Christmas Events for Kids in Swindon (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

5 min read

For 2026, we confirmed 7 Christmas events for kids in Swindon. The season opens on 14 November with Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel and runs until 3 January with Jack and the Beanstalk. Of these, 4 are free. 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 Swindon: 7
  • First: Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel, Swindon, 14 November
  • Free events: Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel, Christmas Tree Light Switch On at Broadgreen Community Centre, Christmas Tree Light Switch On at Cavendish Square and Christmas in the Town Gardens

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 Swindon

Kids’ Christmas events
7 confirmed for 2026
Areas
Swindon
Season
14 November to 3 January
Free events
4
Last checked

Christmas events for kids in Swindon

Listed soonest first: 7 confirmed events in Swindon.

Santa’s grottoFree

Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel

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The Brunel opens its free grotto on Saturday 14 November and keeps it going until Thursday 24 December 2026. The centre says visiting Santa is completely free for children and families, and the grotto is downstairs at 29a The Plaza.

Opening hours change from day to day. Saturdays and many December weekdays run from 10am or 11am until 5pm or 6pm, Sundays close at 4.30pm, and Christmas Eve finishes at 3pm. The centre strongly advises booking a slot in advance through its booking page. No age range is given on the host page.

Parent tip: Book a slot before you go and check the hours table for your day, as Sundays and Christmas Eve finish earlier.

Host
The Brunel Swindon (opens in a new tab)
Where
The Brunel (downstairs), 29a The Plaza, Swindon SN1 1LF (opens in maps)
Booking
Recommended
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with The Brunel Swindon (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 6 more Swindon events researched for you.

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Coming up on this page

  • 4 Lights
  • 3 Santa
  • 3 Shows
  • 1 Story time
  • 4 Free

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Christmas lights switch-onFree

Christmas Tree Light Switch On at Broadgreen Community Centre

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South Swindon Parish Council opens its three tree switch-ons at Broadgreen Community Centre on Tuesday 17 November 2026. The event runs from 5pm to 7pm and entry and activities are free.

The tree lights are switched on at 6.15pm. Free samosas and hot drinks are available for community members. Check the parish council events page for the address before travelling.

Parent tip: Arrive before 6.15pm to see the lights switch on.

Host
South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)
Where
Broadgreen Community Centre, Swindon (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)

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Christmas lights switch-onFree

Christmas Tree Light Switch On at Cavendish Square

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The parish council's second tree switch-on is at Cavendish Square on Wednesday 18 November 2026, from 5pm to 7pm. Entry and activities are free.

Performers include Rhythmix Goa, Sizzling Stars of Swindon and Emma Doupe, and the tree lights come on at 6.15pm. No age range or street address is given, so check the parish council events page before you go.

Parent tip: Wrap up warm, as the event is outdoors and runs into the evening.

Host
South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)
Where
Cavendish Square, Swindon (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)

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Story time with Santa

Christmas Tree Light Switch On and Santa Story Time at Badbury Park

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The third parish council tree switch-on is at Badbury Park Community Centre on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 5pm to 7pm. Entry and activities are free and the lights come on at 6.15pm.

This is the only one of the three evenings with Santa Story Time. Sessions are split by age: 5.10pm for ages 0 to 3, 5.45pm for ages 4 to 6 and 6.30pm for ages 7 and over. Story tickets cost £2 each and are booked through Ticketsolve, using the link in the council's article.

Parent tip: Book the Santa Story Time slot for your child's age group through Ticketsolve.

Host
South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)
Where
Badbury Park Community Centre, Swindon (opens in maps)
Booking
Essential
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)

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

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Christmas lights

Old Town Christmas Festival

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The Old Town Christmas Festival is on Sunday 22 November 2026, from 1pm to 6pm, at Deacons on Wood Street.

In 2025 the festival took over Victoria Road and Wood Street with local dance and performing groups, gift, craft and food stalls and a funfair, and the streets were full just before the lights switch-on. Past festivals charged a small donation per person, so check the 2026 price on the ticket link before you go.

