Kingston's Santa's grotto is at the Bentall Centre on 15 days from 1 December, 11am to 5pm. Booking is not open yet; Chessington's grotto opens 21 November.

Kingston’s main Santa’s grotto this Christmas is at the Bentall Centre, open 11am to 5pm on 15 days between Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 23 December. The centre has not published a price, and its “Book your slot now” button led nowhere when we checked on 29 October, so slots are not on sale yet. For an earlier visit, Chessington World of Adventures opens its Christmas Village, with Father Christmas’s grotto, on Saturday 21 November.

The quick answer

  • Bentall Centre: Santa’s Grotto, 11am to 5pm on 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 20 December, then every day from 21 to 23 December. Price and booking not yet published.
  • Chessington World of Adventures: Father Christmas in the Christmas Village on 18 dates from 21 November to 24 December, only with the Christmas Village and Theme Park ticket, from £32 online.
  • Save The World Club, Southsea Road: a Christmas grotto afternoon on Saturday 19 December, 2pm to 6pm.
  • Kingston Christmas Market runs from 12 November in the Ancient Market Place; its site does not list a grotto.

Bentall Centre: Santa’s Grotto, 1 to 23 December

The centre’s What’s On page says “The magic of Christmas has arrived at The Bentall Centre! Step inside Santa’s Grotto for a magical festive experience. Meet Santa and his elves, share your Christmas wishes and create special memories together.”

It lists these days, all 11am to 5pm:

Bentall Centre Santa's Grotto dates, from the centre's What's On page, read 29 October 2026
WeekGrotto open
1 to 6 DecemberTue 1, Thu 3, Sat 5, Sun 6
7 to 13 DecemberTue 8, Thu 10, Sat 12, Sun 13
14 to 20 DecemberTue 15, Thu 17, Sat 19, Sun 20
21 to 23 DecemberMon 21, Tue 22, Wed 23

Is this year’s? The page does not print a year beside the dates. It was last updated on 26 October 2026, according to the centre’s own website data, and the dates fall on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends in the 2026 calendar. In 2025 the same dates would have started on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so we are confident these are this year’s.

What is not published yet: the price, the length of a visit, whether children get a present and how booking works. The centre says to “book your slot”, so expect timed slots rather than queueing. We will add the details when booking opens.

Weekdays before the 21st are Tuesdays and Thursdays only, so for a school child the realistic choices are the six weekend days, the Tuesday and Thursday after-school hours up to 5pm, or the last three days before Christmas.

Getting to the Bentall Centre

The centre has entrances on Clarence Street, Fife Road and Wood Street, and the nearest bus stops are outside the Wood Street entrance. Kingston station is about three minutes’ walk away, its getting here page says.

Its own car parks A and B are ticketless and take card payment only. The parking page gives these tariffs:

Stay Price
Up to 1 hour £3
1 to 2 hours £5
2 to 3 hours £7
3 to 4 hours £9

Parent and child spaces are in Car Park A on level 8. Parking is free on Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm, which falls after the grotto closes. For the council’s car parks and the alternatives, see our page on parking in Kingston, and check Kingston roadworks and travel before you set off on a December Saturday.

Chessington World of Adventures: Father Christmas, 21 November to 24 December

Chessington’s Christmas page lists “Selected dates – 21st Nov – 24th Dec”, with tickets from £32 a person online. Father Christmas’s grotto is the fourth stop in the Christmas Village, after the Elf Welcome, Letters to Father Christmas and Cookie Corner, and before the Toy Workshop.

Two things catch people out, both from Chessington’s own FAQ:

  • You only meet Father Christmas with the Christmas Village and Theme Park ticket. The cheaper Theme Park only ticket, from £24, does not include the grotto.
  • You pick a time slot for the village when you book. The Christmas Village is not open between 27 December and 3 January.

Children under 90cm go in free. Every open date, the resort hours, the panto and the rides that are shut are on our Chessington at Christmas page.

Save The World Club: Christmas grotto, Saturday 19 December

The Kingston charity Save The World Club has listed its STWC Christmas Grotto 2026 for Saturday 19 December, 2pm to 6pm, at The Circulatory, its warehouse at 18 Southsea Road, KT1 2EH. The listing says only: “Join us for a wonderful Yule time and Christmas celebration.” It gives no price and no age guidance, so check the listing before you go. Buses 71, 281, K2 and K3 stop at Surbiton Crescent, a short walk away.

What about the Christmas market and the lights?

The Kingston Christmas Market opens in the Ancient Market Place on Thursday 12 November and runs to 3 January. Its website lists cabins, food, a bar, choirs and bands, but no grotto. Kingston town centre has no official lights switch-on event; the borough’s switch-on is in New Malden, and our switch-on page has the detail.

For everything else on in the borough over the next six weeks, see what’s on in Kingston this month.

Questions

Is there a Santa’s grotto in Kingston town centre in 2026? Yes. The Bentall Centre’s Santa’s Grotto opens on 15 days between 1 and 23 December, 11am to 5pm.

How much is the Bentall Centre grotto? Not published yet. The centre’s page carries a booking button, but it did not link to a booking page on 29 October.

When is the earliest I can see Father Christmas near Kingston? Saturday 21 November, the first Christmas date at Chessington World of Adventures, with a Christmas Village and Theme Park ticket.

Is there a grotto between Christmas and New Year? Not at these three. The Bentall Centre’s last date is 23 December, and Chessington’s Christmas Village closes from 27 December.

Sources