Bournemouth Christmas market with kids: a plan

Taking children to Bournemouth Christmas market is easiest with a loose plan: a few things booked ahead, the free parts timed around them. Christmas in Bournemouth runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 across Bournemouth Square and the Lower Gardens, and the organisers have built much of it around families. This is how we would spend a weekend day there with a primary school child.

What to book before you go

Entry is free, but four family favourites are ticketed and, the organisers warn, can sell out:

• Story Time with Santa, a 30-minute session in Santa's Workshop by Santa's Express, overlooking the bandstand. Limited spaces; book in advance. Our Story Time guide covers how it works.
• The Christmas Tree Maze, 300 illuminated trees with clues to collect on the way round. See the maze.
• Mini golf, 18 Christmas-themed holes. Before 5pm it is a family daytime course; after dark it becomes Glow Golf.
• SKATE Bournemouth, with toddler and family sessions and skate aids. Weekends and school holidays fill fast.

Tickets on the day are sold only where availability allows, and a late arrival may lose its slot, so leave a margin between bookings.

A weekend day, in order

11am, the Square. The market opens and the Christmas characters, fairies, elves and an "Elsa", are out from 11am to 1pm, and again 2pm to 4pm, every Saturday and Sunday. Photos are free.

Late morning, the booklet. Pick up the Christmas booklet at the Alpine Lodge, Santa's Workshop, the maze, the golf or the rink. It has puzzles, jokes, a trail map and clues and secret letters to find across the site. Hand it in at Santa's Workshop or the Alpine Lodge, or submit the answers online; one family wins a prize at the end of the season. Our kids trail guide has the detail.

Lunch. The food stalls in the market include a hog roast and hot chocolates. Everything is card or contactless only.

Afternoon, the gardens. Do your booked slots here: Story Time, the maze, daytime golf or a family skate. In between, the rides and games need no pre-booking: Santa's Express, Santa's Sleigh Park, the sleigh ride simulator, "Control the Lights", the prize stalls and the Big Wheel.

4pm, snow on the trail. On Friday to Sunday the giant trees on the trail snow at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm, the organisers say. The Alpine Lodge balcony snows at 2pm, 5pm and 7pm on those days.

5.30pm, Santa on the stage. After his workshop sessions Santa tells a free festive story on the Square stage next to the Alpine Lodge. The organisers have not listed which days he appears, so check before you promise it.

Then walk the Festive Trail once it is fully dark, which in December is well before teatime.

Practical notes for parents

• Toilets, including accessible ones, are on site and nearby, the organisers' FAQ says.
• It is outdoors and carries on in most weather: pack gloves and waterproofs.
• Some attractions have access restrictions; check each experience page before booking.
• Weekday afternoons in term time should be calmer than weekends, though that is our expectation rather than anything the organisers publish.

For more beyond the market, the Bournemouth Guide's Bournemouth with kids and our own family activities guide cover the rest of the year, and the guide's Christmas Tree Wonderland page has the event listing.

Staying with a family

A long Christmas day in the gardens ends with tired children, so staying close helps. Flexiestays' apartments are on the West Cliff, about ten minutes on foot from the Square, so nobody has to sit in traffic after the snowfall. Self check-in means no queue at a desk when you arrive, and the holiday stays page shows availability over the school holidays.