Looking for SEN-friendly Christmas events in London for 2026? From relaxed Santa’s grottos and autism-friendly pantomimes to SEND ice-skating sessions and Christmas circus performances, there are some wonderful festive experiences for children with additional needs this November, December and early January.
I’ve been searching for relaxed and SEND-friendly Christmas activities across London, so you don’t have to! Here’s my roundup, with dates, prices, sensory adjustments and booking links to make planning a little easier for families.
Last checked: 24 October 2026. Availability can change quickly, so please check directly before booking.
🎅 Relaxed Santa’s Grottos in London
🎄 London Museum Docklands – Quiet Santa Sessions
📍 West India Quay, East London
📅 Dates: 20 November – 23 December | 9:45am & 10am quiet sessions
🎟️ Price: From £15 per child | Adults free
💛 Reduced noise and background music, with sensory stockings available to support a calmer visit.
👉 Book London Museum Docklands
🎄 Woolwich Works – Quiet Santa’s Grotto
📍 Woolwich, Greenwich, SE18
📅 Quiet session dates:
- 28 & 29 November
- 5, 6, 12 & 13 December
- 19–23 December
⏰ Time: 10am
🎟️ Price: £13.50 per child | Adults free
💛 Dedicated quieter sessions, held first thing in the morning, with reduced capacity. Particularly suitable for children with additional needs who benefit from a calmer grotto experience.
👉 Book Woolwich Works Quiet Santa Sessions
🎄 Old Royal Naval College – Relaxed Father Christmas
📍 Greenwich, SE10 9NN
📅 Relaxed SEND dates:
- 28 & 29 November – 10:15am
- 4–6 & 11–13 December – 9:30am (Father Christmas’s Workshop)
- 18–22 December – 10:15am
🎟️ Price: From £15 per child for Meet Father Christmas, or £5 with eligible Universal Credit discount. Up to two accompanying adults free. Workshop prices vary.
💛 Softer lighting, reduced noise and fewer visitors for a calmer festive experience.
🎁 Children attending the Meet Father Christmas sessions receive a gift. Workshop sessions allow children to take home their creations.
👉 Check dates and book Father Christmas – act quickly, tickets are marked as LOW availability!!
🎄 Dobbies Woodcote Green – Santa’s Quiet Grotto
📍 Wallington, South London, SM6 0SU
📅 Dates: 4 & 8 December 2026
🎟️ Price: £15 per child
💛 A SEND-friendly grotto with no background music, twinkling lights switched off, fewer families per session and no queuing. Families can also view photographs of the grotto beforehand to help children prepare.
🎁 Includes festive activities, a meeting with Santa and a soft toy gift.
👉 Check Dobbies Santa’s Quiet Grotto availability
Please check the individual booking dates and remaining places directly.
🎄 London Zoo – Relaxed Penguin Feed & Santa
📍 Regent’s Park, NW1 4RY
📅 Dates: Selected dates in November and December
🎟️ Price: £40 per child, plus £20 per accompanying adult for the experience. Zoo admission is additional. Ages 3+.
💛 A relaxed festive experience combining a special penguin encounter with meeting Santa.
Please note: The standard relaxed Santa sessions are sold out, but the separate relaxed Penguin Feed & Santa experience is advertised for booking. Check remaining spaces before making plans.
👉 Book London Zoo Christmas Experiences
🎄 Morden Hall Park – Relaxed Father Christmas
📍 Morden, South London, SM4 5JD
📅 Dates: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 & 22 December
⏰ Time: 10–11am
🎟️ Price: £15 per child
💛 Dedicated relaxed sessions with fewer bookings and a calmer atmosphere. The grotto is wheelchair-accessible and the experience is suitable for children up to eight years old.
👉 Book Morden Hall Park Relaxed Santa
🎭 Relaxed Christmas Shows & Pantomimes in London
⭐ Sleeping Beauty – Harrow Arts Centre
📍 Harrow, North West London
📅 Relaxed performance: Wednesday 16 December | 1:30pm
🎟️ Price: From £19. Limited £5 tickets are also available to eligible Harrow residents receiving benefits.
💛 Relaxed and BSL-interpreted performance, with adjusted lighting and sound, a designated breakout space and additional space for wheelchair users.
