Hopefield's pre-booked Santa's Grotto runs weekends from 28 November. Free Mrs Claus and Rotary grottos are on 21 November, and Shenfield's on 6 December.

Four Santa’s grottos are confirmed in Brentwood borough for Christmas 2026. The one that runs for weeks is at Hopefield Animal Sanctuary on Sawyers Hall Lane: pre-booked, on weekends from Saturday 28 November and on 21 to 23 December. On Saturday 21 November, during Lighting Up Brentwood, the Rotary Club of Brentwood runs a Santa’s Grotto at Schmidt Kitchens and Mrs Claus hosts a free grotto at Chicken and Frog Bookshop. Festive Shenfield has its own Santa’s Grotto on Sunday 6 December.

Updated 9 November: Hopefield Animal Sanctuary has published its 2026 Christmas experience, with Santa’s Grotto, so the borough now has a grotto open over several weekends. Chicken and Frog Bookshop has given times for Mrs Claus: 12pm to 3pm on Saturday 21 November for everyone, and a second, booked day for SEND families on Sunday 22 November. There are still no times or prices for the Rotary and Shenfield grottos.

The quick answer

  • Weekends from Sat 28 November, Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, CM15 9BZ: Santa’s Grotto inside a pre-booked Christmas experience, timeslots 9.30am to 3pm, plus “premium” dates on 21, 22 and 23 December.
  • Sat 21 November, Brentwood High Street: Rotary Club grotto at Schmidt Kitchens & Interior Solutions; free Mrs Claus grotto at Chicken and Frog Bookshop, 30 Crown Street, 12pm to 3pm, drop in.
  • Sun 22 November, Chicken and Frog Bookshop: Mrs Claus again, 12pm to 5pm, free, for SEND families only, booked by email. Santa arrives with the 11.45am Santa Parade.
  • Sun 6 December, Hutton Road, Shenfield: a Santa’s Grotto at Festive Shenfield, 12pm to 5pm.
  • Old MacDonald’s Farm has a roaming Santa, not a grotto, on its Christmas Journey days from 20 November to Christmas Eve.
  • Not yet published: times, prices and booking for the Rotary grotto on 21 November and the Shenfield grotto on 6 December.

The high street grottos come from Brentwood Borough Council’s announcement of 21 October 2026; the rest from the organisers’ own pages, checked on 9 November. (Brentwood Borough Council, 21 October 2026)

Lighting Up Brentwood, Saturday 21 November

The town’s Christmas lights day runs from noon to 6pm on the High Street and is free to attend. The council’s announcement lists two grottos for the day:

  • A Santa’s Grotto organised by the Rotary Club of Brentwood, “located at Schmidt Kitchens & Interior Solutions”.
  • A free grotto hosted by Mrs Claus at Chicken and Frog Bookshop, which is at 30 Crown Street.

The bookshop has since given the times. On Saturday 21 November, 12pm to 3pm, Mrs Claus’s grotto is free and open to everyone, with no booking. On Sunday 22 November, 12pm to 5pm, it is free for SEND families only, and you book a space by emailing info@chickenandfrog.co.uk. Every child gets a free gift while stocks last, and the shop says to be prepared to queue and wrap up warm. (Brentwood Connected, Mrs Claus’ Grotto at Chicken & Frog Bookshop)

Santa himself arrives with the Santa Parade, which sets off at 11.45am from St Thomas’ Road, led by Razzamataz Theatre Schools with the Rotary Club and Brentwood Connected businesses. The Mayor switches the lights on at 5pm on the Main Stage.

Nobody has said what time the Rotary grotto opens within the day, whether it charges, or whether it needs booking.

Two things make the day easier with small children. The Coptfold Road multistorey car park is free all day, paid for by the council. And the High Street itself is likely to be shut to traffic: in 2025 it closed from 8am to 8pm, and this year’s order has not been published yet. Our Christmas lights switch-on page has the full running order and will carry the closure when it lands, and parking in Brentwood covers the other town car parks.

