Christmas Events for Kids in Hull (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

4 min read

For 2026, we confirmed 7 Christmas events for kids in Hull. The season opens on 19 November with Hull Christmas Light Switch-On and runs until 3 January with The Wind in the Willows. 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 Hull: 7
  • First: Hull Christmas Light Switch-On, Hull, 19 November
  • 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 Hull

Kids’ Christmas events
7 confirmed for 2026
Areas
Hull
Season
19 November to 3 January
Free events
None confirmed yet
Last checked

Christmas events for kids in Hull

Listed soonest first: 7 confirmed events in Hull.

Christmas lights switch-on

Hull Christmas Light Switch-On

Expand to see the parent tip

Hull's Christmas Light Switch-On in the city centre is on Thursday 19 November. A small Christmas market runs on King Edward Street alongside it.

In earlier years the council held the switch-on in Queen Victoria Square, with performances from the City Hall balcony, but confirm the 2026 time and place with Hull City Council before you travel.

Parent tip: No time is published yet, so check Hull City Council's news page for the programme.

Host
Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)
Where
Hull city centre (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 6 more Hull events 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 Hull.
  • Exclusive access to free events Be first to hear about new free events in Hull.
  • 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

  • 3 Shows
  • 2 Markets
  • 1 Santa
  • 1 Lights

Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Hull every week.

Free. One email a week with new events in Hull. Unsubscribe at any time. Privacy policy

Christmas market

Hull's Christmas Festival

Expand to see the parent tip

Hull's Christmas Festival is a city centre weekend on 21 and 22 November 2026, with a market, rides, food, drink and live entertainment.

Some listings give a wider date range of 19 to 22 November, so check Hull City Council or Visit Hull for the final programme, hours and location before you go.

Parent tip: Bring a little cash and check the programme.

Host
Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)
Where
Hull city centre (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Christmas parade

Santa Arrival Parade

Expand to see the parent tip

The Santa Arrival Parade is at the Princes Quay Event Space on Sunday 22 November 2026.

In 2025 the Princes Quay parade began at 11.15am on Sunday 23 November and grotto visits had to be booked in advance. Check the 2026 grotto arrangements with the shopping centre before you plan a visit with Santa.

Parent tip: Grotto visits needed advance booking in 2025, so ask the centre about 2026 booking.

Host
Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)
Where
Princes Quay Event Space, Hull (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Visit Hull (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Panto or Christmas show

The Wind in the Willows

Expand to see the parent tip

Hull Truck Theatre's Christmas production is The Wind in the Willows, Mark Powell's adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's novel, directed by artistic director Mark Babych. It plays in Stage 1 from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 and is recommended for ages 7 and over.

Show times vary by day and include morning, afternoon and evening performances. A baby-friendly performance for babies under 18 months is on Friday 11 December at 11.30am. Tickets are £11 to £35 with concessions, and a family offer gives four tickets (at least one adult and one child) for £110 or less until 26 November.

Parent tip: Some performances are low on availability, so book early.

Host
Hull Truck Theatre (opens in a new tab)
Where
Hull Truck Theatre, Stage 1, 50 Ferensway, Hull HU2 8LB (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Hull Truck Theatre (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Panto or Christmas show

Hansel and Gretel

Expand to see the parent tip

Hull Truck Theatre's studio show for young children is a new Hansel and Gretel by Tom Saunders, the theatre's associate director. It runs from Thursday 10 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 and is recommended for ages 3 to 6.

The twins are promised a special treat on Christmas Day if they can get through without fighting. They play in the garden, then the field, then slip into the woods and find a gingerbread house. The theatre says noise and movement are welcome during performances. A BSL-interpreted performance is at 10.30am on Saturday 2 January 2027. Tickets are £15 with concessions.

Parent tip: The theatre welcomes noise and movement during performances, which suits very young children.

Host
Hull Truck Theatre (opens in a new tab)
Where
Hull Truck Theatre, Godber Studio, 50 Ferensway, Hull HU2 8LB (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Hull Truck Theatre (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Panto or Christmas show

The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan

Expand to see the parent tip

Hull New Theatre stages The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan from Thursday 10 December to Thursday 31 December 2026. Brendan Cole and Jennie Dale are among the cast named on the theatre's page, and the show is listed as suitable for all ages.

Most days have a matinee and an evening show. Early shows start at 1pm or 2pm and evening shows at 5pm or 7pm. There is no performance on 25 December, but shows run on Christmas Eve and from 26 December. Tickets start at £21.50. The theatre warns that some performances use flashing lights and haze, and a BSL-interpreted performance is offered.

Parent tip: Choose a 1pm or 2pm matinee for younger children. Flashing lights and haze are used in some performances, so check the access notes when booking.

Host
Hull New Theatre (opens in a new tab)
Where
Hull New Theatre, Kingston Square, Hull HU1 3HF (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Hull New Theatre (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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)

Christmas crafts

Christmas Fun Day

Expand to see the parent tip

Park Street Performing Arts Centre holds a Christmas Fun Day on Sunday 13 December 2026.