⭐ Jack and the Beanstalk – Hackney Empire
📍 Hackney, East London
📅 Date: Saturday 5 December | 1:30pm
🎟️ Price: From £19 advertised
💛 Dedicated relaxed and BSL-interpreted pantomime performance, designed to offer a more flexible theatre experience.
⭐ Peter Pan – Polka Theatre, Wimbledon
📍 Wimbledon, Merton, SW19
📅 Public relaxed performance: Saturday 5 December | 11am
🎟️ Price: From £10, plus booking fee
👧 Recommended ages: 5–12 years
💛 A dedicated relaxed performance of this musical retelling of Peter Pan.
Polka also offers reduced-price access tickets and a free companion ticket for eligible access bookers.
Additional January 2027 school performances: 14 January at 1:45pm and 20 January at 10:15am are listed as relaxed school performances. Contact the theatre about eligibility and school bookings.
⭐ Pinocchio – Shakespeare’s Globe
📍 Bankside, Southwark, SE1
📅 Relaxed dates:
- Thursday 3 December | 11am
- Wednesday 23 December | 2:30pm
🎟️ Price: Seated tickets from £29 | Under-16s half-price on seated tickets
💛 Dedicated relaxed performances for audience members who benefit from a more flexible theatre environment.
⭐ Jack and the BeanSTEM – Charlton House
📍 Charlton, Greenwich, SE7 8RE
📅 Date: Sunday 29 November | 11am & 1:30pm
🎟️ Price: £10 per ticket | Free carer ticket with qualifying DLA or PIP evidence
⏰ Duration: Approximately 45 minutes
💛 A SEND-friendly pantomime incorporating Makaton and interactive sensory elements, with a sensory/quiet room and wheelchair access.
⭐ Cinderella – Fairfield Halls, Croydon
📍 Croydon, CR9 1DG
📅 Relaxed performance: Wednesday 30 December
🎟️ Price: £25 for relaxed-performance tickets
💛 Adjusted sound, lighting and effects, with freedom to move, make noise and take breaks.
⭐ Peter Pan – New Wimbledon Theatre
📍 Wimbledon, Merton, SW19 1QG
📅 Relaxed performance: Wednesday 30 December | 2pm
🎟️ Price: Check when booking
💛 Dedicated relaxed pantomime performance, with a more flexible and welcoming environment for children and adults with additional needs.
⭐ Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem – Theatre Royal Stratford East
📍 Stratford, Newham, E15 1BN
📅 Relaxed performance: Saturday 2 January 2027 | 12pm
🎟️ Price: £10–£41.50
💛 Dedicated relaxed performance with adjustments for audience members who benefit from a more flexible theatre experience.
Booking note: This performance is advertised as selling fast.
👉 Book Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem
⛸️ Relaxed & SEND-Friendly Ice Skating in London 2026
❄️ Somerset House – Relaxed Skate Sessions
📍 Strand, Central London, WC2R 1LA
📅 Relaxed dates and times:
- Sunday 22 November | 10am
- Wednesday 2 December | 11am
- Tuesday 8 December | 10am
- Sunday 3 January 2027 | 10am
🎟️ Price: Children from £11 | Adults from £13, plus booking fee. Prices vary by session.
💛 Reduced capacity, quieter music, an indoor chill-out space and children’s skate aids.
👉 Book Somerset House Relaxed Skating
❄️ Queen’s House Ice Rink – SEND Sessions
📍 Greenwich, SE10 9NF
📅 Advertised dates: Mondays, 23 November – 14 December | 3–4pm
🎟️ Price: Check when booking
💛 Dedicated calmer ice-skating sessions designed for visitors with additional needs.
Please note: The individual SEND dates and current ticket availability should be reconfirmed with the rink before booking.
👉 Check Queen’s House SEND Skating
🎪 SEND-Friendly Christmas Circus in London
✨ Fête du Puck – Revel Puck Circus
📍 Walthamstow Town Square, Waltham Forest, E17 7JH
📅 Dedicated SEND performances:
- Sunday 13 December | 5pm
- Tuesday 29 December | 5pm
🎟️ Price: Adults from £22 | Children aged 2–15 from £17
⏰ Duration: 100 minutes, including an interval
💛 Dedicated SEND performances with reduced sensory effects, adjustments to sound and lighting, and freedom to move and take breaks. Ear defenders are available to borrow.
