From November 22nd, John Lewis will be offering customers the chance to meet Santa and create a cherishable Christmas moment for the whole family, even your four legged friends. Early tickets have already been released to My John Lewis members and Santa visits are proving to be as popular a tradition as ever, with sales up +37% compared to last year.
Customers can choose from three unique experiences:
Brand new for 2023:
Santa’s Grotto – Mission: Meet Santa (£20)
For the first time, families can book in for a special ‘Mission: Meet Santa’ experience, children are invited to become ‘Secret Santa agents’ and with the help of Santa’s elves are tasked with cracking the code needed to unlock the door and meet the man himself. Once their mission is completed they’ll meet Santa and leave with a grotto exclusive plush elf toy.
Santa’s Tea Party (£15)
Back by popular demand! Kids can join Santa for a special Christmas storytime session, complete with a gingerbread snack, choice of drinks and a grotto exclusive plush toy Elf for each child.
Santa Paws Experience (£20)
Following a hurry of hounds last year, we are excited to launch pre-booked tickets to Santa Paws for the first time. Four legged friends can meet Santa and enjoy a special gift from pet brand Rosewood. In 2022, customers were able to bring their cute companions to the Grotto, with Santa even having a visit from a pet budgie.
Relaxed Grotto Experiences available too. We are also committed to making our experiences accessible to as many customers as possible and for the first time will be offering relaxed sessions for those who need or prefer a calmer experience, with reduced noise and lighting. They will be running in nine stores and can be selected when booking grotto tickets online now.
Visit here to find out more about each of the Santa experiences and book tickets.
Santa’s Grotto – Mission: Meet Santa
On arrival at the grotto kids will be welcomed by one of Santa’s mischievous little helpers. They’ll explain the mission, which involves working their way through interactive stations to find three hidden letters, spelling out an important code word. This code is then transmitted to the North Pole through our ‘Christmas is Calling’ telephone box. Once they have cracked the code they will unlock the door to meet Santa, before having their photo taken and receiving a grotto-exclusive plush toy Elf.
Price: £20 per child (includes a plush toy worth £10) plus a £2 booking fee. £2 per adult plus a 20p booking fee. Professional photos available to purchase separately.
Available at; John Lewis Cambridge, Cheadle, Cribbs Causeway, High Wycombe, Liverpool, Oxford Street, Peter Jones, Southampton and Welwyn. Plus, Meet Santa in our Milton Keynes Grotto.
Santa’s Tea Party
Group sessions of up to 20 kids: Customers will join Santa for a special Christmas storytime and each child will receive a grotto exclusive plush toy Elf. Children will be offered a festive gingerbread snack and can also choose from hot chocolate or a juice carton. Adults will have a choice of tea or coffee, with a slice of festive cake (to be selected on the day). All drinks and snacks are included in the ticket price.
Price: £15 per child (includes a plush toy worth £10) plus a £1.50 booking fee. £5 per adult (includes a hot drink and slice of cake) plus a 50p booking fee.
Available at John Lewis Bluewater, Brent Cross, Canary Wharf, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chichester, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Horsham, Ipswich, Kingston, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Poole, Reading, Solihull, Stratford, Trafford and White City.
Santa Paws Experience
Customers can come and explore our grotto with their four-legged friend. They can get a professional photo taken with Santa before receiving a dog-friendly gift worth the price of the ticket.
Price: £20 per dog (includes a Rosewood gift worth £20) plus a £2 booking fee. Professional photos available to purchase separately.
Available at John Lewis Cambridge, Cheadle, Cribbs Causeway, High Wycombe, Liverpool, Oxford Street, Peter Jones, Southampton and Welwyn.
Relaxed Grotto Experiences can be booked at the shops with Grottos: Oxford Street*
Peter Jones, Liverpool, Welwyn, Cheadle, High Wycombe, Cambridge, Southampton*, Cribbs
