November might feel a way off right now but it fills up fast. By the time it arrives, the clocks will have gone back, the evenings will be dark by mid-afternoon and half-term will already feel like old news. The month has its own character though; it isn’t just a run-up to Christmas. Bonfire Night opens things up in the first week, Diwali follows soon after and there’s a nice mix of new openings, theatre and days out to get through before anyone starts talking about Santa.
A few of this year’s highlights are brand new. Warner Bros. Discovery is opening its biggest Harry Potter shop on Oxford Street and Alexandra Palace has expanded its fireworks night into a full weekend with a family-focused Sunday. Further afield, Leicester’s Diwali celebrations on the Golden Mile are among the biggest outside India and the first of the festive light trails and markets, from York to Northumberland, start switching on too.
Layer up, grab a flask and get something fixed in the diary because half the fun of November is having somewhere to head to before the nights fully close in. Here’s what’s worth a visit in England this November.
Jump ahead…
Family things to do in London
Family things to do in South East England
Family things to do in South West England
Family things to do in West Midlands
Family things to do in East Midlands
Family things to do in East of England
Family things to do in Yorkshire & The Humber
Family things to do in North West England
Family things to do in North East England
Alexandra Palace Fireworks
London
Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone Festival
Where: Alexandra Palace
When: 7 and 8 November 2026, gates open at 4pm
Cost: From £11.50
This year’s event has grown into a full weekend, with a giant bonfire, drone show, funfair rides and ice skating alongside the fireworks, all set against a proper view over the London skyline from the top of the hill. Saturday leans more grown-up, with a German beer festival and a headline DJ set, while Sunday is the family-focused day, with an earlier display, a kids’ rave and a singalong hosted by Shaun Williamson from EastEnders.
Harry Potter Oxford Street shop
The UK’s biggest Harry Potter Shop opens on Oxford Street
Where: The Ribbon, 134 to 140 Oxford Street
When: Opens 4 November 2026
Cost: Free to enter, browsing only
The new flagship shop is inspired by Diagon Alley, spread across two floors, with a full-sized Knight Bus, a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon overhead in the Gringotts area and a Leaky Cauldron cafe serving Butterbeer in several forms. There are exclusives you won’t find in any other Harry Potter shop, including a dedicated Oxford Street wand and Funko Pop. It costs nothing to walk round, so it’s a good one to fold into a day out in the West End even if you’re not planning to buy anything and it lands right as the Oxford Street Christmas lights usually go up.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Where: Hyde Park
When: From 19 November 2026
Cost: From £5.50
More than 150 rides, attractions and shows, including a Magical Ice Kingdom built from 500 tonnes of ice, the UK’s largest open-air ice rink, a new K-pop Dragon Circus and a 70-metre observation wheel for views back over the park. It’s busy and it’s big, easily a half day out on its own, so it’s worth deciding what matters most to your family and buying tickets for specific attractions before you arrive rather than trying to do everything.
Wundrful World of Christmas at Immerse LDN
Where: Chapter 5, Immerse LDN, ExCeL London
When: 13 November to 24 December 2026
Cost: Children from £24.90, adults from £29.90 (off-peak), under-1s free
This 50-minute walk-through is made for ages 3 to 8. It starts with a simulated lift ride to the North Pole, then takes little ones through an Enchanted Forest, the Elves’ Workshop and Mrs Claus’s cottage before they meet Santa and every child gets a gift. New this year is the Elves’ Playground, a Christmas village with light installations, gentle rides for younger children and food and market stalls. Entry to the village comes with your ticket but the rides and food cost extra.
South East
Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular
Where: Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent
When: 7 and 8 November 2026, 2pm to 8pm
Cost: From £20
A full production of music, lasers and fireworks over the castle and its moat, with the maze, adventure golf, bird of prey centre and a funfair all open for the weekend alongside food and drink stalls and live music. The castle closes to everyone except event ticket holders for the weekend, so it’s worth booking rather than turning up on spec.
Legoland Windsor
Christmas at LEGOLAND Windsor
Where: LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, Berkshire
When: Selected dates from 21 November 2026
Cost: From £34 per person
Twenty-plus rides stay open alongside festive shows including an Elf Training Academy and a Nutcracker-themed marching band, a giant DUPLO Christmas tree, and the chance to meet LEGO Santa and take part in a Build to Give workshop. Miniland gets its own festive makeover too, with its miniature UK landmarks strung with lights. Booking online rather than turning up saves a significant amount, so it’s worth sorting in advance and short break packages with the resort hotel are available if you want to make a weekend of it.
South West
Bath Christmas Market
Where: Streets around Bath Abbey
When: From 26 November
Cost: Free to browse
More than 150 wooden chalets thread through Bath’s Georgian streets and squares, selling crafts, decorations, gifts and food from local makers, with the honey coloured stone and the Abbey lit up behind the stalls. It only runs for a couple of weeks rather than the full run up to Christmas, so it’s one to pin down early if you’re planning a weekend away, and it pairs well with a visit to the Roman Baths or a walk along the Royal Crescent.
The Gruffalo Live on Stage
Where: Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe, Devon
When: 21 and 22 November 2026
Cost: From £15
A 55-minute stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s picture book, aimed at ages 3 and up, told through songs, puppetry and a fair amount of audience participation, with no interval to worry about if you’ve got a wriggly toddler. It’s a gentle introduction to live theatre for children who haven’t been before. It’s also touring to Worcester, Watford, Chesham, Brighton, Peterborough and Manchester, so it’s worth checking if it’s stopping somewhere nearer you.