Parent tip: Check the ticket link for entry details and expect crowds close to the lights switch-on.

Host
This is Old Town (opens in a new tab)
Where
Deacons, Wood Street, 11-15 Wood Street, Swindon (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with This is Old Town (opens in a new tab)

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Panto or Christmas show

Jack and the Beanstalk

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Jack and the Beanstalk is the Christmas panto at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. It runs from Saturday 5 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with an opening afternoon show at 1pm on 5 December and a final evening show on 3 January.

The show suits ages 3 and up and the whole family. Prices usually rise closer to Christmas, and the opening and closing weekends are the best value dates. Tickets are sold through the theatre's Trafalgar Tickets page. The full schedule and prices are on the ticket page.

Parent tip: Book early for the cheapest seats, and check the ticket page for the matinee times that suit younger children.

Host
Wyvern Theatre Swindon (opens in a new tab)
Where
Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with Wyvern Theatre Swindon (opens in a new tab)

New events in Swindon every week

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Meet SantaFree

Christmas in the Town Gardens

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Christmas in the Town Gardens runs over two weekends in 2026: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, then Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December, from 12pm to 4pm each day. Entry is free and so is parking at the Commonweal School car park.

The programme includes craft activities, walkabout entertainers including Santa, live music at the Bandstand, a bubble artist, stilt walkers, circus skills, fairground rides and food and drink stalls. Fairground ride prices are not listed. The same programme includes Written in the Trees, a sculpture trail and storytelling experience for children, and Mrs Claus' Checklist, a children's show at the Bowl where children decorate cookies and make reindeer food, with tickets at £2.

Parent tip: Use the free parking at Commonweal School and bring a little cash for the fairground rides.

Host
South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)
Where
Town Gardens, Swindon (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
Check dates and details with South Swindon Parish Council (opens in a new tab)

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

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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.

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Christmas events for kids in Swindon: questions parents ask

What are the 2026 Christmas events for kids in Swindon?

For 2026, we confirmed 7 Christmas events for kids in Swindon, each on its host’s own page: Christmas in the Town Gardens, Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel, Jack and the Beanstalk and 4 more. Each one is listed above with times, cost and a link to the host.

Are there free Christmas events for kids in Swindon?

Yes, 4 of the 7 events here are free: Christmas in the Town Gardens, Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel, Christmas Tree Light Switch On at Broadgreen Community Centre and 1 more. Some free events still ask you to register, so check each listing.

Where can kids see Santa this year in Swindon?

Where to see Santa: Christmas in the Town Gardens, Free Santa's Grotto at The Brunel and Christmas Tree Light Switch On and Santa Story Time at Badbury Park. Check the listings above for times and booking.

Where are there Christmas story times for kids in Swindon?

Christmas story times on this page: Christmas Tree Light Switch On and Santa Story Time at Badbury Park.

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 Swindon

The UK's first lending library opened in 1855 inside Swindon's railway village, and the town still gathers for lights on Wood Street, in Lydiard Park and under three community trees. Here is the story and what families have enjoyed.

A railway works from 1843 and a library that came before the lights

Swindon grew around the Great Western Railway works, which opened on 2 January 1843 with about 200 men and employed over 2,000 by 1851. The company built the Railway Village for its workers, and the Mechanics' Institute there, finished in 1855, had the UK's first lending library. The works closed in 1986. Christmas in the town now runs on community nights: South Swindon Parish Council lights its community trees at Broadgreen, Cavendish Square and Badbury Park, and the Old Town hosts its own festival on Wood Street.

Josh Kumra, a full Wood Street and a switch-on at Lydiard in 2025

The Old Town Christmas Festival took place on Sunday 23 November 2025 from 12pm to 6pm, and the host's events page records a donation of £1.85 per person. Singer-songwriter Josh Kumra headlined, there were gift, craft and food stalls and a funfair on Wood Street, and organisers said the streets reached full capacity before the lights came on. The parish council trees were switched on over 18 to 20 November, with hundreds of residents and Santa appearing for younger children. Lydiard Park lit its large cypress tree on 28 November, with the Mayor, carols, and Hook a Santa.