Festive Shenfield, Sunday 6 December

The third of Brentwood Connected’s free Christmas days runs from 12pm to 5pm along Hutton Road. The council’s announcement lists “a Santa’s Grotto” alongside funfair rides, market stalls, live music, walkabout acts and free face painting. Shenfield’s Christmas Toy Trail, with five festive Jellycat toys to spot and win in shop windows, runs in the weeks before Christmas. (Brentwood Connected, Christmas)

As with the Brentwood day, no grotto times or prices have been published.

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, weekends from 28 November

The animal sanctuary at Sawyer’s Hall Farm, Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood CM15 9BZ runs “Christmas at Ho-Ho-Hopefield” on weekends from 28 November 2026, with 21, 22 and 23 December sold as premium dates. Everything is in pre-booked timeslots between 9.30am and 3pm.

The visit goes through a decorated Christmas Barn and a miniature Christmas Village to Mrs Claus, then Santa’s Grotto, where each child gets a gift, and a Toy Factory where children build a bear to take home. Children get gingerbread and hot chocolate, adults a mince pie and mulled wine, and the ticket includes ordinary admission to the sanctuary. (Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, Christmas at Ho-Ho-Hopefield)

The rules are strict, so read them before you book:

  • Your timeslot is when you must be at the Christmas Barn, not when you arrive at the sanctuary or meet Santa. Miss it and the sanctuary says it cannot fit you in.
  • Bookings are non-refundable and non-transferable.
  • Every booking needs at least one full-price child. Adult-only bookings, and bookings of only adults and under-2s, are refused. Under-12-months go free.
  • No family tickets: each person needs a ticket, because the elves collect each child’s name and age for Santa.
  • You can arrive from 10am to see the animals first; only the first slot (9.30am) may arrive earlier.
  • It is dog friendly, and you can buy a “Santa Paws” bag for the dog.

The sanctuary had not published Christmas prices in a form we could read when we checked on 9 November; they appear in its booking system. It says it has changed the grotto timings after feedback on last year’s waiting times. Phone 01277 201110.

Ingatestone Festive Fair, Sunday 29 November

Ingatestone’s festive day, 12pm to 5pm, has 30 market stalls at The Bell, music, face painting and the launch of the village Toy Trail. The council’s list for Ingatestone does not include a grotto, so do not plan a Santa visit around it unless one is added.

Old MacDonald’s Farm: Santa roams

The farm on Weald Road runs a paid Christmas event for young children, but it is not running a grotto. Its Christmas FAQ answers the question directly: “We will be having a roaming Santa where he will be making various special appearances throughout the day.” (Old MacDonald’s Farm, Christmas FAQs)

A Christmas Journey is open from 10am to 5pm on these days:

  • Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November
  • Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November
  • Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December
  • Friday 11 to Sunday 13 December
  • Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December, every day

Prices only appear on the booking site once you choose a date, and the farm says booking Christmas online early saves 35%. Our Old MacDonald’s Farm Christmas page has the detail.

Father Christmas at a concert

Hutton & Shenfield Choral Society’s Music for Christmas at the Brentwood Centre on Friday 4 December, 7pm to 9.30pm, promises carols, an audience sing-along and “a visit from Father Christmas”. Tickets are £20 for adults, £6 for children and students and £47 for a family, online or on the door. (Brentwood Connected listing)

What we could not find

  • Hopefield’s 2026 prices in a form we could read; they show in its booking system.
  • The Rotary Club of Ingatestone’s Santa’s Sleigh route for 2026. The club has toured Ingatestone, Margaretting and Mountnessing with its sleigh for more than 25 years, and the parish council carried its 2025 appeal on 3 December; nothing for 2026 yet. (Ingatestone & Fryerning Parish Council, 2025)
  • Any 2026 detail from the Rotary Club of Brentwood itself beyond what the council published.

If you run a grotto in Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton, Ingatestone or the villages, email hello@brentwoodonline.co.uk with the dates, times and price and we will add it.

Everything else on in the run-up to Christmas is in What’s On in Brentwood and Brentwood Christmas markets. Check Brentwood roadworks and travel before driving in on 21 November.

This page was checked on 9 November 2026 and will be updated as grotto times and prices are published.