anthony Minoprio was appointed consultant planner in 1947 and his draft master plan was approved in December 1947. Building began in earnest in 1949. Planning for the Manor Royal industrial estate and the West Green neighbourhood took place in 1948 and 1949, and Broadfield House became the Corporation's headquarters.

Sources

  1. Crawley Borough Council, History of Crawley, Crawley Borough Council
  2. Crawley Development Corporation, Wikipedia
  3. Crawley's Christmas magic awaits (27 November 2025), Crawley Borough Council
  4. Events, Crawley Borough Council
  5. Christmas at Crawley Museum, Crawley Museum
  6. Opening weekend of Tilgate Park's Magical Christmas (5 December 2023), Crawley Borough Council
  7. Aladdin, The Hawth, Parkwood Theatres
Kelsey Cecil
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