Southside's grotto opens 20 November at £7.50 a child, the power station's Santa's Workshop is now booking from 27 November, and BAC's opens 4 December at £15.
Wandsworth has three Santa’s grottos this Christmas, and they open on three different dates. Southside shopping centre is first and cheapest, from Friday 20 November at £7.50 a child. Battersea Power Station’s new Santa’s Workshop follows on 27 November, from £16.50, and Battersea Arts Centre’s grotto opens on 4 December at £15. Every detail below was read from the organisers’ own pages on 26 October 2026, and rechecked on 2 November.
Updated 2 November: Santa’s Workshop now has an event page and a booking page run by Immersive Octopus. Session times and prices load only in the booking system, so check them there.
The quick answer
- Southside, Wandsworth town centre: 20 November to 24 December, weekends only in November. £7.50 per child plus a £1.50 booking fee per transaction; adults free. On sale now.
- Battersea Power Station, Santa’s Workshop: 27 November to 24 December, an immersive trail ending with Santa. From £16.50. Booking now open.
- Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill: 4 to 24 December, 9.30am to 5.30pm. £15 per child plus a £2 order fee. On sale now.
- Booking: all three take pre-booked time slots. Southside is the only one that says it takes walk-ins, and only when there is room.
Southside, Wandsworth, from Friday 20 November
Southside’s grotto page says Father Christmas returns from Friday 20 November to Thursday 24 December, in a new spot this year, in front of Waitrose. Children share their wishes, look round the grotto and take home a gift.
- Price: £7.50 per child, plus a £1.50 booking fee per transaction. Adults go free with a paid child ticket.
- Booking: through bookfatherchristmas.co.uk. Walk-ins are welcome when there is capacity, but are not guaranteed.
- Slots: each one takes up to four children. There is no limit on adults, though the centre warns that more than four “may be a squeeze”. Groups with more than four children need extra slots.
- Cashless: photo gifts and keepsakes on the day can only be paid for by card or contactless.
- The grotto is pushchair friendly, and you can take your own photos.
It is not open every day. In November it opens on two weekends only, then runs most days in December:
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Fri 20 and Fri 27 November | 12pm to 5pm |
| Sat 21 and Sat 28 November | 10am to 6pm |
| Sun 22 and Sun 29 November | 11am to 5pm |
| Mon 23 to Thu 26 November, Mon 30 November to Wed 2 December | Closed |
| Thu 3 and Fri 4 December | 1pm to 7pm |
| Sat 5 December | 10am to 6pm |
| Sun 6 December | 11am to 5pm |
| Mon 7 December | Closed |
| Tue 8 to Fri 11 December | 11am to 5pm |
| Sat 12 December | 10am to 6pm |
| Sun 13 December | 11am to 5pm |
| Mon 14 to Fri 18 December | 10am to 5pm |
| Sat 19 December | 10am to 6pm |
| Sun 20 December | 11am to 5pm |
| Mon 21 to Wed 23 December | 10am to 6pm |
| Thu 24 December | 10am to 3pm |
The centre points after-school visitors to Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December, the two days Santa stays until 7pm.
Battersea Power Station: Santa’s Workshop, from 27 November
Santa’s Workshop is new for 2026. In its Christmas announcement the power station describes it as an immersive grotto that takes families on a route across the building, running from 27 November to 24 December. Families help the elves in rooms including a Post Room, where a Postal Elf is buried in letters, and a Toy Workshop, solving puzzles on the way. It ends with a visit to Santa, in a grotto set up for each family.
The power station said tickets would go on sale “from mid-October” with prices from £16.50. The power station’s event page went up at the end of October, confirming Friday 27 November to Thursday 24 December, with a “Book Now” link to Immersive Octopus’s ticket page. The session times, how long the trail takes and what each price covers are shown only inside that booking system, not on the power station’s own pages.
Santa also arrives at the power station on Sunday 22 November, abseiling down the building with his elves after a dance party in Malaysia Square. More on the season is on our Battersea Power Station at Christmas page.
Battersea Arts Centre, from Friday 4 December
Battersea Arts Centre’s Santa’s Grotto runs from 4 to 24 December, 9.30am to 5.30pm, in the old Battersea town hall on Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN.
- Price: £15 per child, and every order carries a £2 transaction fee.
- What happens: children share their wishes, get their name on the nice list and receive a gift from Santa.
- Arrive on time. BAC says that because of the number of bookings, it cannot guarantee a visit to Santa if you miss your slot.
- Suitable for all ages.
BAC runs two other Christmas events in the same building: Dear Santa, a show for ages 2 to 6 that ends with every child meeting Santa and getting a gift (from 28 November, pay what you can on the opening weekend, then £16.50 to £18), and a Festive Soft Play for under-5s from 1 December, £10 for one child and one adult. The £2 fee is per order, so book them together if you want more than one.
Which one to pick
- Cheapest and earliest: Southside, at £7.50 a child, from 20 November. It is shut on weekdays in November apart from Fridays 20 and 27.
- Biggest outing: the power station’s Santa’s Workshop, which is a trail rather than a single room, once it is bookable.
- Nearest Clapham Junction: Battersea Arts Centre, two minutes’ walk from the station.
Getting there
Southside fronts Garratt Lane in Wandsworth town centre. Battersea Arts Centre is on Lavender Hill, a short walk from Clapham Junction, inside a controlled parking zone, and Battersea Power Station has its own Northern line station. Read parking in Wandsworth before you drive. Check Wandsworth roadworks and travel for closures before a weekend trip.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Santa’s grotto in Wandsworth?
At Southside shopping centre, in front of Waitrose, from 20 November; at Battersea Arts Centre on Lavender Hill from 4 December; and at Battersea Power Station, where Santa’s Workshop runs from 27 November.
How much is Santa’s grotto at Southside?
£7.50 per child plus a £1.50 booking fee per transaction. Adults are free with a paid child ticket.
Is Santa’s grotto at Southside open every day?
No. In November it opens only on the weekends of 20 to 22 and 27 to 29 November. From 3 December it opens most days, closed on Monday 7 December, until 3pm on Christmas Eve.
Can you book Battersea Power Station’s Santa’s Workshop?
Yes, since late October. Booking is through Immersive Octopus’s ticket page, linked from the power station’s event page. The power station has said prices start at £16.50.
We check these pages weekly. If you run a grotto in Wandsworth and want it listed, email hello@wandsworthnews.co.uk.
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