Lapland UK must be one of the biggest visit Santa experiences.  Located halfway between Bracknell and Ascot in Berkshire, this is more than just a Santa’s grotto and last year they launched a second Lapland in Cheshire.

When do Lapland Ascot and Manchester 2026 tickets go on sale?

Bookings will open for Lapland 2026 in both Ascot and Manchester will open at 10 AM on Friday 27th March

The experience starts before you even arrive with a personalised wax sealed letter inside an invitation box.

Lapland UK is a 4 hour journey along the magical pathways of the Elven World. It includes activities along the way such as helping the Toy Factory Elves make a toy for Father Christmas’ Sleigh, decorating gingerbread with Mother Christmas, reindeers and more.

The magical Christmas experience culminates in reaching the snow-covered, cosy log cabin home of Father Christmas for your heart-warming personalised and truly memorable meeting.

How Much is Lapland UK 2026?

The other question often asked is if Lapland UK is worth it?  At the end of the day it’s all relative, tickets are expensive so it’s really depends on how much you’re prepared to pay for an experience.  If you go in November and on a weekday the prices are less than on the key dates as you get closer to Christmas.   Prices are the same for a child or an adult.

Prices below are for 2026 and it’s important to note that these are the starting from prices on the day.  They usually apply to the 8am slot and get more expensive for more popular time slots through the day.

It’s also worth taking into consideration the age of your children.  Are they young enough to believe but old enough to really enjoy the full experience.   Lapland UK tickets go on sale from Friday 27th March 2026 and if it’s anything like previous years, they will sell out quickly.

Lapland Ticket Booking 2026

Bookings will open for Lapland 2026 in both Ascot and Manchester will open at 10 AM on Friday 27th March.  There’s are separate queues for Ascot and Manchester so make sure you sign up to the one you’re interested in.

If this is your first time it can be quite overwhelming when you’ve got 1000s of people ahead of you and you just need to wait it out.  Be ready with a selection of dates and think about time slots in advance as you have a relatively short window to make your booking.

More slots are released later in the year around September so there’s usually still an option to book later in the year.

A few things You MUST do before you go

• Complete the Online Portal for the Magic Moment
• Add your children’s hobbies, achievements, and even tiny details. When Santa mentioned something my daughter had done recently, her face lit up with a big smile.
• Open the Invitation box alone first – remove all the adult bits and the Christmas Day postcard.
• You don’t need to put the box in the freezer as it says – I didn’t, and my daughter loved it just as much – it depends on how much time and magic you want from it and how you think your children will react.
• You don’t need to buy the elves’ hats – we just wore Christmas jumpers and headbands, there were plenty of people without them and a few people with them – so if you need to save money, do!
• Ordering jingles is a nice thing to do, but not a necessity… more about jingles later.

What to Bring to Lapland Ascot

• A small bag – you get given quite a lot of things as you do the activities, so always best to keep them safe.
• Snacks / packed lunch / water bottles / drinks – these are not technically allowed but there can be quite a bit of waiting around, I would recommend having some things on hand for hungry kids. Nobody noticed us eating our snacks and I saw other people too.
• Your phone for photos – photos are allowed, and there are some amazing photo moments.
• Warm clothes – it can be a bit chilly when you’re outdoors in the wooded area and if it’s been raining a lot you might want boots too.
• Thick socks for ice skating – we didn’t take any, but wish we had.

Jingles – Everything You Need to Know About Elf Money at Lapland Ascot

1 Jingle = £1

You can pre-book or buy on arrival but you don’t have to.  They give you your jingle coins in a little bag when you check in and you can spend them on the the usual gifts in the shops, cuddly toys, baubles, sweet shop as well as food and drinks.  However, you don’t need to buy them and can pay with card as you go around and if you do you can convert them back at the end.

We have lots more great ideas of Santa Grotto in Berkshire 2026 from the small and sweet (and less overwhelming) to bigger visit Santa experiences.