Weather moved one festival and a Wildcat mascot named Scratch

In 2024 the Old Town Christmas Festival was moved from Sunday 24 November to Sunday 1 December because of weather, and that year the donation was £1.25 per person. At Lydiard Park in 2025 families met Scratch, the Swindon Wildcats mascot, before the Mayor switched on the lights on the big cypress tree. Stalls at the same event sold pie and mash or burgers to take away. The town's new crier, Rob Hardy, made his first appearance at the 2025 Old Town festival. The works that built Swindon once employed about 14,000 people at its peak.

Traditions today

  • Old Town Christmas Festival: A Wood Street festival with stalls, local performers and a funfair, ending with the lights switch-on.
  • South Swindon tree switch-ons: Three evenings at Broadgreen, Cavendish Square and Badbury Park, with the community trees lit at 6.15pm.
  • Lydiard Park lights: The Mayor lights the big cypress tree outside Lydiard House, with carols and Scratch the Wildcats mascot.
  • Christmas in the Town Gardens: Two December weekends of crafts, walkabout Santa, live music and fairground rides.
  • A free grotto at The Brunel: Santa's grotto downstairs at The Brunel, free for families, with booking advised.
  • Wyvern Theatre panto: A Christmas pantomime at the Wyvern Theatre each winter, this year Jack and the Beanstalk.

A fact for kids

Swindon's railway works once employed about 14,000 people, and the Railway Village library from 1855 was the UK's first lending library.

Questions about Christmas in Swindon

Besides the Brunel grotto and the panto, what else can kids do at Christmas in Swindon?

Swindon families can go to the tree switch-ons at Broadgreen, Cavendish Square and Badbury Park on 17 to 19 November 2026, the Old Town Christmas Festival on 22 November, and Christmas in the Town Gardens on 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December.

Where can I take my kids to see Santa in Swindon in 2026?

The Brunel has a free Santa's grotto downstairs at 29a The Plaza, open on selected days from 14 November to 24 December 2026, and booking in advance is strongly advised. Santa also walks around at Christmas in the Town Gardens on 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December, which is free to enter.

Is Santa's grotto at The Brunel really free?

Yes. The Brunel says visiting Santa is totally free for children and families. It runs from 14 November to 24 December 2026, and the centre strongly advises pre-booking a slot on its booking page. Opening hours differ by day, with Sundays closing at 4.30pm and Christmas Eve at 3pm, so check the hours for your date.

When does the Jack and the Beanstalk panto run at the Wyvern Theatre?

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon from Saturday 5 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Imagine Theatre says it is suitable for ages 3 and up. It starts with a 1pm show on 5 December and ends with an evening show on 3 January.

Is the Swindon panto suitable for a three-year-old?

Imagine Theatre says Jack and the Beanstalk is suitable for ages 3 and up, and the theatre calls it a show for the whole family. It runs at the Wyvern Theatre from 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Check the ticket page for show times before choosing a seat for a small child.

When are the South Swindon Christmas tree light switch-ons in 2026?

South Swindon Parish Council holds three, all from 5pm to 7pm with the lights switched on at 6.15pm: Broadgreen Community Centre on Tuesday 17 November, Cavendish Square on Wednesday 18 November and Badbury Park Community Centre on Thursday 19 November 2026. Entry and activities are free.

What is Santa Story Time at Badbury Park?

Santa Story Time is part of the Badbury Park tree switch-on on Thursday 19 November 2026. Sessions are at 5.10pm for ages 0 to 3, 5.45pm for ages 4 to 6 and 6.30pm for ages 7 and over. Tickets cost £2 each and are booked through Ticketsolve.

When is the Old Town Christmas Festival in 2026?

The Old Town Christmas Festival is on Sunday 22 November 2026, from 1pm to 6pm, at Deacons on Wood Street. Tickets are linked from the This is Old Town events page. In 2025 the festival was held on Sunday 23 November.

How much did the Old Town Christmas Festival cost last year?

