St Clare Hospice's Harlow grotto runs weekends 28 Nov to 20 Dec plus 21-22 Dec, £15 a child, book ahead. The Harvey Centre's £8 drop-in grotto is not dated yet.
Harlow has two Santa’s grottos worth knowing about, and they work in opposite ways. St Clare Hospice’s grotto at Harlow Garden Centre is booked in advance, costs £15 a child and has its 2026 dates out already. The Harvey Centre’s grotto in the town centre is cheaper at £8 in 2025 and needs no booking, but has not announced 2026 yet.
The quick answer
- St Clare Hospice grotto, Harlow Garden Centre: every weekend from 28 November to 20 December, plus Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December. £15 a child plus booking fee.
- Booking is essential for St Clare; last year’s sold out quickly.
- Harvey Centre grotto: 2026 dates not yet out. In 2025 it ran daily to Christmas Eve, £8 a visit including a gift, no booking.
St Clare Hospice’s grotto at Harlow Garden Centre
This is the hospice’s second year. Everything below is from St Clare Hospice’s grotto page, read on 25 September 2026.
- Where: Harlow Garden Centre, Canes Lane, Hastingwood, Harlow CM17 9LD, just south of the town. Free parking on site.
- When: every weekend from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 20 December, plus extra dates on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December.
- Price: £15 per child plus a booking fee. Each booking covers up to two adults; further adults pay £3 each at the door. Santa sees up to four children per visit, and larger groups should contact the hospice first.
- Included: a visit with Father Christmas, a festive activity, photo opportunities and a gift, with a donation to the hospice.
- SEND sessions: dedicated quieter sessions with sensory-friendly adjustments, booked separately.
- Access: wheelchair accessible; toilets and baby changing in the garden centre café. Dogs are not allowed in the grotto area.
The first year, in 2025, raised £9,500 and “sold out quickly”, according to the hospice’s figures reported by Your Harlow in January. If you want a particular weekend, book now.
The Harvey Centre grotto
The Harvey Centre has not published its 2026 grotto. Its 2025 announcement, carried in full by Your Harlow on 11 November 2025, set out how it worked:
| 2025 detail | What the centre said |
|---|---|
| Price | £8 a visit, including a meet-and-greet and a gift |
| Booking | None: “just drop in” |
| Monday to Saturday | 10am to 5pm, closed 1pm to 2pm for Santa’s lunch |
| Sunday | 11am to 4pm |
| Christmas Eve | 10am to 3pm |
| Dogs | Welcome to meet Santa every Tuesday and Wednesday |
| Photos | Sold separately |
One caution about that release: it said the grotto opened on “Wednesday 13th November”, but 13 November 2025 was a Thursday, so one of the two was wrong. In 2024 the grotto opened on 14 November at £6 a child, so the price rose by £2 last year. On that pattern a mid-November opening is likely again, but it is not announced. The centre’s own what’s on page is where the 2026 dates will appear, probably in early November.
Other Christmas dates in Harlow
- Harlow Christmas market, Broad Walk, 12 to 21 December, with the Light Up Broad Walk switch-on still to be dated: see our Harlow Christmas market page.
- Snow White, the Harlow Playhouse pantomime, 26 November to 3 January: see Harlow pantomime.
- Bin days and the tip over Christmas: Harlow Christmas bin collections and Harlow recycling centre.
Parking for the Harvey Centre is on our parking in Harlow page.
What is still to be confirmed
| Detail | Status on 25 September 2026 | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| St Clare grotto dates and price | Confirmed | Done |
| St Clare session times | Shown when booking | Now |
| Harvey Centre grotto dates, times, price | Not announced | Early November |
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