Contact the centre before you go to confirm times, prices, what is on and whether you need to book.

Parent tip: Ask the centre for times, price and ages before you travel.

Host
Park Street Performing Arts Centre (opens in a new tab)
Where
Park Street Performing Arts Centre, Hull (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Park Street Performing Arts Centre (opens in a new tab)

New events in Hull every week

Rally looks for new Christmas events in Hull 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 Hull: questions parents ask

What are the 2026 Christmas events for kids in Hull?

For 2026, we confirmed 7 Christmas events for kids in Hull, each on its host’s own page: The Wind in the Willows, Hansel and Gretel, The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan and 4 more. Each one is listed above with times, cost and a link to the host.

Where can kids see Santa this year in Hull?

Where to see Santa: Santa Arrival Parade. Check the listings above for times and booking.

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 Hull

Hull's Christmas has a tree festival inside Hull Minster that began in 2019 and a Victorian weekend in the Museums Quarter. The lights go on in the city centre each November, and a new panto and two children's plays follow in December.

A Lord Mayor's tree festival from 2019 and a Victorian weekend from 2023

Hull's newer Christmas traditions are easy to date. The Lord Mayor's Christmas Tree Festival at Hull Minster began in 2019 and raises money for the Minster and the Lord Mayor's Charity Appeal Fund. In 2023 it ran from 5 to 23 December.

Hull Museums runs a Victorian Christmas in the Museums Quarter with HullBID, and in November 2023 it grew into a full weekend for the first time, on 25 and 26 November from 11am to 4pm. Council switch-ons use Queen Victoria Square: in 2023 the lights went on there on 16 November, with light and sound installations.

A Thursday switch-on, a Victorian weekend and Santa's parade in 2025

In 2025 Hull switched on its lights on Thursday 20 November in Queen Victoria Square, from 5.30pm to 7pm, with performances from the City Hall balcony. The Christmas weekend followed on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November, and Victorian Christmas filled the Museums Quarter on the same two days from 11am to 4pm. Visits to Father Christmas at Streetlife Museum had to be booked ahead.

Trinity Market's free Santa Claus Showtime ran on five Saturdays from 22 November. Santa arrived at Princes Quay on Sunday 23 November, with the parade starting at 11.15am.

Real reindeer in 2022 and a Christmas Day gingerbread house

Hull has a few surprises for children. In December 2022 Pearson Park held a Christmas event with Victorian carol singers, live music, stalls and real reindeer. Hull Truck Theatre's new Hansel and Gretel for ages 3 to 6 is set on Christmas Day: the twins are promised a treat if they get through the day without fighting, then find a gingerbread house in the woods.

At Hull New Theatre the Peter Pan panto has performances on 18 separate days between 10 and 31 December, but none on 25 December.

Traditions today

  • Hull Christmas Light Switch-On: The city centre switch-on is on Thursday 19 November 2026, with a small market on King Edward Street. In 2025 it was at Queen Victoria Square.
  • Victorian Christmas in the Museums Quarter: Hull Museums runs it in the Museums Quarter, and in 2025 it filled the weekend of 29 and 30 November from 11am to 4pm.
  • Lord Mayor's Christmas Tree Festival: Trees on show inside Hull Minster since 2019. In 2025 it ran from 2 to 24 December.
  • Santa Arrival Parade at Princes Quay: Santa comes to Princes Quay on Sunday 22 November 2026. In 2025 the parade began at 11.15am.
  • Christmas panto and theatre: Peter Pan at Hull New Theatre from 10 to 31 December, plus The Wind in the Willows and Hansel and Gretel at Hull Truck Theatre.
  • Santa Claus Showtime at Trinity Market: A free family show that Trinity Market announced in October 2023. It ran on five Saturdays in 2025.

A fact for kids

In 2022 real reindeer visited a Hull park for a Christmas event, along with Victorian carol singers.

Questions about Christmas in Hull

When is the Hull Christmas lights switch-on in 2026?

Visit Hull lists the Christmas Light Switch-On in Hull city centre on Thursday 19 November 2026, with a small Christmas market on King Edward Street. No start time is published yet. In 2025 the switch-on was in Queen Victoria Square from 5.30pm to 7pm, so check the council's news page for the 2026 programme.

Where do Hull's Christmas lights get switched on?

The council's switch-on has been in Queen Victoria Square in 2023 and 2025, with performers on the City Hall balcony in 2025. The 2026 switch-on is in the city centre on Thursday 19 November, so confirm the spot before you set off with children.

When is the Santa Arrival Parade in Hull in 2026?

Visit Hull lists a Santa Arrival Parade at Princes Quay Event Space on Sunday 22 November 2026. No start time is given. In 2025 the Princes Quay parade began at 11.15am and visits to the grotto had to be booked in advance, so ask the centre about booking for 2026.

When is Hull's Christmas Festival in 2026?

Visit Hull describes Hull's Christmas Festival as a city centre weekend on 21 and 22 November 2026, with a market, rides, food, drink and live entertainment. Check Visit Hull or the council for the final programme.

