Windmill Farm Park's Kibworth grotto opens 28 Nov from £14.95, Kelmarsh has Father Christmas on 28 and 29 Nov at £15, and Lutterworth's is free on 27 Nov.

Market Harborough’s own grotto is at the Christmas Fayre on Friday 4 December, and three more are confirmed within a short drive. The biggest is at Windmill Farm Park in Kibworth Harcourt, where Christmas On The Farm opens on Saturday 28 November with tickets from £14.95. Kelmarsh Hall, just over the county line, has Father Christmas in its library on 28 and 29 November at £15 a child, and Lutterworth’s grotto comes free with the town’s switch-on on Friday 27 November.

Every detail below was read on the organiser’s own page on 15 October 2026.

Updated 18 October: the council’s Visit Harborough listing for the Market Harborough Christmas Fayre, Friday 4 December, 4.30pm to 9.15pm, includes “Santas grotto and the elves workshop”. It does not say whether the grotto is charged. Details on our Christmas Fayre page.

Updated 25 October: Windmill Farm Park’s calendar now marks Christmas On The Farm on every open day, starting Saturday 28 November, not 29 November as it first showed. The dates are 28 and 29 November, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13 December, and daily from 17 to 24 December.

The quick answer

  • Windmill Farm Park, Kibworth Harcourt (LE8 0PR): from Saturday 28 November: 28 and 29 November, 5 to 7 and 12 to 13 December, then daily from 17 to 24 December. From £14.95. Grotto visit and photo, a small gift, a Christmas trail, gingerbread decorating and reindeer. Tickets are on sale now.
  • Kelmarsh Hall (NN6 9LY): Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, from 11am. £15 a child, adults free, with parking and the Christmas Fair included.
  • Lutterworth: Friday 27 November, at the Christmas lights switch-on in the town centre, from 6pm. No ticket.
  • Market Harborough town centre: Friday 4 December, at the Christmas Fayre, 4.30pm to 9.15pm, free entry. The listing names a Santa’s grotto and elves’ workshop but no grotto price. The switch-on on 21 November has no grotto announced.

At a glance

Santa's grottos in and near Market Harborough, Christmas 2026, from the organisers' own pages
WhenWhereWhat you getCost
Fri 27 Nov, from 6pmLutterworth town centreSanta's grotto at the switch-on, with funfair, town band and fireworksFree event; the council publishes no grotto charge
Sat 28 and Sun 29 Nov, from 11amKelmarsh Hall, NN6 9LYPersonal visit in the library and a gift; fair entry and parking includedChild £15, adults free
Sat 28 and Sun 29 Nov; 5-7 and 12-13 Dec; daily 17 to 24 DecWindmill Farm Park, Kibworth Harcourt, LE8 0PRGrotto and photo, gift, Christmas trail, gingerbread, reindeer, plus the farm parkFrom £14.95

Windmill Farm Park, Kibworth: Christmas On The Farm

Windmill Farm Park on Langton Road, Kibworth Harcourt, about five miles north west of Market Harborough, runs Christmas On The Farm “on select dates in November, and daily from 17th to 24th December”, with tickets “from just £14.95”. Its own calendar now marks the event on every open day from Saturday 28 November. Tickets are on sale now and the farm says they are “vanishing fast”.

What a child’s ticket includes, from the farm’s event page:

  • The grotto: each child shares their Christmas wishes with Santa and gets a photo with him, then chooses a small gift in the elves’ toy shop and can post a letter to Santa.
  • The trail and crafts: a Christmas trail with a prize at the end, and an ornament to decorate in the elves’ workshop.
  • Gingerbread with Mrs Claus: a dairy-free gingerbread cookie to decorate and take home.
  • Reindeer: feed Rudy and Trudy, and make reindeer food to take home.
  • The rest of the farm park: the indoor play area, the animals and the outdoor play.

