Blickling Hall Christmas 2026: no Garden of Lights, but 11 late openings to 7pm from 28 Nov and a Shaun the Sheep trail from 14 Nov. No booking needed.
Blickling’s Garden of Lights will not run this Christmas. The National Trust has now published its 2026 festive programme for the estate, and says plainly that “our big Garden of Lights event won’t be returning this year”.
In its place are three things, none of which needs booking: a Shaun the Sheep sculpture trail in the garden, a decorated house, and eleven late-opening evenings with the drive, house and parterre lit up until 7pm (Christmas at Blickling Estate).
The quick answer
- No Garden of Lights in 2026. The ticketed evening trail, which cost up to £24 an adult last year, is not returning this year.
- Late openings to 7pm on 11 evenings: 28 and 29 November, 5 and 6 December, 12 and 13 December, and every day from 16 to 23 December.
- No booking, free to members. Non-members pay normal admission on arrival.
Christmas at Blickling Hall 2026: what is on, and when
Christmas at Blickling Hall in 2026 is three overlapping things rather than one ticketed night, so the date you pick decides what you see. This is the order they start and finish in, from the Trust’s Christmas page and its events listing, both read on 7 October 2026.
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| Saturday 14 November | Shaun the Sheep trail opens in the garden, from 10am |
| Saturday 28 November | Decorated house opens for A Woolly Winter Adventure, from 11am; first late opening to 7pm |
| 29 November, 5, 6, 12 and 13 December | Late openings to 7pm on these Saturdays and Sundays |
| Wednesday 16 to Wednesday 23 December | Late opening to 7pm every day |
| Early January | Decorated house ends: the Christmas page says Sunday 3 January, the events listing runs it to 4 January |
| Sunday 17 January 2027 | Shaun the Sheep trail ends |
For the full Christmas atmosphere, with the lit drive, the illuminated house and the parterre fairy lights, go on one of the eleven late-opening days and arrive in daylight: the garden trail part-closes at 4pm. On any other day between 28 November and early January you still get the decorated house and the sheep, with normal closing times.
As of 7 October the Trust lists no Father Christmas, grotto or ticketed festive event at Blickling this year. Its events listing runs from autumn half-term activities straight to the sheep trail and the house. For Santa nearby, see the Bure Valley Railway and grotto links further down.
Late opening evenings
On these dates the front drive is lined with lit Christmas trees, the house is illuminated and the parterre has fairy lights and traditional family games. The shop, Stables Café, Griddle Pod food trailer and second-hand bookshop stay open to 7pm. The house opens from 11am and stays open to 6.30pm; timed entry slots are handed out at Visitor Welcome when you arrive, and last entry is between 5.45pm and 6pm. In the Stables Café the last hot food orders are at 5.45pm and the last drinks and snacks at 6.30pm.
| Dates | Days |
|---|---|
| 28 and 29 November | Saturday and Sunday |
| 5 and 6 December | Saturday and Sunday |
| 12 and 13 December | Saturday and Sunday |
| 16 to 23 December | Wednesday to Wednesday, every day |
The Trust says it is “retaining much of that Christmas magic” for members without the need to book. One catch: parts of the garden close at 4pm for safety, so to see all of the Shaun the Sheep trail, go into the garden earlier in the day. After 4pm a shorter version of the trail stays open, with at least six of the twelve sculptures.
Shaun the Sheep: Find the Flock garden trail
Saturday 14 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, from 10am. Twelve Shaun the Sheep sculptures, each 160cm tall and decorated by a different artist, are placed around the garden with Wild in Art and Aardman. Pick up a trail map from the visitor welcome hut at the garden entrance; the Trust asks for a suggested donation of £1. There are extra activities for younger children on the parterre.
The trail is free, but normal admission applies, and members get in free. Sculptures sit on grass or gravel, and ear defenders can be borrowed from the welcome team (Find the Flock event listing).
So the “baa-rilliant winter adventure” the Trust trailed in September was the sheep all along.
A Woolly Winter Adventure in the house
Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, from 11am. The rooms are decorated for Christmas with woolly creations, and the mice from last year’s trail are back. There is a reading nook and hands-on activities.
No booking. Members free; non-members pay standard admission on arrival, and under-fives go free. Quiet hours run in the house every Tuesday and Saturday from 2pm to 3pm. Only assistance dogs are allowed inside. Lift access in the house is limited, and there is a photo album of the upper floors for anyone who would rather not take the stairs. Check the estate’s opening times before you go, as house, garden, shop and café hours differ.
