This festive season, join us for our Family Christmas takeover of Admiral’s House.   

Father Christmas and his granddaughter will be returning to the Old Royal Naval College to spread Christmas joy to Greenwich, with stockings full of yuletide charm.    

Gather around and the fireplace to meet Father Christmas, before receiving a special gift* and the opportunity to take your own photos with Father Christmas and his North Pole friends.   

To help make sure that every child feels the Christmas spirit and gets the most out of their visit, please read below to help you choose the right experience for you and your group. 

Standard sessions

Open to children of all ages and abilities. Each session lasts 40 minutes and includes a warm welcome from Father Christmas, a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas, a photo opportunity, and a gift. 

Dates:

• Saturday 19 December
• Sunday 20 December
• Monday 21 December
• Tuesday 22 December

*every 10.15 am session on these dates is a relaxed SEND friendly session

Sessions for Babies and Toddlers

For families with babies and toddlers, or children who would like a similar experience to the standard sessions but may benefit from a slightly quieter and gentler approach, we recommend booking our session for babies and toddlers, which is shorter, with a slightly reduced capacity, and includes calmer conversational elements. 

These sessions are recommended for little ones up to 4 years old. These sessions are shorter, at 30 minutes long, and have a smaller audience, so little ones don’t need to sit still for too long and there’s plenty of space for everyone to feel comfortable.  

This session still includes a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas, a photo opportunity and a Christmas gift. 

Dates:

• Saturday 28 November
• Sunday 29 November
• Friday 18 December

*every 10.15 am session on these dates is a relaxed SEND friendly session 

Father Christmas’s Workshop 

It’s very busy at the North Pole preparing for Christmas and sometimes Father Christmas likes to work somewhere a little quieter. So, this year he is spending a few days at Admirals’ House at the ORNC, but he hasn’t come alone. 

You will meet:  

Buttons and Baubles – The North Pole Tailors. Each child will make a unique and personal Christmas decoration that measures a moment in time. 

The Pole Star Dream Weavers – Learn what goes into making a Christmas Eve good night. Make your own dream with our dream weavers. 

The Reindeer Wrangler – Join Nenet Rangifer, Father Christmas’ chief reindeer wrangler and learn about how Father Christmas gets all around the world, how he appears in other cultures and what the North Pole complex actually looks like.  

And from there you will experience an Audience with Father Christmas. Enjoy a gentle chat and a story, then each family will have an opportunity for photos. 

Dates:

• Friday 4 December
• Saturday 5 December
• Sunday 6 December
• Friday 11 December
• Saturday 12 December
• Sunday 13 December

*every 9.30 am session on these dates is a relaxed SEND friendly session

Relaxed sessions

If you’d like to meet Father Christmas in a relaxed, SEND-friendly environment, these sessions are designed to be calmer and more accessible, with softer lighting, reduced noise, and fewer visitors on site. 

Please Note: Only the sessions between 28th-29th November and 18th and 22nd December include a gift given directly by Father Christmas. All the other dates include Father Christmas’s Workshop stations from where the children will be able to take their creations home. 

About Time Capsule TV 

Time Capsule TV (TCTV) is a multimedia-rich, inclusive and accessible digital learning platform. Launched in September 2023 by Time Capsule Video, it provides high quality, safe, contemporary educational TV programmes created to support the curriculum in the United Kingdom and beyond. 

Event T&C’s

Are tickets refundable? Tickets are non refundable and non exchangeable. Tickets are valid for the date and time shown on the ticket.  

Can I visit the Painted Hall on my ticket? Your ticket guarantees entry to the event only. If you wish to visit the Painted Hall, and the Peace Doves installation, you will need a separate ticket. There is a discounted ticket available for Elves and the Jingle Bell Ball ticket holders.  

Are there toilets close by? Yes, there are toilets available within the building, including an accessible one. 

 Is this a family only event? Yes, this event is destinated to families only. Please be aware that all children are the responsibility of adults accompanying them, so if you are booking for a larger group, please take this into consideration. No child can attend without an adult, and children must be supervised by an adult from your group at all times. 

 Can I bring along additional family members? All attendees must have purchased a ticket to this event. To add extra adults to your booking please email boxoffice@ornc.org at least 7 days before you are scheduled to come on site. 

Please note

• If you would like to take a photo of your own group, please note this must be done on your own personal device, there is no professional photographer. 
• Up to two adults per child ticket. We are unable to allow any additional adults in your group to join.  
• Pre-crawling babies/Babes in Arm require a ticket. If your pre-crawling baby is the only child in your group, you will need to book a paid ticket for them. If you have booked a child ticket, but also have a pre-crawling baby in your group, you can book a free companying pre-crawling Baby ticket at no extra cost, but does not include a gift. If you would like your pre-crawling baby to receive a gift, please book a paid ticket. We recommend looking at our specific Baby and Toddler Father Christmas sessions as they are geared towards our littlest visitors and offer a reduced ticket price.   
• Babies and Toddlers are welcome to book on to the standard sessions, but we recommend booking for the specific Baby and Toddler sessions as these are more geared towards our littlest visitors.  
• Father Christmas has to take good care of his knees to make sure he is in tip-top shape for Christmas Eve, so please be aware that children (including babies) may not sit on his lap.