The calendar shows the farm open from 10am to 6pm on 28 and 29 November, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13 December, and every day from 17 to 24 December, and closed from Christmas Day until February. As of 25 October it labels every one of those days as a Christmas On The Farm day, from 10am. The price for adults and the full ticket list show only at booking. (Windmill Farm Park, Christmas On The Farm and calendar)

Kelmarsh Hall: Father Christmas in the library

Kelmarsh Hall, south of Market Harborough on the A508 in Northamptonshire, has Father Christmas in its historic library on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, with visits from 11am. Each child has a personal meeting, a chance to share their wishes and a festive gift to take home.

  • Price: child £15, adults free.
  • Included: free parking and entry to the Kelmarsh Christmas Fair on the same day.
  • Booking: the hall says spaces are limited and recommends booking early. Each day has its own booking page.

The Christmas Fair itself is now on Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, 11am to 3pm. Cars park on the event field, and the hall warns of a 10 to 15 minute walk through the woodland to the house; accessible parking is through the main gate. (Kelmarsh Hall, Father Christmas on 28 November and 29 November; Christmas Fair)

More on the fair, The Nutcracker and the Christmas Carol recital on our Kelmarsh Hall Christmas page.

Lutterworth: Santa’s grotto at the switch-on

Lutterworth Town Council’s Christmas Lights Switch On is Friday 27 November 2026, and its own page lists Santa’s grotto among the “festive favourites”, alongside a funfair, mulled wine, the Lutterworth Town Band, a hog roast, stage entertainment and the fireworks that close the night. The council’s calendar gives the event as 6pm to 10pm, still marked TBC, and the switch-on itself is “usually 7.30pm”. The council does not say whether the grotto costs anything.

The A426 closes to through traffic from 5pm to 9pm that evening. (Lutterworth Town Council, Christmas Lights Switch On)

The closure detail and the rest of the programme are on our Lutterworth switch-on page.

In Market Harborough town centre

Harborough District Council confirmed on 12 October that Market Harborough’s switch-on is Saturday 21 November, 6pm to 9pm on The Square, with the lights on at 7pm. Its announcement lists the festive diary to 17 December, including the Christmas Fayre on Friday 4 December and Broughton Astley’s Christmas Fayre on Saturday 5 December, but it does not mention Father Christmas or a grotto, and it says more details of the switch-on will come on the council’s social media. (Harborough District Council, 12 October 2026)

The council’s tourism site, Visit Harborough, does list one for the Christmas Fayre on Friday 4 December, 4.30pm to 9.15pm across the town centre: “Craft, food and drink stalls, stilt walkers, live music, Santas grotto and the elves workshop”, with free entry and a funfair on the Commons car park. It does not say whether the grotto is charged or where in the town centre it will be. Our Christmas Fayre page has the rest. (Visit Harborough, Market Harborough Christmas Fayre)

Harborough Market’s own events list, read on 15 October, has nothing on a grotto at the indoor market this year. We will add any town-centre grotto here as soon as an organiser publishes it. The switch-on night itself is on our Christmas lights switch-on page.

Also checked, no Santa listed

Parking and getting there

All three confirmed grottos are outside the town centre, so check each organiser’s parking before you go: Windmill Farm Park and Kelmarsh Hall both have their own car parks, and Lutterworth’s town centre is partly closed on switch-on night. If you are combining a trip with shopping in Market Harborough, council car parks charge from 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday; tariffs are on our parking in Market Harborough page, and road closures are on roadworks and travel.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Santa’s grotto in Market Harborough this year?

Yes: the Christmas Fayre on Friday 4 December lists “Santas grotto and the elves workshop” on the council’s Visit Harborough site, though no price is given. Beyond the town centre, the biggest is at Windmill Farm Park in Kibworth Harcourt, from 28 November, with Kelmarsh Hall (28 and 29 November) and Lutterworth’s switch-on (27 November) the other two.

How much is Santa at Windmill Farm Park?

The farm says tickets for Christmas On The Farm start at £14.95. Each child’s ticket includes the grotto visit and photo, a small gift, the Christmas trail, gingerbread decorating and the reindeer, plus the rest of the farm park.

When can you see Father Christmas at Kelmarsh Hall?

Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, from 11am, in the hall’s library. Child tickets are £15 and adults go free, with parking and the Christmas Fair included.

Sources

Read on 15 October 2026; Windmill Farm Park re-read on 25 October 2026.