Last updated 28 September 2026. Every date below is checked against the organiser's own page. Where a 2026 date has not been announced yet, we say so rather than guess.
Walton does Christmas properly, and without much fuss. One big day on the High Street, a handful of quieter evenings in church halls and old barns, and within fifteen minutes a palace, a racecourse and some of the best grottos in Surrey. Here is what is confirmed for 2026.
Walton's Christmas Festival of Light
Walton town centre, High Street and The Heart · Saturday 28 November 2026, 11am to 7pm · Free
The start of Christmas in Walton. A full lantern parade after dark, a Christmas market through the day and live entertainment on the High Street. Run by Love Walton, who say more details will follow; you can register your interest on their event page. Elmbridge Council has confirmed free parking in its car parks for the festival, so Drewitts Court, Ashley Park and Manor Road are the ones to aim for.
Go in the afternoon and stay for the parade. The lanterns are the whole point, and they only work once it is dark, which at the end of November is a little after four.
In Walton itself
Once Upon a Time in Pantoland
Cecil Hepworth Playhouse, Walton, KT12 1AU · Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 December 2026
Molesey Musical Theatre's panto, in the small playhouse on Hurst Grove. Evening shows at 7.30pm on Thursday and Friday, 1.30pm and 6.30pm on Saturday, and 2.30pm on Sunday. Tickets are on TicketSource, with child tickets for ages three to twelve. A proper local panto: close enough to the stage to be picked on.
Riverhouse Barn
Manor Road, Walton
- A Merry Swingin' Christmas with Sing That Swing! Saturday 5 December 2026, 8pm to 10pm.
- A Christmas Carol, a lunchtime concert for narrator, violin and piano. Wednesday 9 December 2026, 1pm to 2pm.
Book through Riverhouse Barn directly.
Santa's grottos nearby
Squire's, Hersham
Saturday 21 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, selected days
Squire's Magical Grotto at the Hersham garden centre, with a gift and reindeer food for each child. Squire's list the price at £14 per child in November and £17 in December, with the first two adults free. Bookings are non-refundable, so settle on your date before you book. Squire's also run a Quiet Grotto from 29 November to 21 December, which is worth knowing if the busy version would be too much.
Father Christmas at Garsons, Esher
14 November to 24 December 2026, selected dates
Weekends from 14 November, then every day from 30 November. £15.50 per child, booking essential, up to four children per booking.
Within fifteen minutes
Weybridge Winter Festival
St James' Church, Weybridge · Sunday 29 November 2026, 5pm to 7pm
Weybridge's evening at St James', the day after Walton's festival, so you can do both in one weekend.
Cinderella at Esher Theatre
Esher Theatre · 3 to 31 December 2026
The Esher panto, this year with Bobby Davro. Tickets through the theatre.
Elfmas at Claremont
Claremont Landscape Garden, Esher · 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, 10am to 3pm
A National Trust trail around the lake, free with normal admission. Good for a crisp morning walk with children who need something to find.
Christmas lunch at Brooklands
Brooklands Museum, Weybridge · Friday 11 December 2026, 10.15am to 3pm · £55 per person
A welcome drink, three-course lunch, entertainment and museum entry. Aimed at groups, and the museum advises booking early.
Shepperton Big Tree Night
Shepperton High Street · Wednesday 9 December 2026, 5pm to 8.30pm · Free
Just across the river. Santa with real reindeer, carols and stalls down the High Street, all run by volunteers. No tickets needed. The road closes from the afternoon, so walk if you can.
Hampton Court Palace
The ice rink runs from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the Festive Fayre is on 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December. Both need booking, and the rink sells out at weekends.
Boxing Day racing at Kempton Park
Kempton Park, Sunbury · Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026
The Christmas Festival, with the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. Tickets are on sale now, and under-18s go free on most Jockey Club racedays.
Expected, but not yet confirmed
These all ran in 2025. The organisers have not published 2026 dates on their own sites yet, so please check before you go.
- Weybridge Christmas Market. The organisers are calling for stallholders for Sunday 6 December.
- Hersham Village Christmas Market, All Saints Church Hall. The organisers have mentioned Sunday 22 November.
- Magical Molesey, Walton Road, East Molesey. Ran on 27 November 2025, 5pm to 7pm.
- Hersham Christmas lights switch-on. Ran on 6 December 2025 on the green. The Hersham Village Society closed at the end of 2025, and a new community group has taken over its events.
- Walton Parish carols. Carols by Candlelight at St Mary's ran on 14 December 2025, with a Christingle the week before.
We will update this page as the dates land. If you would rather be told, the signup at the foot of this page is one short letter a month and nothing else.
Coming home
The Festival of Light is a long, cold, lovely day, and the best part of it is getting back in. We leave a cordless lamp glowing in the front window before we go, so the house is lit when we come up the path, and there is a throw on the sofa for whoever gets there first.
If you are shopping while you are out, our Christmas gift guide is grouped by what you want to spend, and the Christmas gifting collection has everything in one place. Delivery in the UK is included.
For the wider area, see Christmas markets near Sunbury-on-Thames, and what to take to a Christmas market.