The 2025 festival on Sunday 23 November asked for a donation of £1.85 per person, and the 2024 one asked £1.25. Check the ticket link on the This is Old Town events page for the 2026 price.

Is Christmas in the Town Gardens free?

Yes. Christmas in the Town Gardens is free to enter, with free parking at the Commonweal School car park. It runs from 12pm to 4pm on 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December 2026. Fairground ride prices are not listed, and Mrs Claus' Checklist, a children's show at the Bowl, costs £2 a ticket.

What is Mrs Claus' Checklist?

Mrs Claus' Checklist is an interactive children's show at the Bowl, part of the South Swindon Christmas programme, twice a day. Children decorate cookies and make reindeer food. Tickets are £2 each through Ticketsolve. Check times and ages before you book.

What is Written in the Trees in Swindon?

Written in the Trees is a sculpture trail and storytelling experience for children in the South Swindon Christmas programme. It sits alongside the free Christmas in the Town Gardens weekends on 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December 2026.

Where can we spend Christmas Day with kids in Swindon?

None of the 2026 events on this page take place on Christmas Day. The Brunel grotto closes at 3pm on Christmas Eve, 24 December, and the Wyvern panto Jack and the Beanstalk runs until 3 January 2027.

What is there to do in Swindon with kids in the week before Christmas?

The Brunel's free Santa's grotto is open every day from Tuesday 15 December to Thursday 24 December 2026, with Christmas Eve closing at 3pm. Christmas in the Town Gardens ends on Sunday 20 December. The Wyvern panto Jack and the Beanstalk runs until 3 January 2027.

Which Swindon Christmas events are free in 2026?

The Brunel's Santa's grotto, the three South Swindon tree switch-ons and Christmas in the Town Gardens are all free to enter. The Badbury Park Santa Story Time and Mrs Claus' Checklist cost £2 a ticket, and the panto needs a ticket. The Old Town festival price is not listed.

When did Swindon's railway works open?

The Great Western Railway authorised the Swindon works in February 1841, and it became operational on 2 January 1843. It started with about 200 men and employed over 2,000 by 1851. At its peak around 14,000 people worked there. The works closed in 1986, with its last day on 26 March.

What was the Railway Village in Swindon?

The Railway Village was built north of the town centre to house and serve the works' employees. St Mark's Church, the Bakers Arms pub, and medical and educational buildings were finished before 1850. In the 1960s John Betjeman led a successful campaign to save it from demolition, and much of it is now a conservation area.

What was special about the Mechanics' Institute in Swindon?

The Mechanics' Institute in the Railway Village was completed in 1855 and had the UK's first lending library. It was built to serve the families who lived around the railway works that grew into the town.

What happens at the Lydiard Park Christmas lights switch-on?

In 2025 the Lydiard Park switch-on was on Friday 28 November from 4.30pm to 6.15pm and was free with no booking. The Mayor lit the large cypress tree outside Lydiard House, and there was live music, carols, Scratch the Swindon Wildcats mascot, food and funfair rides including Hook a Santa. A 2026 date is not confirmed yet.

Does bad weather ever cancel Swindon Christmas events?

It can move them. In 2024 the Old Town Christmas Festival was moved from Sunday 24 November to Sunday 1 December because of weather. For 2026, check the host page for the Old Town festival on Sunday 22 November before you travel with children.

Sources

  1. Old Town Christmas Festival 2025 thousands pack streets, Swindon24
  2. Community spirit shines bright, The Swindonian
  3. Lydiard Park Christmas Lights Switch On, Swindon Borough Council
  4. Swindon Works, Wikipedia
  5. Events, This is Old Town
  6. Christmas in South Swindon returns for 2026, Entertainment Swindon
  7. Christmas in South Swindon, South Swindon Parish Council
  8. Free Santa's Grotto, The Brunel Swindon
  9. Jack and the Beanstalk Swindon 2026, Imagine Theatre
  10. Christmas in South Swindon, South Swindon Parish Council
Kelsey Cecil
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