West Midlands
Warwick Castle
Christmas at the Castle, Warwick Castle
Where: Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
When: From 21 November 2026
Cost: Light trail from £17, ice skating from £8
Half a million lights cover the castle’s 64 acres of grounds, with an open-air ice rink beneath the towers, Stories with Santa, a winter birds of prey display, a pantomime and a festive food village to wander round afterwards. Santa sleepovers are available for families who want to make a full overnight trip of it, with an elf wake-up call and presents included.
Christmas at Alton Towers
Where: Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire
When: Selected dates from late November 2026
Cost: Day visits typically £18 to £22
CBeebies Land and a handful of family-friendly rides stay open for shorter festive days, with a visit to Santa’s Grotto and pantomime entertainment built into the overnight sleepover packages, alongside a Christmas dinner and the usual waterpark and golf on the departure day. It’s a calmer, more toddler-suited alternative to the resort’s usual thrill ride reputation.
East Midlands
Diwali on Leicester’s Golden Mile
Where: Cossington Recreation Ground and Belgrave Road, Leicester
When: Sunday 8 November 2026
Cost: Free
Leicester puts on one of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside India, with live music and dance on stage, food stalls selling traditional sweets, arts and crafts, a children’s funfair and the Wheel of Light back on Belgrave Road, plus rangoli displays at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre.
Christmas at Chatsworth House
Where: Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
When: From 7 November 2026
Cost: From £12
Chatsworth dresses the house top to bottom for the season and fills the grounds with a market of wooden chalets selling gifts, food and drink, set against the backdrop of the Peak District. This year’s theme is due to be announced in mid-September. The farm shop and adventure playground are both worth building into the day if the little ones need to burn off energy afterwards.
East of England
Hogwarts in the Snow
Where: Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Leavesden, Hertfordshire
When: From 14 November 2026
Cost: From £58
The Great Hall gets the full festive treatment with floating candles and Christmas trees, the model of Hogwarts is covered in filmmaking snow and there’s a new Backlot Stage reveal for 2026 showing how the films’ sound effects were made using old fashioned foley techniques. A trip to the Butterbeer Bar is included in the ticket price and it’s worth budgeting a full half day for the visit.
Seal pupping at Winterton and Horsey
Where: The coast between Waxham and Winterton-on-Sea, East Norfolk
When: Late October to early January, with November the peak pupping season
Cost: Free
Around 3,500 seal pups are born along this five-mile stretch of coast each season and in some weeks up to 3,000 adult seals haul up on the beach. Watch from the coastal path above Winterton Beach or follow the circular trail at Horsey for views across the whole colony, with a pub at either end for a warm-up afterwards. Wrap the kids up well, bring binoculars and keep your distance so the mums aren’t disturbed.
Yorkshire & The Humber
York at Christmas
York Christmas Market
Where: Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, York
When: From 12 November
Cost: Free to browse
If you want to get ahead on the festive stuff, York’s market is one of the earliest to open, with wooden chalets selling crafts, decorations and food from around the world through the city’s cobbled streets. Pair it with a wander down the Shambles, home to a shop that sells Christmas decorations all year round, and the market sits right alongside York Minster if you fancy combining it with some history.
Santa Express at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Where: Pickering Station, North Yorkshire
When: 28 and 29 November 2026, with more dates in December
Cost: From £29.50 per person
Santa and his elves are on board this hour-long steam trip from Pickering to Levisham and back. This year there’s a new show from Wise Owl Theatre starring Gingersnap, a gingerbread character who arrives on a baking tray after a kitchen mishap. Every child goes home with a gingerbread man plush and a festive book. There’s plenty to keep them busy at the station too, from the Naughty or Nice Scanner and fete games to a post station for letters to Santa.
North West
Lanterns and Light at Chester Zoo
Where: Chester Zoo, Cheshire
When: 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Cost: From £12
Chester Zoo after dark, with glowing lantern installations, suspended jellyfish, fibre optic tunnels and animal character performers scattered through the grounds, plus a soundtrack created in partnership with Sony Music and the usual fairground rides and festive food stalls. Quiet Hour sessions are available on selected dates for children who prefer a calmer visit, and popular time slots tend to sell out, so it’s worth booking a specific evening rather than leaving it open-ended.
Blackpool Illuminations
Where: Blackpool seafront, Lancashire
When: Until 3 January 2027
Cost: Free
Blackpool’s famous seafront lights cost nothing to see and this year there are new light-up artworks from three female artists. One of them is Toyah Willcox’s Wishing Star, which comes with its own song inspired by her childhood trips to Blackpool. Once you’ve taken in the lights, head to the new South Beach Street Food hub next to the Pleasure Beach for something warm to eat.
North East
The Alnwick Garden Winter Lights
Where: The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei, Northumberland
When: 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, 4.30pm to 9pm
Cost: From £11.50 on saver dates, up to £20.50 at peak times
One ticket covers both the illuminated trail through the garden and Lilidorei, the indoor fantasy village next door, so it’s an easy one to build a full evening around without needing to plan a second stop. Visitors arrive at an allocated entry time rather than turning up whenever, which keeps the crowds more manageable than some of the bigger trails further south. Dogs aren’t allowed on site other than assistance dogs, worth knowing if you usually bring the family dog along.
Christmas at Beamish
Where: Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham
When: 21 November to 24 December 2026
Cost: From £16
Beamish goes all out for Christmas. There are Georgian decorations at Pockerley Old Hall, a miners’ Christmas in the 1900s Pit Village and a wartime celebration on the 1940s Farm. In the 1950s Town, the kids can browse the old-fashioned toy shop and the Edwardian streets are full of bakery treats and sweet shops. Father Christmas has his grotto at Rowley Station Goods Yard – grotto tickets have to be booked online before you go because you can’t buy them at the museum.
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you book or purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.