Blickling Christmas 2026: prices, opening hours and parking
Members get in free. Everyone else pays the Trust’s standard 2026 house and garden admission, on arrival, with no Christmas premium. These are the prices on the Trust’s Blickling page, read on 16 October 2026:
| Ticket | Standard | With Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £18.00 | £19.80 |
| Child (5 to 17) | £9.00 | £9.90 |
| Family, 2 adults and up to 3 children | £45.00 | £49.50 |
| Family, 1 adult and up to 3 children | £27.00 | £29.70 |
Under-fives go free. Car parking is £5 per vehicle, paid by contactless or the JustPark app, which the Trust suggests downloading before you go.
Opening hours over the season depend on the day. From 26 October to the end of December, on ordinary days, the house is open 11am to 3pm and the garden, shop and Stables Café 10am to 4pm. On the eleven late-opening days, 28 November to 23 December, the garden, shop and café run 10am to 7pm and the house 11am to 6.30pm. The park itself is open dawn to dusk.
So a non-member family of two adults and two children pays £45 for the house and garden plus £5 to park, whether it is a late night or not.
What last year’s Garden of Lights was, for comparison
In 2025 the Garden of Lights ran from 6 to 21 December, 5pm to 8pm. Everyone, including National Trust members, had to book, and adult tickets cost £16 on Monday to Thursday, £20 on Fridays and Sundays and £24 on Saturdays, with children £9 to £13. The house was closed during the evening event (the Trust’s Christmas page as archived on 7 December 2025).
This year’s late openings are the reverse: free to members, no booking, and the house open.
Other Christmas days out nearby
- The Bure Valley Railway runs its Festive Express Santa trains from Aylsham station: see our Santa train page.
- Aylsham’s Christmas lights switch-on has not been dated yet: see our switch-on page.
- Our Santa’s grottos page and Christmas markets page cover the rest of the district.
Food and shopping at Christmas
The Trust says the Stables Café serves warm drinks and traditional Christmas treats over the festive season, the estate shop stocks Christmas gifts, and the second-hand bookshop in the Farmyard stays open for browsing. On late-opening days the shop and Stables Café open from 10am to 7pm.
Getting there
Blickling sits north west of Aylsham, inside Broadland: the estate postcode NR11 6NF resolves to the Broadland 001D area on the ONS postcode lookup. If you are stopping in Aylsham first, all the district council’s car parks are free, including Burgh Road and The Buttsland. See parking in Broadland and check Broadland roadworks and travel before a late visit, because the lanes around Blickling are narrow.
Frequently asked questions
What is on for Christmas at Blickling Hall in 2026? A Shaun the Sheep sculpture trail in the garden from 14 November to 17 January, a house decorated for A Woolly Winter Adventure from 28 November, and eleven late openings to 7pm between 28 November and 23 December.
Is the Blickling Garden of Lights on in 2026? No. The National Trust says the Garden of Lights “won’t be returning this year”. The late openings, with a lit drive, illuminated house and fairy lights on the parterre, are what replaces it.
Do I need to book for Christmas at Blickling? No. Nothing in the 2026 Christmas programme needs booking. Members get in free and non-members pay standard admission on arrival.
Is there Father Christmas at Blickling Hall this year? The Trust’s Christmas page and events listing, read on 7 October 2026, do not include Father Christmas or a grotto at Blickling.
What time does Blickling stay open on the Christmas late nights? The garden, shop and Stables Café stay open until 7pm and the house until 6.30pm, with last entry to the house between 5.45pm and 6pm. Parts of the garden shut at 4pm, so walk the sheep trail first.
How much does it cost to visit Blickling at Christmas 2026? Nothing for National Trust members. Non-members pay standard admission: £18 an adult, £9 a child aged 5 to 17, £45 for a family of two adults and up to three children, or a little more with Gift Aid. Under-fives are free.
How much is parking at Blickling? £5 per vehicle, paid by contactless or through the JustPark app.
What are Blickling’s opening times in November and December? On ordinary days from 26 October the house opens 11am to 3pm and the garden, shop and Stables Café 10am to 4pm. On the late-opening days from 28 November to 23 December they stay open to 7pm, and the house to 6.30pm.
Does the Shaun the Sheep trail cost extra? No. It is included in admission and free to members; the trail map has a suggested donation of £1.
Sources
- National Trust, Christmas at Blickling Estate, checked 16 October 2026
- National Trust, Blickling Estate: prices and opening times, checked 16 October 2026
- National Trust, Blickling Estate events, checked 7 October 2026
- The same Christmas page as published on 7 December 2025, via the Internet Archive
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