Amerton Farm's Santa visit is £27.49 a child on 11 December dates, Amerton Railway's Santa trains are booking now, and the Gatehouse runs two Santa shows.
If you want to see Santa in Stafford this Christmas, three places in the borough have published their 2026 visits so far, and two of them are side by side at Amerton, between Stafford and Uttoxeter on the A518. Amerton Farm’s Magical Christmas is £27.49 per child with a present the child chooses in Santa’s toy shop. Amerton Railway’s Santa Specials are a steam train ride to meet Santa, booked by the compartment. At the Gatehouse Theatre, two Christmas shows end with every child getting a present from Father Christmas.
The quick answer
- Amerton Farm: £27.49 per child, £14.99 per adult, on 5, 6, 12, 13 and 18 to 24 December. Pre-booked time slots, including a full day at the farm.
- Amerton Railway Santa Specials: bookings open now, tickets per compartment, hand-picked present for each child, mince pie and sherry for adults.
- Gatehouse Theatre: Santa’s Best Ever Christmas, 16 to 19 December, £16.50 to £18.50; The Gingerbread Boy, 12 and 13 December, £15.50. Both give every child a present.
Amerton Farm: A Magical Christmas
From the farm’s Magical Christmas page, updated on 10 September 2026.
Dates: the page lists 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, without naming the month. They fall on the weekends of December 2026 and then every day from Friday 18 to Christmas Eve.
What happens: children go “through the wardrobe” into the Sparking Studio for a puzzle trail with an elf called Tinker, then a one-to-one family visit with Father Christmas in his toy shop, where the child chooses any present to be “packed into Santa’s sleigh, ready for Christmas Eve”. After that there is a Frosty Funhouse with snow games and Santa’s sleigh, reindeer food to mix and take home, and the farm’s real reindeer.
Price:
| Ticket | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Child (any age) | £27.49 | Full experience, visit to Santa, gift, festive activities |
| Adult | £14.99 | Full entry to the experience |
| Under 6 months | Free | Not participating |
The ticket also covers a full day at the farm: the animals, a tractor ride and Billy’s Farm Barn indoor play.
The rules: maximum 10 people per group; arrive 15 minutes before your slot; bookings close at midnight the day before; on-the-day places only by phoning 01889 270794 and not guaranteed. Annual passes cannot be used for the Christmas event. Address: Amerton Farm, Stowe-by-Chartley, Stafford ST18 0LA.
Amerton Railway: Santa Specials
The heritage narrow-gauge railway next door is a separate charity, and its Santa Specials page says bookings for 2026 are open.
- Board a steam train at Amerton station and travel to “Toyland” to meet Santa.
- Each child gets a hand-picked Christmas present, chosen from the ages and genders you give when booking. Adults get a warm mince pie with sherry or orange juice.
- Each compartment gets a goodie bag with treats, colouring sheets, puzzles and pencils.
- You buy the whole compartment, not a seat per person. There is only one small, one large and one accessible compartment per train; the accessible one takes a wheelchair plus three adults.
- No same-day booking: online booking closes at midnight the night before.
The railway books only through its own FareHarbor calendar or on 01889 271337, and says it uses no other booking agents. Departure dates and compartment prices are shown in that booking calendar; the page names only “festive weekends”. Email santa@amertonrailway.co.uk for groups.
Gatehouse Theatre: two Santa shows
Santa’s Best Ever Christmas is in the MET Studio, and the theatre’s listing says it is most suitable for ages 2 to 8, with the voice of Chris Jarvis as Dasher the Reindeer. Every child receives a wrapped present from Santa after the show. Tickets £16.50 and £18.50.
| Date | Times |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 16 December | 1pm, 4pm |
| Thursday 17 December | 10.30am, 1pm |
| Friday 18 December | 10.30am, 1pm, 4pm |
| Saturday 19 December | 10am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm |
The Gingerbread Boy, also in the MET Studio, is a new Christmas story for ages 3 and up, 50 minutes long, followed by a chance to meet Santa, with a present for every child, per its listing. Tickets £15.50. Performances are on Saturday 12 December at 2.30pm and Sunday 13 December at 11am, 2pm and 4.30pm.
Box office: 01785 619080. The Gatehouse’s pantomime, Aladdin, runs from 4 December; see our Stafford pantomime page.
Still to be announced
- Stafford town centre. The borough’s 2026 Christmas lights switch-on date is not yet announced; follow our Christmas lights page.
- Shugborough. The National Trust has not yet listed its Christmas 2026 programme. Opening times are on our Shugborough winter page.
- Shopping centre grottos. We could not confirm any 2026 grotto in Stafford town centre from an organiser’s own page when we checked on 25 September.
Christmas markets are on our Stafford Christmas market page.
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