When is the Peter Pan panto at Hull New Theatre in 2026?

The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan runs at Hull New Theatre from 10 to 31 December 2026, with tickets from £21.50. The theatre lists it as suitable for all ages. Shows are on 18 separate days, mostly with a matinee and an evening performance, and there is no show on 25 December.

What is on for toddlers and young children at Hull Truck Theatre?

Hansel and Gretel is recommended for ages 3 to 6 and runs in the studio from 10 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, with tickets at £15 and concessions. The theatre says noise and movement are welcome. For babies under 18 months there is a baby-friendly Wind in the Willows on Friday 11 December at 11.30am.

What age is The Wind in the Willows at Hull Truck Theatre for?

Hull Truck Theatre recommends The Wind in the Willows for ages 7 and over. It plays in Stage 1 from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with tickets from £11 to £35. A family offer gives four tickets, with at least one adult and one child, for £110 or less until 26 November.

Is there a panto in Hull on Christmas Day?

No. Hull New Theatre's Peter Pan has no show on 25 December. Its schedule lists shows on Thursday 24 December at 1pm and 5pm, then again on Saturday 26 December at 1pm and 5pm. Hull Truck Theatre has no Christmas Day time listed either, so call the box office to be sure.

Which of Hull's 2026 Christmas shows and parades suit children?

Families can see a panto or play: Peter Pan at Hull New Theatre, The Wind in the Willows or Hansel and Gretel at Hull Truck Theatre. Earlier in the season there is the Santa Arrival Parade on 22 November and Hull's Christmas Festival on 21 and 22 November.

Where can I take young children for Christmas in Hull if I want somewhere indoors?

Try the Museums Quarter. Hull Museums runs a Victorian Christmas there, and in 2025 it filled Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November from 11am to 4pm. Visits to Father Christmas at Streetlife Museum needed advance booking that year. Check Hull Museums for the 2026 dates before you plan a trip.

Does Hull have a Victorian Christmas for families?

Yes. Hull Museums runs a Victorian Christmas in the Museums Quarter, and in 2025 it filled Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November from 11am to 4pm. Most activities were free, the carousel was £3 per person and visits to Father Christmas at Streetlife Museum needed advance booking. Its 2026 dates are still to come.

How old is the Christmas Tree Festival at Hull Minster?

The Lord Mayor's Christmas Tree Festival at Hull Minster began in 2019. In 2023 it ran from 5 to 23 December, and in 2025 it ran from 2 to 24 December.

Can I see Father Christmas in Hull?

In 2025 families could visit Father Christmas at Streetlife Museum with advance booking, take free visits to Santa at North Point Shopping Centre from 23 November to 24 December, and book a grotto at Princes Quay. For 2026, Visit Hull lists the Santa Arrival Parade at Princes Quay on 22 November.

Is there a free Santa show in Hull?

Yes. Trinity Market's Santa Claus Showtime is a free family show. In 2025 it ran on five Saturdays from 22 November, and Santa arrived at Princes Quay on Sunday 23 November.

Is there a sensory-friendly Christmas event in Hull?

In 2025 the SENDsational Christmas Market ran on Monday 22 December from 1pm to 6pm in the Priory Inn car park, free and sensory-friendly. Hull Truck Theatre says noise and movement are welcome at Hansel and Gretel in 2026, and it has a baby-friendly Wind in the Willows on 11 December.

What is on in Hull for Christmas in 2026 besides the theatres?

Visit Hull lists the lights switch-on on 19 November, the Santa Arrival Parade on 22 November, Hull's Christmas Festival on 21 and 22 November, a Christmas Fun Day at Park Street Performing Arts Centre on 13 December and a family panto, A Christmas Carol, on 17 to 29 December.

Is there a German Christmas market in Hull in 2026?

Hull's German Christmas Market runs from 28 November to 20 December 2026. Check Visit Hull for the venue and opening hours if you want to add it to a day out.

What did Hull do for Christmas in 2025?

In 2025 the lights went on at Queen Victoria Square on Thursday 20 November. The Christmas weekend and Victorian Christmas followed on 29 and 30 November, Santa arrived at Princes Quay on 23 November and the Tree Festival ran at Hull Minster from 2 to 24 December. The SENDsational market was on 22 December.

Where can I find Hull's Christmas events for kids in one place?

Right here. This page collects the confirmed family dates, prices and ages for panto, theatre shows, Santa visits and the lights switch-on, and adds more as Hull announces them. Visit Hull also publishes a Christmas 2026 page, and Hull City Council posts festive news.

Sources

  1. Christmas 2026 in Hull, Visit Hull
  2. Christmas lights, markets and events in Hull and East Yorkshire 2025, Hull What's On
  3. Christmas news archive, 2022 and 2023, Hull City Council
  4. Step into the woods with Hansel and Gretel this Christmas, Hull Truck Theatre
  5. The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan, Hull New Theatre
  6. The Wind in the Willows, Hull Truck Theatre
Kelsey Cecil
Previous

Christmas Events for Kids in Ilagan (2026)
Next

Christmas Events for Kids in Hamilton (2026)