Santa will be making new stops at the Science and Industry Museum this festive period.
This Christmas, visitors can meet the man himself as he arrives on the platform of the museum’s iconic Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery, bringing gifts, listening to Christmas wishes and spreading trainloads of festive cheer on selected dates from Saturday 21 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026.
See Power Hall’s historic locomotives illuminated in Christmas colours, brightening the path towards Santa’s festive setting. Be welcomed by his helpful elf, before meeting Father Christmas among hundreds of twinkling lights, classic Christmassy decorations, festive projections and the sound of carols, creating a magical backdrop for a special visit.
Tickets are £15 per child and include up to two accompanying adults. Every ticketed experience includes:
· A meeting with Santa
· A special gift worth upwards of £12
· The opportunity to get a picture with Father Christmas and his elf (please note these are to be taken by accompanying parent/guardian)
· 20% discount in the museum’s café and 10% discount in its shop on the day of visiting.
During Santa’s visits, guests to the museum can also enjoy winter crafting activities, as well as opportunities to discover the science behind snowflakes and the wonder of light during festive demonstrations.
Tickets to meet Santa must be booked alongside a free museum admission ticket, meaning visitors can also extend their visit by enjoying the magic of the museum in winter.
The Science and Industry Museum’s Power Hall is a particularly fitting place for Santa to make a stop. Originally built as a shipping shed for the world’s first inter-city steam-powered passenger railway, it was a place where goods arrived, were handled, packaged and sent on their way across the country and beyond.
This Christmas, the historic space will once again become a hub for deliveries, but this time it will be Santa bringing the gifts for guests.
Today, Power Hall is home to one of the UK’s largest collections of working machinery and locomotives. Visitors can also discover the machines that powered everything from cotton mills to chip shops, electricity generators to railways, and perhaps even toy workshops in the North Pole!
Santa and his helpful elf will be greeting visitors on:
· Saturday 21 – Sunday 22 November
· Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 November (relaxed morning and extended time with Santa Sunday 29 Nov)
· Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 December
· Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December (British Sign language interpreted afternoon on Saturday 12 December.)
· Wednesday 16 – Wednesday 23 December (relaxed morning and extended time with Santa Friday 18 Dec)
Saturday 21 November and Wednesday 23 December will be supercharged with even more Christmas cheer as the museum welcomes classic Victorian-costumed carol singers to add to the magical atmosphere.
From Saturday 19 December – Sunday 3 January, everyone who visits the museum can also enjoy hands-on crafts, engaging demonstrations and illuminating activities all themed around winter. More details to follow nearer the time.
Gina Cooke, public programme producer (and part-time elf) at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “Manchester is always a magical place around Christmas, and we’re so excited to be adding to this by bringing the opportunity to meet Santa to the city centre. It’s going to be a festive experience with a difference, where the magic of Christmas meets Manchester’s industrial past.
“Power Hall was once a place full of deliveries, so it makes sense that it’ll now be receiving its own very special delivery from the North Pole! It’s going to be a really unique opportunity to feel festive among our world-class collection of locomotives and working machinery, and the gifts Father Christmas gives his guests have been inspired by this, chosen to encourage problem solvers, creators and engineers of the future.”
Tickets are £15 per child, which includes two accompanying adults. Visitors will be asked to provide the ages of the ticketed guest when booking so elves can select a suitable gift. Find full details on the Science and Industry Museum’s website and book your Father Christmas experience today, alongside a free museum admission ticket (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/father-christmas-at-the-museum).
Listing information: Meet Father Christmas at the Science and Industry Museum
Various dates from Saturday 21 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026
£15 per child (including 2 free adults)
Experience includes:
Meet Santa and his helpful elf
Snap a picture with him
Gift (valued upwards of £12)
See the locomotives in Power Hall lit up in festive colours
20% café and 10% shop discount
Book alongside yourfree museum admission
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