See Santa free at Banbury's lights switch-on on 29 November, at The Mill's Dear Santa from 14 December for £18, or at Bicester's garden centre from £22.
Three Santa visits in the Banbury area are confirmed so far. The free one is Father Christmas at the town’s lights switch-on on Sunday 29 November. The Mill’s show Dear Santa, from 14 December, ends with a grotto visit and a gift for £18. Bicester Avenue garden centre’s grotto is already on sale, from £22 for one child and one adult.
The quick answer
- Free: Father Christmas at the Christmas lights switch-on, Banbury Market Place, Sunday 29 November, 11am to 6pm.
- Dear Santa at The Mill, Monday 14 to Thursday 24 December, £18 a ticket, with a grotto visit and a gift after the show.
- Santa’s Grotto Experience at Bicester Avenue garden centre: £22 for one child and one adult, about 30 minutes, gift included.
The options side by side
| Where | When | Price | Gift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas lights switch-on, Banbury Market Place | Sunday 29 November, 11am to 6pm | Free | Not stated |
| Dear Santa, The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury | Monday 14 to Thursday 24 December | £18 a ticket | Yes, for every child |
| Santa's Grotto Experience, Bicester Avenue garden centre | Dates shown when you book | From £22 for one child and one adult | Yes, chosen by the child |
Father Christmas at the lights switch-on
Banbury Town Council’s switch-on is on Sunday 29 November, from 11am to 6pm, in the Market Place. The council says that every year it invites “a special guest from the North Pole to welcome everyone to the event”.
This is a stage appearance at a busy public event, not a booked one-to-one visit. The council has not said what time he appears. The fireworks are planned for 5pm. More on the day is on our Christmas lights switch-on page, and the stalls are covered in Banbury Christmas market.
Dear Santa at The Mill
Dear Santa is a 50-minute stage show for ages one and up, at The Mill Arts Centre on Spiceball Park. After each performance children meet Santa in his grotto, and the theatre says every child receives a gift.
- Dates: Monday 14 to Thursday 24 December
- Times: 10am, 10.30am, 1pm, 1.30pm or 4pm, depending on the day
- Price: £18 a ticket, with £1.50 off each when you book four or more
- Babies: babes in arms go free
- Box office: 01295 279002
You cannot book the grotto on its own. It comes with the show. The rest of the theatre’s December programme is on our Banbury pantomime and Christmas shows page.
Santa’s Grotto Experience, Bicester Avenue
The garden centre on Oxford Road, Bicester, OX25 2NY, has its grotto on sale now. The visit lasts about 30 minutes. Children mix reindeer food, meet Santa one to one, choose a gift in the “Present Room” and decorate a gingerbread biscuit.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| One child and one adult | £22.00 |
| Two children and two adults | £40.00 |
| Three children and two adults | £60.00 |
| Four children and two adults | £80.00 |
| Additional child | £19.50 |
| Baby under 12 months | £6.99 |
| Additional adult | £3.50 |
Photographs are extra, at £8.99 or £13.99. The ticket page shows the available dates and times only once you start a booking, so we cannot list them here. The garden centre’s number is 01869 208 160.
Castle Quay: nothing listed yet
Castle Quay shopping centre had no grotto or Christmas event on its what’s on page when we checked on 28 September. Its normal opening hours are 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays. It has not published Christmas hours.
Also in the diary: Bicester’s Santa Fun Run
Bicester Town Council’s 2026 events schedule lists a Santa Fun Run on Sunday 6 December, 10am to 1pm. The venue is still shown as “to be announced”.
Still to be confirmed
- Castle Quay’s Christmas programme, if there is one. We will check again in early November.
- Session dates at Bicester Avenue, which the ticket site shows only during booking.
- The Santa Fun Run venue in Bicester.
If you are driving in, see parking in Banbury and the current roadworks.
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