Create your festive itinerary with our holiday guide for Dover. We’ve listed all the best events and activities to help you plan a memorable season. Whether you're a Dover expert or a beginner, this guide helps you navigate the festive landscape.
Popular events in Dover during the holiday season include the enchanting Festive Fun at Dover Castle, where visitors can experience a range of activities ideal for families. Another highlight is the magical Father Christmas at Dover Castle, featuring unique opportunities to meet Father Christmas himself in a charming, historical setting. And the Illuminated Battle Abbey is something you definitely don't want to miss, as it showcases the awe-inspiring site adorned with stunning festive lights. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Holiday Events In and Around Dover
- Father Christmas at Dover Castle
- Festive Fun at Dover Castle
- Spirit of Christmas at Eltham Palace (Eltham)
- Wrest Park Narnia (Silsoe)
- Illuminated Battle Abbey (Battle)
- Hever Castle Christmas (Edenbridge)
- Windsor Great Park Illuminated (Englefield Green)
- Waddesdon Magical Wonderland (Aylesbury)
- Leonardslee Lights (Lower Beeding)
- Marlow Christmas Lights (Marlow)
See these and even more events listed below!
Dover Holiday Light Displays
Illuminated Battle Abbey
What to Expect:
Historical site illuminated with light and sound displays.
Description:
Explore Battle Abbey in a new light as it is transformed into a vibrant display of illuminations and historical characters, guiding you through ancient architecture and luminous displays.
Where: Battle | More Info: Illuminated Battle Abbey
Windsor Great Park Illuminated
What to Expect:
Dazzling light trail with new installations and reimagined projections.
Description:
Windsor Great Park Illuminated features a dazzling forest trail with new installations and reimagined projections, bringing woodland and water to life with spectacular displays of colour. Enjoy a festive celebration of light and magic, where woodland creatures come to life and festive moments await.
Where: Englefield Green | More Info: Windsor Great Park Illuminated
Hever Castle Christmas
What to Expect:
Reimagined classic tales and festive light displays.
Description:
Hever Castle Christmas offers a seasonal experience celebrating the past 10 years of festive joy. Immerse yourself in reimagined classic tales, meet beloved characters, and enjoy shopping, dining, and fairground rides. The grounds are magically transformed with festive lights after 4 pm, featuring beautifully decorated rooms, log fires, and twinkling Christmas trees.
Where: Edenbridge | More Info: Hever Castle Christmas
Marlow Christmas Lights
What to Expect:
Celebrity guest switches on festive lights display.
Description:
Marlow's Christmas Lights Switch On is a spectacular event where the town's High Street is illuminated with thousands of twinkling lights. The ceremony features a celebrity guest turning on the lights, stilt walkers, and festive entertainment, creating a vibrant atmosphere that attracts large crowds.
Where: Marlow | More Info: Marlow Christmas Lights
Leonardslee Lights
What to Expect:
Interactive light and sound installations in a picturesque garden setting.
Description:
Explore the enchanting woodland gardens at Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens, illuminated with light, sound, and colour. The winter trail features a new route with impressive installations inspired by the beautiful gardens. Enjoy wonderful seasonal food and drink before or after the trail, along with funfair rides and a Christmas Market.
Where: Lower Beeding | More Info: Leonardslee Lights
Poole Christmas Maritime Light Trail
What to Expect:
Nautical-themed light trail with marine-inspired installations.
Description:
Poole Christmas Maritime Light Trail is a free event featuring thousands of twinkling lights that take you on a nautical journey through Falkland Square, the High Street, and onto Poole Quay. The trail includes impressive light installations such as a galleon, walk-through lantern, and bauble, as well as Christmas tree installations and a marine ceiling of light featuring fish and starfish.
Where: Poole | More Info: Poole Christmas Maritime Light Trail
Bournemouth Christmas Tree Trail
What to Expect:
Dazzling light installations and international Christmas tree replicas.
Description:
Bournemouth's Christmas Tree Trail features hundreds of glittering trees, an Alpine Market, and an ice skating rink in the Lower Gardens. Visitors can explore the town centre and coastal villages, enjoying live music and illuminations along the way.
Where: Bournemouth | More Info: Bournemouth Christmas Tree Trail
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Light Up Trails
What to Expect:
Immersive light trail with theatrical and live entertainment.
Description:
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Light Up Trails features a brand-new immersive light trail with numerous festive installations, showcasing mesmerising fire jugglers, breathtaking aerial artists, and larger-than-life characters. The event offers a variety of food and drink options, including a hog roast experience, Yorkshire Pudding Wraps, and festive mulled wine.
Where: Ampfield | More Info: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Light Up Trails
Haywards Heath Lantern Trail
What to Expect:
Interactive light trail with exclusive installations and a new route.
