Santa's got a new sleigh! Christmas at the Museum

And just like that, we’re near to the end of the year and it’s Christmas time! We’ve had a lot of fun with our family visitors at the Museum during 2019 celebrating women in transport, getting creative with inspiring illustrators, designing and testing uniforms, coding traffic light sequences, and playfully searching for Where’s Wally around the galleries. Not to mention our second ever Family Depot Open Weekend, and running lots of Singing and Stories sessions for our littlest of visitors. But we’re not finished just yet!

Starting on Saturday 30 November and running every day until Sunday 5 January 2020 (excluding 24, 25 & 26 December) families will be able to visit Santa’s Hideaway. That’s 34 days of festive transport fun to be had!

Outside Santa’s Hideaway, a twinkly, magical, winter forest will be planted, filled with books and toys for you to play with. It’s a cosy, comfy space within the Museum where your family can chill out. The man himself (Santa!) will pop in throughout the day to meet you! He’ll be heading back to the North Pole after Christmas, just so you know, if you visit on or after 27 December.

We will also be running seasonal sing-a-long and stories sessions twice a day outside of Santa’s Hideaway. The sessions will be led by one of our enthusiastic educators, and song requests are encouraged, so make sure you come along with suggestions for your favourite songs that we can all sing together.

We will also be running seasonal sing-a-long and stories sessions twice a day outside of Santa’s Hideaway. The sessions will be led by one of our enthusiastic educators, and song requests are encouraged, so make sure you come along with suggestions for your favourite songs that we can all sing together.

It’s very important to us that our family offer at the Museum is inclusive for all families. That is why on Saturday 14 December, we’ll be opening from 8:30 to 10:00 for families with additional needs who would benefit from the Museum being quieter. With gallery sounds turned off (including hand dryers in the loos), a caped number of tickets so it remains quiet, and sensory bags available to aid exploring, we hope this will be an opportunity for families to spend some seasonal time together, and even get to meet Santa in a quiet atmosphere.

For something extra special, and an adventure out of the Museum, we will also be running Christmas Lights and Sights tours. Climb aboard our cosy original RT bus and experience the wonder and excitement of the city at Christmastime. But be quick with booking, as these tours are nearly sold out!

We very much hope that you choose to visit us as part of your family’s quality time spent together over the winter season; we look forward to welcoming you and providing lots of fun and joy for the end of 2019!

All our family events in the Museum are free with your annual admission ticket. Remember to book online to save. Kids go free!