A magical Christmas with Gibside
- Published:
- 07 September 2023
For Christmas 2024 we invite you to feel the spirit of Christmas at Gibside, with a traditional feast of festive celebrations full of winter magic.
Running on select dates between Saturday 16 November 2024 to Monday 6 January 2025. Check for more details below. Excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
See the Chapel decorated with yuletide charm
The grand pillars will be wrapped with winter foliage and sparkling lights. Inside the stone arches will be warmly glowing with flickering candles and Georgian inspired garlands decorated with fresh foliage from the garden will be draped from pew to pew. The grand ceiling will be illuminated by projections of the night sky, and visitors are invited to wish upon a Christmas star at our giant star installation.
Every day from Saturday 16 November to Sunday 5 January. Free, admission applies.
Follow the stars to Father Christmas’s Stables
Follow the trail of sparkling stars up to Gibside Stables, where Father Christmas is keeping his reindeer. While the reindeer are out flying for the day, sneak a peak in their stalls and listen to a magical reindeer story.
Find Father Christmas’s sleigh parked up in the Stables courtyard, almost ready for Christmas Eve. Make sure you snap a pic in his most important piece of gear before it’s filled to the brim with presents.
Every day from Saturday 16 November to Sunday 5 January. Free, admission applies.
Join Father Christmas working at the Stables
Follow the stars to Gibside Stables for an enchanting encounter with Father Christmas and his elves in this immersive theatre and craft workshop experience.
Embrace time together with loved ones and feel the spirit of Christmas during this interactive story time. Expect cartoonish capers from a clumsy elf and discover what Father Christmas is up to on the lead to the big day.
While Mr. Claus tinkers away he’ll tell tales of his festive adventures before checking who’s made it onto his nice list. Before Father Christmas says goodbye, families can take photographs together. The elves will then guide you to Father Christmas’s workshop, where they will help you decorate a special Christmas keyring and card to take home.
Book here, and for relaxed sessions book here. Booking essential. Every weekend from Saturday 23 November to Sunday 22 December, plus Monday 23 December. Child's ticket £25, admission applies.
Wander along the woodland fairy trail
The gardeners at Gibside keep losing tools and misplacing plant pots. That can only mean one thing - the mischievous fairies are back! Help them discover clues on a journey through the woodland. Follow the activity sheet and explore secret nooks to uncover their magical winter world. Find toadstool seats for impish elves and the miniature homes of playful pixies. If you truly believe in magic, you might just capture a glimpse of the enchanted creatures hiding in the woodlands.
Every day from Saturday 23 November to Monday 6 January. Free, admission applies.
Continuing with a more traditional experience
Thank you to Raymond Gubbay, our light trail partners, for providing an illuminated Christmas trail offer from 2020 to 2022. Our light trail partnership has now ended. We have since collected feedback from hundreds of members and visitors to inspire our Christmas events and are excited to build on the more traditional experience we offered in 2023. We hope that Christmas at Gibside will bring back childhood magic and highlight the joy of spending time with loved ones.
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