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We very much hope that Windsor and the Royal Borough will be the place where you will want to spend Christmas and New Year with your loved ones, whether you live locally or are planning a winter visit or short break. With a fantastic programme of special Christmas events all the family will enjoy, Windsor and the Royal Borough is the perfect place to celebrate the magic of the season. Share your Royal Borough festive pictures with us using #MyFestiveRoyalBorough.
It's here! Turn the pages on our 2023 Christmas eBrochure, your official guide to events and activities taking place in the Royal Borough this festive season!
Monarchs have celebrated Christmas at Windsor Castle since the 12th century, but it was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who introduced many of the Christmas traditions that we know today, like indoor decorated trees. While enjoying the festive season at the Castle, they were often seen ice skating and enjoying winter sleigh rides in the Castle grounds.
We can’t guarantee a carpet of snow but we can offer you a festive ice rink, winter horse-drawn carriages rides and a show-stopping 20-foot-high Christmas tree in Windsor Castle’s State Apartments!
Christmas tree in St George's Hall, Windsor Castle. Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Windsor and the Royal Borough is the perfect place to celebrate your Christmas and New Year, whether you are looking to plan a winter visit or a short break. Find the perfect place to stay and make your trip even more relaxing. Many of our local accommodation providers have fantastic overnight packages and Christmas dining experiences for you to choose from. Find out more about Christmas and New Year Special Offers at hotels, restaurants and attractions in the Windsor area. Let others attend to the details while you relax and get into the festive spirit.
Don't forget the wide range of food and drink options for that Christmas celebration with family and friends – the Royal Borough is full of wonderful restaurants, cosy pubs and tasty eateries! Check out some great festive eating and drinking special offers – including festive afternoon teas and parties – at our hotels and restaurants.
Great Fosters Festive Afternoon Tea
Discover Christmas shopping heaven in the Royal Borough: you are bound to track down the perfect present for even the most difficult person to buy for on your Christmas list. We have top high street names as well as some fantastic independent shops and Christmas markets; no wonder shopping is one of the top reasons for visiting us! For something a bit different get down to one of Norden Farm's Festive Markets, check out the unique gifts created by the ‘coopers’ at Craft Coop at Windsor and Maidenhead or head to The Savill Garden shop for beautiful homeware, toiletries and children's gifts from artisan suppliers.
Windsor Castle’s Christmas trees come from Windsor Great Park. Visit Windsor Great Park Christmas tree shop and pick up a beautiful tree for your own home; all their trees are grown in the UK with the majority of them grown on the Windsor Estate.
Shopping in The Savill Garden Gift Shop
Top free Christmas town centre events include our Christmas light switch-on events; family favourite the Windsor & Eton Living Advent Calendar which sees a 15-minute ‘performance’ at 6:15pm every evening from 1 to 24 December at a different venue in Windsor; and Carols on Castle Hill. A public gathering around the Christmas tree on Castle Hill dates back to 1949 when King George VI first had a tree installed as a gift to the town.
Scroll down to see our regularly-updated list of what's on this Christmas.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to see a live show. Choose from traditional pantomimes such as Aladdin at the Theatre Royal and Beauty and the Beast in Maidenhead, or family theatre such as Miki at Norden Farm. Scroll down to see our regularly-updated list of what's on this Christmas including concerts, music and dance.
Many of our attractions will be getting into the festive spirit including Christmas horse-drawn carriage rides with Windsor Carriages, perfect for a get together with friends and family.
Windsor Carriages Christmas ride
Join the folk at the Legoland Windsor Resort to make memories that will last a lifetime as they celebrate the most special time of the year with Legoland at Christmas. See the park transform into a winter wonderland, complete with twinkling lights, snow dusted trees, and of course a sprinkling of Lego magic!
Experience Windsor Castle at Christmas, decked with twinkling lights, garlands and shimmering Christmas trees to celebrate the festive season and this year's 675th anniversary of the Order of the Garter. The highlight will be the magnificent 20-foot Nordmann fir tree in St George’s Hall, taken from Windsor Great Park.
‘Tis the season for high-quality Jumps racing and festive fun at Ascot’s final race meeting of the year, the Howden Christmas Racing Weekend. Friday is the perfect day to enjoy thrilling racing, festive food and winter cocktails. While on Saturday, a top-quality card features the Grade 1 Howden Long Walk Hurdle, one of Britain’s most prestigious long-distance hurdle races. Off the track, there’s an abundance of seasonal fun for all with a range of festive entertainment set to delight racegoers of all ages. The traditional fairground rides and candle-lit carol singing with the Ascot Brass Band remain firmly part of the entertainment, and Father Christmas and his reindeer will be in attendance.
If you love the outdoors then there are plenty of parks and open spaces, perfect for walking off the seasonal excess! The Christmas holidays are the time to get outside for fresh air and exercise with friends and family. Explore Windsor Great Park, National Trust gems – such as Cookham, Runnymede and Cliveden – as well as stretches of the beautiful River Thames Path. Our parks, gardens and open spaces are the perfect place to walk or jog off the Christmas calories!
