Christmas at Castle Howard

Some of the experiences have specific limits, e.g. a maximum of two adults per booking for our Father Christmas in the Castle.

If there aren’t enough tickets left in the slot you want, usually that’s because the remaining tickets are already sold. We recommend choosing a different slot. 

Admission for the following schemes is subject to availability and can be redeemed at the Ticket Office by presenting a valid membership card or proof of entitlement: 

Max Card
• Max Card tickets are available for A Dicken's of a Christmas on Yellow and Blue ticket types only. £10 per ticket per person, for a maximum of one adult and three children. 
• Max Card tickets are available for Christmas Gardens Tickets, 12th November – 3rd January. £5 per ticket, per person, for a maximum of one adult and three children.
• You must show your MAX Card at the Ticket office on arrival.
• All orders are subject to a 5.5% booking fee.
• You must purchase car parking online in advance, or in person at the Ticket Office, if you are intending to park. 

We do not offer discounts for Blue Light, OAP, Art Pass or any other schemes at Christmas.

Yes. 

• Universal Credit Tickets are available for  A Dicken's of a Christmas on Yellow ticket types only. £6 per ticket per person, for a maximum of two adults and two children who live in the same household only.
• Universal Credit tickets are available for Christmas Gardens Tickets, 12th November – 3rd January. £4 per ticket, per person, for a maximum of two adults and two children who live in the same household only.
• You must show your proof of receipt of Universal Credit (your letter or online account) at the Ticket office on arrival.
• All orders are subject to a 5.5% booking fee.
• You must purchase car parking online in advance, or in person at the Ticket Office, if you intend to park. 

Yorkshire's Great Houses, Castles & Gardens, Art Pass and York Pass schemes, and free tickets for campers at the Lakeside Holiday Park schemes are suspended at Christmas.

Pushchairs, prams, and large rucksack-style baby carriers are not allowed in the House for A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard or Father Christmas in the Castle. Please leave your pushchair, carrier or pram in the dedicated covered space in the Christmas Marquee. 

Small baby carriers and hip seats are available to borrow from the House entrance. Please return it when you collect your pushchair or pram. No food or drink is allowed in the House. Breast feeding is welcome anywhere on site, but if you’d prefer a private place, please ask a staff member to direct you to our quiet room. There is a dedicated quiet room, for breastfeeding, prayer, or for some quiet space, at the House entrance.

We have dedicated blue badge car parking spaces at the front of the visitor car park. Please display your badge in your window. There are limited blue badge parking spaces so please arrive early if you would like to secure one. Our Blue Badge car parking spaces are closest to the ticket office. They are 2.4m wide by 4.8m long with hatching to one side and rear of 1200mm. 

If you struggle with mobility but don’t have a blue badge, you can drop-off at the Courtyard before parking elsewhere. Blue badge holders do not need to pay for car parking. We kindly ask you to choose Blue Badge Parking when you book your tickets online, which helps us plan ahead. Please note, booking a Blue Badge space online does not guarantee a space on the day. It is our ambition to increase the amount of Blue Badge spaces in the car park.

Level access to A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard is via the Christmas Marquee. The North Marquee entrance is equipped with an automatic door. The South Marquee entrance is equipped with two sets of double doors – please note that these doors are not automatic and open outwards. We recommend using the North Marquee entrance.

To access the House entrance, please ask a member of staff in the Gift Shop (immediately on the left as you enter the Marquee via the North entrance) for level access assistance through to the visitor route.   

Staff can help wheelchair users (under 225kg) use the House stair lift which takes visitors to the main floor of the House. Electric wheelchair or scooter users will need to self-transfer into a manual wheelchair to use the House stair lift, and we have plenty of manual wheelchairs which can be borrowed if required. We regret that access to the Chapel is restricted.

Our Christmas Marquee is a temporary structure with ramped entry. The ramps are fitted to conform with regulatory standards, but there are some awkward thresholds in the design. Please see our Christmas access guide for full details, available from October 2026.

Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed to use in the Gardens and the House. They can be collected from the Ticket Office or at the House entrance. There is no need to pre-book a wheelchair, we have plenty available. Please note that electric wheelchairs are not allowed in the House, and you must transfer into a manual wheelchair if you intend to visit the House.

Off-road trampers available to hire from the Ticket Office. Visitors can borrow an off-road tramper to help them access a wider area of the Grounds and Gardens. The off-road tramper can handle hills and uneven terrain compared to manual wheelchairs. Hiring a tramper is free, but subject to availability and cannot be pre-booked. We will provide you with a map (please note the winter route for trampers is reduced from the summer route due to ground conditions, and trampers aren’t available after dusk).

Key:
Calm Session: Fewer people, reduced sound effects and fewer lighting effects.
Relaxed Performance: Fewer people, relaxed attitude to noise and moving around the space, fewer sound effects.
BSL Interpreted: A British Sign Language interpreter will interpret the performance or experience.

A Dickens of a Christmas Calm Sessions
•Saturday 14th November, 9.30am - 10.30am
•Monday 23rd November, 2.30pm - 3.30pm
•Saturday 2nd January, 4.30pm - 5.30pm

BSL Interpreted Session: Sunday 13th December, 9.30am

An interpreter will meet visitors at the House entrance at the session start time, and accompany them around the House.

