Powderham's Christmas light walk opens on Sunday 29 November and runs to 30 December. Tickets £11 adult, £8.80 child, grotto £11.95, parking £5.50 a car.

Powderham Castle’s Christmas is on sale. Christmas at the Castle opens on Sunday 29 November 2026 and runs every evening until Wednesday 30 December, with a 2.5km light trail through the grounds, a grotto in the Great Barn and, on the December weekends and the week before Christmas, a daytime version with shows and circus workshops. Everything below is from Powderham’s own Christmas site, read on 12 October 2026.

The quick answer

  • When: evenings from Sunday 29 November to Wednesday 30 December, 4.15pm to 8.30pm, last entry 7.30pm. Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
  • Daytime: 10am to 4pm on 5, 6, 12, 13 and 18 to 24 December.
  • Price: £11 adult (17+), £8.80 child (3 to 16), under 3s free. Day and evening tickets cost the same.
  • Extras: grotto £11.95 per child, Castle Experience £5.50 adult and £3.30 child, parking £5.50 per car.
  • Where: Powderham Castle, Kenton, EX6 8JQ, on the A379 south of Exeter. The Stagecoach 2 bus stops at the gate.

Is Christmas at Powderham on in 2026?

Yes. Powderham’s own events listing gives 29 November to 30 December 2026, and its Christmas site says tickets are on sale now (powderham.co.uk, christmasatpowderham.co.uk). Booking is by date and a 30-minute arrival slot, and the castle warns that the busiest dates go first.

By night: the light walk

Every evening ticket is a Christmas Light Walk ticket. Powderham describes it as around 2.5km through the grounds and past the lakeside, with the castle lit in colour ahead of you, and says most families take a couple of hours over it (By night).

  • Gates: 4.15pm. Arrival slots run every 30 minutes from 4.15pm to 7pm.
  • Last entry: 7.30pm. The lights go off at 8.30pm.
  • Ground: the main routes are surfaced and level, but some of the walk is grass, “which can be soft after rain”.

By day: shows and circus fun

Christmas by Day runs from 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm, on Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Saturday 12, Sunday 13 and Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December. Powderham says more dates will follow as each is confirmed (By day).

  • Two Christmas shows a day, at 10.30am and 1.30pm, each about 30 minutes.
  • Circus workshops on and off through the day, to drop into.
  • A Christmas trail, letters to Father Christmas and colouring.
  • The new Festive Marquee, with undercover seating and local food and drink traders.

The day ticket costs the same as the evening one, and once you are in you can stay until 4pm.

Prices

Ticket Price
Adult (17+) £11.00
Child (3 to 16) £8.80
Under 3 Free
Carer Free with a full-paying visitor, add when booking
Dog Free, but needs a ticket
Castle Experience, adult / child £5.50 / £3.30
Grotto, per child £11.95
Car parking pass £5.50 per car

Blue Light Card holders and Powderham members get 10% off admission, the Castle Experience and parking, but not the grotto or workshops. The code has to go in when you book. Tickets are non-refundable, but you can move to another date up to 48 hours before your visit (christmasatpowderham.co.uk).

What a family of four pays: two adults and two children aged 3 to 16 come to £39.60 for admission. Add £5.50 for parking and £23.90 for two grotto tickets and it is £69 before food, the Ferris wheel (charged on the day) or the castle.

Father Christmas in the Great Barn

The grotto is in the Great Barn, not the castle, so you do not need a Castle Experience ticket to see him. Grotto tickets are £11.95 per child and include a gift; up to two adults go in free, and babies under 1 can go in with an older sibling without a ticket, but only children with a ticket get a gift (Grotto).

Father Christmas is not there every day. Powderham’s 2026 grotto dates:

  • Daytime: Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, and Saturday 19 to Thursday 24 December (Christmas Eve).
  • Evenings: Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 December, Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 December, and Wednesday 16 to Wednesday 23 December.

You book a 15-minute window to arrive in, separate from your admission slot. For the other grottos around the city, including Winter Wonderland, Crealy and Darts Farm, see our Santa’s grotto in Exeter page.

Dates that differ

Powderham’s own table of exceptions (Plan your visit):

  • Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December: light walk as usual, but the castle is closed inside. Pick another date for the Castle Experience.
  • Thursday 24 December, Christmas Eve: the light walk closes early at 7.30pm, last entry 6.30pm. The grotto is daytime only.
  • Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December: closed.
  • Thursday 31 December: closed. The event ends on 30 December.

Getting there and parking

Powderham is about eight miles south of Exeter on the A379 at Kenton, and its travel page is unusually frank about the options (Getting here).

  • Bus: the Stagecoach 2 from Exeter Bus Station through Exminster stops at the Castle Gates stop, two minutes’ walk from the entrance. Powderham warns that evening buses are less frequent, so check the last 2 home before you go.
  • Train: GWR to Starcross, from Exeter Central or St Davids, roughly hourly. It is a 20-minute walk from the station, or one stop on the 2.
  • Car: a parking pass is £5.50 per car, booked with your tickets. Powderham says parking sells out on the busiest dates and that if it has, you should come by public transport “rather than chancing it”. Evening passes are printed with 4.15pm whatever your arrival slot. From the car park it is about 300 metres to the entrance. Use EX6 8JQ and then follow the event signs, not the sat-nav.
  • Blue Badge: accessible parking is close to the entrance, but you still need a parking pass; choose the Accessible option when you book.

The A379 through Exminster and Kenton is the route most drivers will use. Check our roadworks and travel page before you set off, and for parking in the city itself, see parking in Exeter.

Also at Powderham before Christmas

The Michaelmas Fair fills the castle with Christmas gift stalls on Thursday 5 November, 10am to 3pm, in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund. Early bird tickets are £3.50 until 5pm on 4 November, then £5 on the door, with free parking on site (powderham.co.uk).

Frequently asked questions

When does Christmas at Powderham 2026 start?

Sunday 29 November 2026, with the evening light walk. The daytime sessions start on Saturday 5 December.

How much is Christmas at Powderham?

£11 for adults aged 17 and over, £8.80 for children aged 3 to 16, and free for under 3s, by day or by night. Parking is £5.50 per car and the grotto £11.95 per child.

Can you take dogs to Christmas at Powderham?

Yes. Dogs are welcome across the grounds, inside the castle and in the grotto, on a short lead. They go free but need a ticket when you book.

Is Christmas at Powderham open on Christmas Day?

No. It is closed on 25 and 26 December, closes early on Christmas Eve, and finishes on 30 December.

Sources

Details change. Check Powderham’s own pages before you travel.