Description:
Explore Wakehurst's woodland trail illuminated by over 1,000 handcrafted lanterns and light installations, featuring iconic Christmas tree, giant flying owl, and fiery hidden dragon. Enjoy delicious street food, artisan marshmallows, and festive shopping in the Gift Shop and Plant Centre.
Where: Haywards Heath | More Info: Haywards Heath Lantern Trail
Dover Holiday Markets and Shopping
Waddesdon Magical Wonderland
What to Expect:
Immersive festive displays inspired by Sleeping Beauty.
Description:
This Christmas at Waddesdon, the Manor and grounds are transformed with beautifully decorated interiors, new light projections on the Manor façade, and a glittering light trail in the gardens. Inspired by the tale of Sleeping Beauty, the event features immersive displays and interactive elements, including a festive Christmas Fair and Food Village.
Where: Aylesbury | More Info: Waddesdon Magical Wonderland
Fareham Town Centre Lights Switch On
What to Expect:
Indoor Christmas market with diverse activities and performers.
Description:
Fareham Town Centre Lights Switch On features a Christmas market, children's activities, fun fair rides, food and drink, street and stage performers, all held indoors with a golden theme to celebrate the Council's 50th anniversary.
Where: Fareham | More Info: Fareham Town Centre Lights Switch On
Dover Holiday Shows and Entertainment
Festive Fun at Dover Castle
What to Expect:
Interactive storytelling and character meet-and-greets in a historic castle setting.
Description:
Join Victorian fellows at Dover Castle for lively stories, entertaining plays, and hands-on activities themed around 'A Christmas Carol'. Journey through the atmospheric Great Tower and meet Scrooge himself. Meet Father Christmas on weekends.
Where: Dover | More Info: Festive Fun at Dover Castle
Spirit of Christmas at Eltham Palace
What to Expect:
Interactive storytelling and captivating performances in an art-deco mansion.
Description:
Join Father Christmas on an immersive theatrical journey through Eltham Palace's stunning art-deco mansion. Meet delightful characters, uncover the essence of the season, and receive a gift from Father Christmas.
Where: Eltham | More Info: Spirit of Christmas at Eltham Palace
Dover Other Holiday Activities
Father Christmas at Dover Castle
What to Expect:
Interactive storytelling session with Father Christmas.
Description:
Meet Father Christmas at Dover Castle, where children can hear seasonal stories, take photos, and receive a traditional present.
Where: Dover | More Info: Father Christmas at Dover Castle
Wrest Park Narnia
What to Expect:
Immersive Narnia-themed experience with festive decorations and trails.
Description:
Step through the wardrobe and explore Wrest Park, where C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" comes to life with festive decorations, twinkling lights, and scenes from the beloved story. Journey through Narnia, escaping the White Witch's spell, and end your adventure in the throne room. Enjoy an enchanting Narnia-themed trail in the gardens, included in the ticket price.
Where: Silsoe | More Info: Wrest Park Narnia
Walmer Castle Festive Weekend
What to Expect:
Georgian-themed Christmas activities with storytelling and dancing.
Description:
Join Georgian gentlemen at Walmer Castle for a delightful array of activities and entertainment as they prepare for Christmas. Enjoy storytelling, Georgian dancing, and wreath making in the Drawing Room.
Where: Deal | More Info: Walmer Castle Festive Weekend
Brighton Burning the Clocks
What to Expect:
Community-driven lantern parade and bonfire celebration.
Description:
Brighton Burning the Clocks is a unique community event where local people create and parade handmade paper and willow lanterns through the city, culminating in a symbolic bonfire on Brighton beach to mark the end of the year. This annual event brings the city together to celebrate the shortest day of the year and provides an antidote to the excesses of Christmas with a different theme each year.
Where: Brighton | More Info: Brighton Burning the Clocks
Festive Fun in Nearby Cities!
Discover Holiday events in hundreds of cities worldwide. Check out these nearby locations for more festive fun!
- Folkestone (7 miles)
- Deal (8 miles)
- Canterbury (15 miles)
- Ramsgate (15 miles)
- Broadstairs (17 miles)
- Saint Peters (17 miles)
- Margate (18 miles)
- Herne Bay (19 miles)
- Whitstable (20 miles)
- Sittingbourne (29 miles)
- Maidstone (36 miles)
- Hastings (37 miles)
- Gillingham (38 miles)
- Chatham (38 miles)
- Southend-on-Sea (38 miles)
- Rochester (39 miles)
- Strood (41 miles)
- Bexhill-on-Sea (41 miles)
- Canvey Island (42 miles)
- South Benfleet (44 miles)
- Rayleigh (44 miles)