Christmas at Chatsworth

Pre-booked ticket event

All tickets must be booked in advance.

All tickets will be scanned on entry. Please be ready to present your ticket on arrival at the car park. 

View an overview of availability here (opens PDF). Please note this is offered as a guide only and is updated weekly, it is not a live view.

Event details

9 November 2024 - 5 January 2025

…there’s a Christmas meal tonight
and Lion wants to go too
but Lion has no invitation,
what’s a little lion to do?

Immerse yourself in a Christmas feast for the senses as the magic and wonder of a new festive story, Henry and the Lion's Christmas Feast, created in partnership with Joseph Coelho OBE, inspires the sights, smells, and sounds of this year’s Christmas at Chatsworth experience.

Young Henry Cavendish, budding experimental scientist and grandson of the 2nd Duke of Devonshire, is searching for the legendary Chatsworth lion, while the lion is on the hunt for a delicious Christmas feast! 

Join them, and a mischievous menace of mice, as you travel through over 20 rooms* in the house, each filled with festive decorations, twinkling lights, and surprises designed to ignite your imagination and encourage you to see things from a new perspective. 

Watch Joseph Coelho read his new festive story here.

In the garden – entry included with your Christmas at Chatsworth ticket

Follow an interactive light trail that takes in some of Chatsworth's best-loved garden landmarks. The trail culminates in an animated projection on the house inspired by Chatsworth's history and collections, and our new festive story. 

Last entry is one hour before close. Please note that the projection will finish approximately 20 minutes before the garden closing time.

At the farmyard and woodland adventure playground – entry included with your Christmas at Chatsworth ticket

The farmyard will be dressed for Christmas with decorations and lights. Meet our friendly farm animals and take part in guinea pig cuddling sessions. There will be Christmas crafts and children can explore our woodland adventure playground. 

Last entry is 4.30pm, one hour before closing.

What is included in the ticket?

Christmas at Chatsworth tickets provide entry to the house, garden, farmyard and adventure playground on the day of your visit.

One car parking space is included per transaction.  If you require additional car parking spaces, please add these to your booking before you check out. Please note, every car included in your booking will need a copy of the booking confirmation and QR code to be scanned on arrival.

If you are visiting Chatsworth in a larger group, you may wish to consider making separate transactions for those travelling in separate cars. You can still visit all together, just remember to choose the same house entry time for each booking.

We have car park capacity for a small number of pre-booked accessibility mini-buses each day. Please call the booking office on 01246 565430 to check availability and book in. Please note that we cannot accommodate mini-buses that have not pre-booked.

Ticket information

All tickets must be booked in advance, including Friends and pass holders.
Please read our Important Information before booking.

Christmas at Chatsworth tickets include:

- admission to the house
- admission to the garden
- admission to the farmyard and playground
- one car parking space per transaction

If you visit between 9 November and 1 December inclusive, your ticket also includes access to the Christmas market.

You can arrive at Chatsworth at any time after 9am on the day of your visit. View opening times.

Prices

Adults: from £32.00

Children (3-16 years): from £8.00
 
Children aged 2 years and under do not require a ticket.

A full calendar showing the ticket prices for each day will be displayed at the start of the booking process. 

An overview of current availability can be viewed here.
Please note, this is updated weekly, it is not a live view.

Parking charges also apply for blue badge holders.

‘With donation’ and ‘without donation’ ticket prices

When you book online, you will have the opportunity to add a small donation to the Chatsworth House Trust charity to your booking.  

If you select the 'with donation' ticket option and you are a UK taxpayer, you can add Gift Aid to your booking at no extra cost. Gift Aid allows the Chatsworth House Trust charity to claim an additional 25% from the government. All income from ticket sales, donations and Gift Aid goes to the charity to be reinvested in the preservation and improvement of Chatsworth.

Important Information - please read

Visits during 9 November to 1 December

If you visit from 9 November – 1 December inclusive, your tickets include access to the Christmas Market (the market runs from 9 Nov - 1 Dec).

Over this period, parking arrangements will be different to those you may be used to. As well as in the main car park, cars will be parked on trackway across the parkland and we will be operating a tractor and trailer shuttle service between shuttle stops and the house car park.

During periods of wet weather, the trackway and immediate areas may become slippery and muddy. We recommend you wear sturdy shoes suitable for walking on uneven ground and in muddy and wet conditions. We will not take responsibility for any damage to footwear. You may also wish to have access to a torch.

The tractor and trailer shuttle service is wheelchair accessible. Visit our accessibility web pages for more information. 

View a map of parking arrangements during the Christmas market here.

Visits from 2 December to 5 January

If you visit from 2 December to 5 January inclusive, your tickets do not include access to the Christmas Market (the market runs from 9 Nov - 1 Dec).

Over this period, cars will be parked in the main car park with some overflow parking within short walking distance on parkland or trackway. During periods of wet weather, the trackway and immediate areas may become slippery and muddy.

We recommend you wear sturdy shoes suitable for walking on uneven ground and in muddy and wet conditions. We will not take responsibility for any damage to footwear. We recommend you have access to a torch.

Opening and entry times

Our opening times vary over the Christmas and New Year period. You can view a full list of house, garden and farmyard opening times, including last entry times, here: View opening times.

You are welcome to arrive at Chatsworth any time after 9 am on the day of your visit. Our garden, farmyard and playground, and many of our shops and restaurants open at 10 am. 

If you choose a house entry time of 4.30 pm or later, we recommend you visit the garden light trail before you enter the house so you have enough time to enjoy the full experience. 

Unless you are entering the garden from the house, last entry to the garden is one hour before closing. Our light trail takes approximately 45-90 minutes to experience and is best viewed from dusk. 

Please note that the projection may finish 20 minutes earlier than the garden closing time so please allow plenty of time to complete the trail. The Orangery shop and Flora’s café will close when the garden closes. 

About Joseph Coelho OBE

Joseph Coelho is a best-selling, multi-award winning children’s playwright and author of over 45 books.

His The Boy Lost in The Maze was the winner of the 2024 Carnegie Medal for writing and has received international acclaim appearing on the White Raven Book list - Munich, The IBBY UK Honour Books List and awarded The Extraordinary Book of 2023 by The International Children's Literature Festival of Berlin. Joseph was the Waterstone's Children’s Laureate 2022 - 2024.

The illustrations featured on this page are by Vivien Mildenberger and are taken from Henry and the Lion's Christmas Feast, a new story by Joseph Coelho OBE, available in Chatsworth Gift Shops and online shop from mid October.

Watch Joseph Coelho read Henry and the Lion's Christmas Feast here:

Christmas at Chatsworth FAQs

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*Select rooms on the upper floor of the house, including the State Bedrooms, will be closed for annual conservation during Christmas at Chatsworth.