Chiswick House has not announced Christmas 2026. Last year's Twelfth Night trail ran 21 Nov to 4 Jan from £14, with a grotto from £5. What to expect and when.
Chiswick House has not yet announced its Christmas 2026 event. We checked on 25 September 2026: the Christmas site, chiswickhousechristmas.com, still shows last winter’s dates and invites visitors to join its mailing list, and the house’s own what’s on listings have nothing festive.
Last year was the first time the house opened its rooms at Christmas. What it ran, and what it charged, is the best guide to what comes next.
The quick answer
No 2026 dates or prices yet. Last year “The Twelfth Night of Christmas” ran from 21 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, a 30-minute self-guided trail through the decorated rooms, from £14. Father Christmas’s Grotto ran from 29 November to 24 December, from £5, and buying both together saved 30%. The gardens stay free and open every day, 7am until dusk, all winter.
What ran last Christmas
The event was produced by Underbelly with CLW Event Design, inspired by The Twelve Days of Christmas and built around a Twelfth Night party thrown by Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (Chiswick House Christmas). Rooms were dressed with tableaux, sculpture and floristry, finishing in a banquet scene, with a mouse trail for children. The organisers say it was featured on Channel 4’s A Very British Christmas, and that every ticket helps fund the house.
Ticket prices were set by time slot (Chiswick House Christmas, tickets):
| Ticket | Super peak | Peak | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night, adult | £35 | £30 | £25 |
| Twelfth Night, concession (students, state benefits, NHS staff) | £29.50 | £25 | £23 |
| Twelfth Night, child under 12 | £18 | £16 | £14 |
| Grotto, child | n/a | £25 | £20 |
| Grotto, adult | n/a | £10 | £5 |
There was also a limited early bird discount of £10 off November slots, and booking the trail and the grotto in one transaction took 30% off automatically.
Father Christmas’s Grotto
The grotto was set in an 18th-century sitting room inside the house (Chiswick House Christmas, grotto). Children heard a Christmas story, got a small present and a photo opportunity. Families were asked to arrive ten minutes before their slot, and to do the grotto first if they had also booked the trail.
Access and getting there
- The house trail had no step-free access: the listed building meant stairs and spiral staircases. The grotto was step-free, by a ramp.
- The garden gates closed at 5pm during the event, so the organisers told anyone with a slot from 4pm to use the Great Chertsey Road gate on Burlington Lane.
- The car park, run by Hounslow Council, has 60 spaces including three Blue Badge bays, off the westbound A4. The organisers recommend public transport: Chiswick station is a 10-minute walk, Turnham Green on the District line about 25 minutes.
Last Christmas the council’s free parking days did not apply at the Chiswick House car park, which kept normal charges; our Christmas travel page has the details, and our parking page the rest of the year.
Chiswick House this winter
- The gardens are free and open daily from 7am until dusk, all year round (Chiswick House and Gardens).
- The house’s normal season ends on Sunday 27 September. Until then it is open Thursday to Sunday, 10.30am to 3.30pm; after that, the Christmas event is the only chance to see inside until next summer, group tours aside.
- The Duck Pond Christmas Market fills the driveway on 5, 6, 19 and 20 December, 10am to 3pm. Our Christmas markets page has every date.
- October half term brings a camp, an art workshop and a free gardening session; see our half term page.
What is still to be confirmed
- Whether the Christmas event returns in 2026, its dates and prices. The operator’s site is live with a mailing-list sign-up but no dates. Last year’s run began on 21 November, so an announcement is likely in October. We will update this page the day it appears.
- Grotto dates. Last year 29 November to 24 December.
Elsewhere in Chiswick this Christmas: the lights switch-on and the Tabard’s Treasure Island.
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