The heated circus tent is step-free, with accessible toilets and wheelchair spaces available.
Good to know: Other performances are described as semi-relaxed, but the dates above are the dedicated SEND sessions.
🎁 Free SEND-Friendly Christmas Activities in London
✨ Winter SEND Family Fun & Info Day – Woolwich Works
📍 Woolwich, Greenwich, SE18
📅 Date: Saturday 12 December
🎟️ Price: FREE
💛 A festive event for children and young people with SEND, their families and carers.
👉 Woolwich Works Christmas Events
Check the organiser’s event page for any registration requirements.
❄️ Just Outside London: Quieter Christmas Ice Skating
Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink – Quieter Sessions
📍 East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU
📅 Dates: Daily at 10am, 20 November – 3 January (excluding Christmas Day)
🎟️ Price: Children from £13.50 | Adults from £18, with prices varying by date
💛 Reduced-capacity morning sessions, static lighting and softer music, offering a calmer alternative to standard ice-skating sessions.
These are quieter sessions rather than dedicated SEND-only sessions.
Although Hampton Court Palace is outside Greater London, it may be a convenient option for families in South West London.
👉 Book Hampton Court Palace Ice Skating
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SEN-Friendly Christmas Events in London
Are there relaxed Santa’s grottos in London for Christmas 2026?
Yes! London Museum Docklands, Woolwich Works, Old Royal Naval College, Dobbies Woodcote Green and Morden Hall Park have advertised quieter or relaxed Santa experiences for Christmas 2026. London Zoo also offers a relaxed Penguin Feed & Santa experience, although its standard relaxed Santa sessions have sold out.
Which London pantomimes have relaxed performances in 2026?
Relaxed Christmas performances include Sleeping Beauty at Harrow Arts Centre, Jack and the Beanstalk at Hackney Empire, Peter Pan at Polka Theatre and New Wimbledon Theatre, Jack and the BeanSTEM at Charlton House and Cinderella at Fairfield Halls.
There are also relaxed performances of Pinocchio at Shakespeare’s Globe and Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Are there SEND-friendly ice-skating sessions in London for Christmas 2026?
Yes! Somerset House offers relaxed skating sessions with reduced capacity, quieter music and a chill-out space. Queen’s House Ice Rink in Greenwich has also advertised dedicated SEND sessions.
Hampton Court Palace, just outside London, offers quieter morning skating sessions.
Are there SEND-friendly Christmas circus performances in London?
Yes! Revel Puck Circus has dedicated SEND performances of Fête du Puck in Walthamstow on 13 and 29 December 2026, both at 5pm.
Are there any free SEND-friendly Christmas events in London?
The Winter SEND Family Fun & Info Day at Woolwich Works on 12 December is advertised as free.
Some venues also offer concessions, access tickets or free companion tickets. Harrow Arts Centre has a limited £5 pantomime ticket scheme for eligible local residents.
What’s the difference between a relaxed performance and a SEND-friendly event?
Relaxed performances typically make adjustments to lighting, sound, audience capacity or theatre rules to create a more flexible environment. Visitors may be welcome to move around, make noise or take breaks.
SEND-friendly events may offer additional support, such as sensory spaces, visual guides, accessible facilities or specially adapted activities.
Adjustments vary between venues, so it’s always worth checking exactly what’s available.
Do I need to book relaxed Christmas events in advance?
Booking ahead is strongly recommended. Relaxed performances and quieter Santa sessions often have limited capacity and can sell out quickly.
If your child needs specific adjustments, contact the venue before booking to discuss their individual needs.
❤️ A note from London Autism Mum
Every child’s needs are different, and what works for one family might not work for another.
Please check accessibility arrangements, age restrictions, prices and availability directly with venues before booking. I’ve included the latest information available to me, but some individual sessions still need confirmation and remember- tickets go quickly in London!
I’ll keep sharing SEND-friendly London days out, relaxed experiences and accessible family activities throughout the year.
Save this guide and share it with another autism family who might find it helpful! ❤️