LEGOLAND® at Christmas
Our seasonal what's on events programme gets going in November as the countdown to Christmas begins when the lights are switched on in the Royal Borough’s towns and villages. You’ll find Christmas light switch-on events in Windsor, Eton, Maidenhead, Datchet, Eton Wick, Sunningdale and Sunninghill.
Windsor Great Park Illuminated
Enjoy a magical evening with family and friends as Windsor Great Park Illuminated returns for a highly anticipated third year to light up the festive season bigger, better and more dazzling than ever with a brand new trail design and spectacularly re-imagined installations. Experience a dazzling trail of colourful lights, lasers, projections, and holograms in Windsor Great Park. Floating water lilies, flower fountains and mythical creatures create a dream-like laser-scape through the trees. Takes approximately 1½ – 2 hours to walk, with cosy rest stops, food stalls and outdoor marshmallow toasting. A shorter 45 minute route is also available. Timed entry tickets sold in half hour slots from 4.30pm – 8pm (last entry is at 8.30pm). Book tickets here.
If you can't get crafty at Christmas, when can you? The festive season is the perfect time to try your hand at making your own decorations. This winter, we have top local florists keen to share their wreath-making know-how and to help you create a showstopper of a front door! Check out the wreath-making workshops and table centre academies below. And how about making your own lantern for Norden Farm's annual Lantern Parade? There are workshops for both adults and children.
Then sign up for the VisitWindsor enewsletter! We'll keep you updated on things to see and do in the local area by emailing you about eight times a year; you can unsubscribe at any time!
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The Copper Horse, Windsor Great Park
Number of results: 47
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Windsor
SOLD OUT - Come and join the excitement as the first floor of Daniel Department Store is transformed into a Christmas Kingdom and Santa returns to his Grotto this year!
Braywick Road, Maidenhead
It’s Christmas Eve in the North Pole and Mrs Clause is making final preparations to Santa’s sleigh before a crisis strikes!
Windsor
Bringing you the unforgettable sound of Christmas at Windsor Castle, these popular concerts are certain to fill you with festal cheer. The Choir of St George’s Chapel will be joined by Guards Brass* in a concert of sacred and secular seasonal…
Windsor
Christmas Tree Festival in Historic Church, with Christmas Stalls Coffee and Mulled Wine.
Cookham
Devine Flowers of Cookham run classes during November and December. Led by the wonderfully creative and entertaining Adam Garrett these classes are a fabulous way to kick off your festive season.
Ascot
Lapland 2023 is now sold out but you can sign up for the latest alerts for cancellations and 2024 ticket updates too. Based in Berkshire, LaplandUK is a festive family phenomenon hidden within The Crown Estate and a favourite of celebrities and…
Windsor
Windsor Royal Station are thrilled to announce a series of toe-tapping performances in the run up to Christmas
Maidenhead
St. Luke’s church is to hold its annual Christmas Tree Festival and church will, once again, be filled with real trees and twinkling lights – symbols of hope.
Windsor
Come along and join the Royal Free Singers and the United Reformed Church for an uplifting evening of Christmas Carols and music. Coffee and mince pies will be served in the interval.
Windsor
Join the team at Windsor Royal Station for Christmas shopping, a relaxed coffee/lunch/dinner whilst being entertained with Christmas music.
Saturday - British Airways Band and Signature Carol Singers.
Sunday - Bracknell & Wokingham Concert…
Windsor
Have you ever wanted to know a secret? A Christmas secret! Maybe you’d like to know where the fairy on top of the Christmas tree comes from, or why you never see a Christmas elf, or what exactly happened to Frosty the Snowman?
Marlow on Thames
As Christmas fast approaches and excitement builds, join us once again for our annual Christmas Opera.
Burnham
It’s party season and we think it’s time for fun for all the family! Join us on the 17th December to celebrate with Santa. Get your friends and family together for a boogie and bountiful buffet dinner.
Braywick Road, Maidenhead
This high energy pantomime is packed with belly laughing jokes, well-known hit pop songs, slapstick comedy and plenty of audience participation!
Maidenhead
Father Christmas will be arriving for a series of memorable breakfasts at Stubbings Café.
Maidenhead
Enjoy a wide array of plant-based and eco-friendly artisan stalls including amazing hot food, yummy cakes, tasty pastries, delicious deli, natural skincare, eco-friendly gifts, artisan goods and much more!
Maidenhead
The Albion Christmas Show is a seasonal mixture of carols, spoken word and humorous readings. It really is the perfect way to start your festivities.
Maidenhead
Peter Wright’s much-loved production for The Royal Ballet, with gorgeous period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, keeps true to the spirit of this festive ballet classic, combining the thrill of the fairy tale with spectacular classical dancing.
Windsor
The Let’s All Dance Ballet Company presents their family festive favourite, the perfect Christmas treat for all! Stunning dancing, lavish costumes, much loved music and crystal clear story-telling will young and old alike.
Holyport, Maidenhead
Though it's summer, the Snow Queen has caused an unexpected snowy spell. Her influence even extends to fooling young Knut into giving her his brother as a servant.
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