The £1 Santa's grotto at The Sidings, Waterloo
Next dates
A visit to Santa that won't cost a fortune? Yes please! Santa's Grotto is returning to The Sidings at Waterloo Station this Christmas, with a free gift for every child and just a £1 booking fee per child, which goes towards presents for children at Evelina London Children's Hospital. There are free Christmas craft workshops too, so you can squeeze in a bit of festive creativity while you're there.
Santa's Grotto and Christmas Craft Workshops at The Sidings
Date: Saturday 28 November to Thursday 24 December 2026
Cost: Santa's Grotto is free, with a £1 booking fee per child. Christmas craft workshops are free.
Location: Upper ground floor, by the escalators, The Sidings, Waterloo Station, London, SE1 7BH
5 minutes walk from the London Eye, 10 minutes walk from Big Ben
Meet Santa at The Sidings
Santa and his elves will be welcoming families into their festive grotto, where children can meet Father Christmas, tell him what's on their Christmas list and receive a free present.
The £1 booking fee per child goes towards buying gifts for children at Evelina London Children's Hospital, so it's a lovely little outing that also supports a good cause.
Free Christmas craft workshops
There's more happening in the run-up to Christmas, with free craft workshops running from 11am to 4pm on six dates in December.
Each session has a different activity:
Saturday 12 December: Make your own Christmas card.
Saturday 19 December: Create a mini Christmas wreath.
Monday 21 December: Decorate and fill a Christmas bauble.
Tuesday 22 December: Make a decoration using wooden shapes and pipe cleaners.
Wednesday 23 December: Decorate a wooden 'Santa Stop Here' sign.
Thursday 24 December: Make your own reindeer food.
There's also a letter-writing station and postbox on all six workshop dates, so children can get their Christmas wishes off to Santa while they're there.
Good to know before you go
The Grotto is on the upper ground floor of The Sidings, close to the escalators, so it's easy to combine with a visit to Waterloo.
You can book up to four children in one reservation. Tickets are non-refundable, but bookings can be rescheduled before your visit if another slot is available.
Booking is recommended, particularly as Christmas gets closer. The booking calendar shows which dates still have spaces.
Book your visit to Santa at The Sidings
For the full craft workshop programme, see The Sidings' official Christmas event information