Father Christmas in the Castle Relaxed Performance
Sunday 22nd November, 4.45pm

Father Christmas in the Castle BSL Interpreted Performance
Sunday 13th December, 11am 

Touch boxes will be available in select rooms as part of the A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard experience. Touch boxes are sensory objects creatively designed to tell the story of the space, and are available for anyone who would like to use them as part of their experience.

Entry to the House for A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard is timed in 30-minute slots. We do this to manage the number of visitors in the House, stagger entry throughout the day, and to prevent queues. Sometimes queues do occur due to a higher number of walk-up visitors, a late coach party, and more. We kindly ask for your patience if you do encounter a queue. The queue into the House is outdoors, so we recommend dressing warmly. There will be a covered area with some seating by the House entrance.

If you are running late, you do not need to call us or contact us to let us know – we’ll happily admit you to a later time slot depending on availability. If you’re running late for the last slot of the day, we might not be able to guarantee your entry. We highly recommend arriving in plenty of time (at least 30 minutes before your show) for Father Christmas in the Castle, as latecomers to these events will not be admitted. 

There is limited seating available, and there isn’t seating in every room. There are some places where visitors can temporarily rest, but we can’t guarantee this at our busiest times. 

Portable stools can be borrowed from the House entrance - please ask a member of staff. Please note these are camping-style stools with no arms or back. Please return the stools to the Gift Shop or House entrance. Manual wheelchairs are available to borrow from the Ticket Office of House Entrance – please ask a member of staff. 

Photography is welcome in the House. Please keep your flash turned off and do not use a tripod or a selfie stick. Professional photography of any kind needs to be arranged and agreed in advance. If you’re a professional photographer, please contact Georgie Sykes gsykes@castlehoward.co.uk.

The use of drones at Castle Howard, both in the House and Gardens, is strictly prohibited.

Father Christmas in the Castle is inside the House and is a 25-minute performance, followed with a one-to-one moment with Father Christmas. The whole experience can last 35 - 55 minutes, depending on the number of groups, and at which point you have your moment with Father Christmas. Tickets to Father Christmas in the Castle include entry to A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard.

Santa’s Grotto is in the Jellycat Shop. Each booking is a 10-minute experience with Santa, who will speak with your party, have photographs, and present you with a fluffy Jellycat surprise. 

Tickets to Santa’s Grotto in the Jellycat Shop do not include tickets to A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard – you can add Grotto tickets to your House or Gardens tickets or vice versa. 

Father Christmas in the Castle is sadly inaccessible for wheelchair users; the show location is up two flights of stairs. We understand that this is disappointing, and it’s our ambition to make adjustments in the future. We invite wheelchair users to enjoy Santa’s Grotto in the Jellycat Shop and A Dickens of a Christmas at Castle Howard.

We want to make your visit special and memorable and help where we can. You can contact us directly about your booking to discuss the particulars of access required, and if any solutions or arrangements can be made. Please email house@castlehoward.co.uk. 

All Father Christmas in the Castle bookings require a paying child ticket to make the booking. If you have a babe in arms as well as a paying child ticket, you will be able to add the babe in arms to the booking. 

Gifts are available for paid tickets only. For example, if you bring a babe in arms and one child, one gift will be given. 

Babe in arms tickets are valid for children under 12 months. Older children must have a Child ticket.

All Santa’s Grotto bookings require a paying ticket to make the booking. If you have a babe in arms as well as a paying ticket, you will be able to add the babe in arms to the booking. Gifts are available for paid tickets only. For example, if you bring a babe in arms and one child, one gift will be given. 

Babe in arms tickets are valid for children under 12 months. Older children must have a Child ticket.

Christmas Afternoon Tea is traditional sandwiches, scones, miniature cakes and hot drinks, served in the historic Grecian Hall. Each group books an individual table.

A Christmas Carol Theatrical Afternoon Tea is hosted by a live actor, who will perform and host your experience in the Private Dining Room. Each group books an individual table. Traditional sandwiches, scones, miniature cakes, a savoury starter and a lemonade palette cleanser is served as part of the experience in the Chinese Dining Room. 

• Our Christmas Marquee, attached to the House, will serve a range of hot and cold offers, including delicious handmade pizza, all new Tommy’s Pie Shop pies, and of course our famous and very popular turkey rolls. Open daily.
•  Our Courtyard Café in the Stable Courtyard serves freshly prepared seasonal meals in a cosy setting. Open daily.
•  Our Coffee Shop in the Stable Courtyard serves hot drinks, cakes and snacks. Open daily.
•  A trailer on the North Front will be open during busy periods serving hot drinks and snacks.
  
   
   

• Gold Members (including Ryedale) can visit once on any date or time with no restrictions.
• Silver Members (including Ryedale, Lakeside and Pyramid Club) one visit only per Member, with some restrictions on date or time.

See our dedicated Members page for full details.

Please check the following:

• Are you using the lead member’s number?
• Have you included the MEM (not all membership numbers include this) without spaces?
• Have you pressed ‘validate? Still experiencing problems?
• Have you used the correct Adult or Child membership card, depending on the ticket type?