A new Santa experience launches in Covent Garden, giving every child five minutes of one-to-one time with Father Christmas, and adults enter for free!
Grotto in the Garden launches this Christmas as part of Christmas in the Garden, bringing a new family-focused Santa experience to the heart of Covent Garden.
At the centre of the experience is a simple idea: quality time with Santa should be about the individual child.
Every child visiting Grotto in the Garden will enjoy five minutes of one-to-one time with Father Christmas, creating a personal experience where they can talk, ask questions and share their Christmas wishes.
And while the children are the stars of the moment, adults won’t be charged an entry fee to join them.
Each child will also receive a wrapped Christmas gift and a printed festive trail, encouraging families to continue their Christmas adventure beyond the grotto and explore Covent Garden’s famous festive decorations, lights and seasonal attractions.
This makes Grotto in the Garden more than simply a visit to Santa, it’s designed as a Christmas experience for the whole family.
Families can also choose to capture their visit themselves or add a special keepsake with a Golden Polaroid photograph, taken by one of Santa’s elves for £5.
THE MAGIC CONTINUES BEYOND THE GROTTO
Every Grotto in the Garden child ticket includes a printed self-guided festive family trail, designed to encourage families to explore Covent Garden at their own leisure.
The trail takes families through the area, passing its world-famous Christmas tree and showcasing the spectacular festive lights, seasonal shopfronts and Christmas pop-ups.
Families can follow the trail at their own pace, turning a visit to Santa into a full Christmas day out in the heart of London.
MEET MS. CLAUS: SANTA’S DAUGHTER
What was it really like growing up at the North Pole with Father Christmas for a dad?
Children can discover the answer in Meet Ms. Claus: Santa’s Daughter, an interactive storytelling experience revealing what life was like growing up surrounded by reindeer, elves and Christmas magic.
Ms. Claus will share stories about her childhood, family Christmas traditions and some of the little secrets of the North Pole.
But this isn’t simply a storytelling session for children to sit and listen to.
Ms. Claus will invite children into the conversation, asking them about their own Christmas traditions and celebrating the different ways families make Christmas magical.
The experience also includes a festive activity for children to enjoy and take away from the experience.
SANTA PAWS: CHRISTMAS ISN’T JUST FOR KIDS
This Christmas, dogs are invited to meet Santa too. Families can bring their four-legged friends along for a festive visit with Santa Paws; with or without children.
Every dog will receive a gift from Santa, along with a printed festive trail featuring paws marking dog-friendly stops along the route.
Families can then enjoy a festive meander through Covent Garden, stopping along the way for a drink or bite to eat knowing that their four-legged companions are welcome.
Because Christmas magic isn’t just for kids.
DESIGNED FOR FAMILIES TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER
The full Grotto in the Garden experience has been created by Piazza Productions to encourage families to spend time together rather than simply visit a grotto and leave.
Combining a personal Santa experience with interactive storytelling, festive activities and a self-guided trail through one of London’s most iconic Christmas destinations, the experience is designed to turn a short visit to Santa into a whole family Christmas adventure.
Alicia Edwards, Events Director at Piazza Productions, said:
“We wanted to create something that captures what meeting Santa is really supposed to feel like: magical, personal and completely centred around the child.
“Five minutes might sound short, but when those five minutes belong entirely to your child, it can become an incredibly special memory.
“We also wanted Grotto in the Garden to be much more than a traditional grotto visit. Families can meet Ms. Claus and discover what it was like growing up at the North Pole with Santa as a dad, explore Covent Garden with our festive trail and, of course, bring their dogs along too.
“Christmas is about coming together, and that’s exactly what we wanted to create.”
