Christmas in Cramlington 2026

Christmas in Cramlington centres on two places: Manor Walks, where the shopping centre runs a light trail and a free grotto, and the old village around St Nicholas Church, where the Town Council puts up the big tree. Add a Santa's sleigh tour through the estates, a choir concert and some good winter walks, and there is plenty to fill December without leaving town. This guide lists the dates we have confirmed for 2026. Where something has not been announced yet, we say so rather than guess.

The 2026 dates at a glance

• Saturday 21 November to Thursday 24 December: Follow the Lights trail at Manor Walks (free)
• From Saturday 21 November: Santa's Grotto at Manor Walks, weekends until 20 December, then daily from 21 to 24 December
• Last weekend of November (usually): the village Christmas tree lights come on
• Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November, from 6pm: Santa's Sleigh Tour around Cramlington
• Saturday 28 November to Sunday 3 January: Christmas at Seaton Delaval Hall (selected days)
• Saturday 5 December, 3pm: Tinsel and Tidings concert with Rock Choir at St Nicholas Church

Manor Walks: the light trail and Santa's Grotto

Manor Walks runs a free Follow the Lights trail from 21 November to 24 December. There are eight illuminated stops around the centre, including a Santa Express and a giant walk-through bauble, and QR codes at the stops enter you into a prize draw. The trail is open during centre hours, which are 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday.

Santa's Grotto is in the Centre Mall next to Boots, from 10am to 4pm. It opens at weekends from 21 November to 20 December, then every day from 21 to 24 December. Visits are free, with donations going to The Sunshine Fund. Booking through Eventbrite is recommended; one booking covers up to three children, a visit lasts about five minutes and each child gets a Nice List certificate.

Santa's Sleigh Tour

Cramlington Town Council sends Santa's sleigh around the town on the evenings of Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November, starting from 6pm. The council says the route details are coming soon, so check its website and social media nearer the time to find out which streets it will cover each night.

The village Christmas tree and festive lighting

The Town Council provides a 25ft real Christmas tree in the village centre, dressed in white lights, near the war memorial on the green. It is usually switched on during the last weekend of November. There is no formal switch-on ceremony with a published 2026 date, so the tree simply appears lit; if you want to see it, an evening walk round the village after the sleigh tour weekend is a good bet.

The council also dresses a different set of roadside trees with lights each year. In recent years these have included trees at Seven Oaks park, on Station Road and on Dudley Lane.

Tinsel and Tidings at St Nicholas Church

On Saturday 5 December, from 3pm to 4.30pm, the Mayor of Cramlington hosts Tinsel and Tidings, a festive concert with Rock Choir at St Nicholas Church on Blagdon Terrace. Entry is free, with donations to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Christmas services

Cramlington's churches hold carol services, Christingles and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, but 2026 times had not been published when we wrote this. Check with St Nicholas Church, Welcome Methodist Church and St Paul's Catholic Church in December, or look out for notices in Cramlington Library.

Christmas markets and the lights switch-on

As of early November, no dedicated Christmas market or civic lights switch-on event had been announced for Cramlington in 2026. The festive focus is the Manor Walks trail and grotto, the sleigh tour and the village tree. If a market is confirmed we will add it here.

Christmas trees

If you are buying a real tree this year, our guide to Christmas trees in Cramlington covers the garden centres and tree farm within a short drive, how to choose and care for a tree, and how to recycle it in January, when Northumberland's garden-waste collections are paused.

Winter walks

The days between Christmas and New Year are made for a walk. Northumberlandia, the giant landform sculpture on Blagdon Lane, has paths up and around the figure with wide views on a clear day. Plessey Woods Country Park has woodland and riverside paths along the River Blyth. Both can be muddy in winter, so take boots.

Seaton Delaval Hall

A short drive east, Seaton Delaval Hall runs a Christmas programme from 28 November. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 28 November to 20 December, daily from 21 to 23 December and daily from 27 December to 3 January, and is closed from 24 to 26 December. The site opens at 10am, the house from 11am, with last entry at 3.15pm. Activities are included in admission and no booking is needed.

Highlights include Theatre Sprout's family show A Very Delaval Christmas on Saturdays (28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December) at 11.30am and 2.30pm, Saturday choirs from midday, Aurora Strings on Sunday lunchtimes, and Merry Makers craft sessions on Friday and Saturday mornings. There are also festive late openings until 8pm on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December. Adult admission is £16.50 with Gift Aid (£15 without), children £8.30 (£7.50), and National Trust members go free.

Over Christmas and New Year

Opening hours change across the holiday, so check before you travel. Manor Walks publishes festive trading hours closer to the date, and Northumberland's household waste recovery centres close on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.