Winter Wonderland's grotto at Norfolk Showground is £26.15 a child, weekends from 21 November plus 21 to 24 December. Jarrold's 2026 grotto is still to come.
The first Norwich grotto with confirmed 2026 dates and prices is Santa’s Enchanted Grotto at Winter Wonderland Norwich, on the Norfolk Showground. It opens at weekends from Saturday 21 November and every day from 21 to 24 December, at £26.15 for the first child. Jarrold, the city-centre department store, has not yet announced its 2026 grotto.
The quick answer
- Winter Wonderland Norwich, Norfolk Showground (NR5): grotto open Saturdays and Sundays from 21 November to 20 December, then daily 21 to 24 December.
- Price: £26.15 per child, including up to two adults and a gift. Extra children £15.70. Booking is essential; the organisers say it will sell out.
- Jarrold, London Street: 2026 dates and price not yet published. In 2024 it ran from 2 to 24 December at £10 a child.
Santa’s Enchanted Grotto at Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland Norwich runs at the Norfolk Showground on Dereham Road from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Admission to the site is free, but it must be booked, and the grotto, ice rink and rides are paid extras (Winter Wonderland Norwich).
The grotto visit starts at “Elf HQ”, follows a lit path with photo stops, and ends in a private audience with Father Christmas. Each child gets a gift, this year an exclusive 2026 Winter Wonderland bear. Personal cameras and phones are not allowed inside; the site’s own photographers sell pictures on the day (Winter Wonderland Norwich, grotto).
| Ticket | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Child | £26.15 | Up to two accompanying adults, and a gift |
| Additional child | £15.70 | Gift; must be booked with a child ticket |
| Additional adult | £5.25 | Admission only |
| Infant | Free | Admission only, no gift |
Groups can be no larger than eight.
Grotto hours:
- 21 November to 20 December: Saturdays 11.15am to 7.15pm, Sundays 11.15am to 6.15pm. The grotto is weekends only in this period.
- 21 to 23 December (Monday to Wednesday): 11.15am to 7.15pm.
- Christmas Eve: 11.15am to 5.15pm.
The wider site opens weekends only in November, then daily from 1 December except Christmas Day, with weekday hours of 4pm to 9pm (10pm on Fridays) until 20 December (Winter Wonderland Norwich, dates and times).
Getting there
The Norfolk Showground is off the A47 at the A1074 Longwater interchange. The postcode for sat nav is NR5 0TP. Konectbus service 4 and First’s Excel buses stop outside (Winter Wonderland Norwich, find us). Watch for the A47 Easton roadworks nearby; see Norwich roadworks.
Also at Winter Wonderland
Ice skating costs £14.10 for a child and £16.70 for an adult off-peak, or £47.55 for a family of four, with skate hire included. There are SEND skating sessions from 4pm to 7pm on Thursdays 26 November and 3, 10 and 17 December (Winter Wonderland Norwich, skating). An adults-only “Grinchy’s Grotto” comedy takeover runs on two nights, 15 and 19 December.
Jarrold, London Street
Jarrold’s grotto is in the toy department on the third floor of the London Street store. Its 2026 dates and prices have not been published; the store’s old grotto booking page now returns an error.
In 2024 the grotto ran from Monday 2 to Tuesday 24 December, cost £10, booking was essential and each child received a gift from Father Christmas, according to the Norwich Lanes Association’s listing of the event (Norwich Lanes). In 2022, Jarrold’s own announcement gave a price of £8.50 per child, with ten-minute slots for up to four children and two adults, and said accompanying adults did not need a ticket (Jarrold).
More for Christmas in Norwich
- Norwich Christmas market: Christkindl Market, Chapelfield Gardens, 11 to 20 December.
- Christmas lights switch-on: Thursday 19 November.
- Pantomime and Christmas shows.
- Norwich Cathedral at Christmas.
Still to be confirmed
Jarrold’s 2026 grotto dates, times and price. In 2024 its listing was online by 13 November, so expect the details in early to mid November. We will add them then.
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