Wicksteed Park 2026: Tickets, Prices, Opening Times and Christmas

Wicksteed Park is a 281-acre lakeside park on the edge of Kettering, founded by the engineer Charles Wicksteed and opened in 1921, and it is still one of the best-value family days out in Northamptonshire. Entry to the parkland is free, the rides are paid for with a wristband or single tickets, and the calendar runs from spring half-term through to a Christmas event in December. Alongside Welland Park and Foxton Locks, it is one of the best things to do in Market Harborough and the villages around it with children, and it is the day out our guests with young families book most often.

Prices, ride days and the winter timetable change through the year at Wicksteed Park. The rides close for maintenance after October half-term and reopen for Christmas at Wicksteed, which makes December one of the busiest months of the year. We run The Loft on the 14 Acres estate in Clipston, about 25 minutes from the park, and many families combine a Santa visit with a Christmas break near Market Harborough, staying two or three nights and spending the other days in the town and the countryside.

Wicksteed Park Opening Times 2026 and Winter Closure Dates

Wicksteed Park has two sets of opening times, and it helps to know which one applies on your date. The parkland, the lakeside paths and the meadows are open to walk in every day of the year with no entry charge, so a winter walk round the lake costs nothing beyond parking. The rides and attractions run on set days instead, mainly weekends and school holidays, and on a ride day in autumn 2026 they open from 10.30am to 4pm. Summer days can run later, and the May half-term timetable in 2026 kept the rides open until 5pm.

The 2026 ride season ends with Halloween half-term, which runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November with rides from 10.30am to 4pm. After that the rides close for their annual winter maintenance and safety checks, and the park reopens them for Christmas at Wicksteed on selected December dates. Wicky’s Play Factory, the indoor soft play for children aged eight and under, stays open daily through the winter, which makes it a useful wet-weather back-up when the outdoor rides are closed.

Between the Christmas event and the start of the 2027 season, the rides stay closed while the park carries out its winter work. In 2026 the rides came back for the February half-term, and the park publishes each new season’s ride days on its official What’s On calendar, so it is worth checking that page before you set off. Some rides can also close at short notice for weather or maintenance on an open day, and the park’s rides page lists anything that is out of action. For a winter visit outside the Christmas dates, plan around the free parkland, the lake walk and the Play Factory rather than the rides.

Wicksteed Park Tickets and Wristband Prices 2026

There is no admission charge at Wicksteed Park, so the price of the day depends on how many rides you want. A day wristband costs £22 and covers unlimited goes on more than 25 rides and attractions, while single ride tickets cost £3.50 each and suit toddlers or grandparents who only want one or two rides. Children under 0.9m ride free on both the day wristband and single tickets, which keeps the cost down for families with a baby or a very young child. Wristbands are booked online for a chosen date, and single tickets can be bought on the day.

Families save with the dated family wristbands, and regular visitors save more with an annual pass. The park also runs event prices: during the October 2026 weekends and Halloween half-term, wristbands were £16 for children under 16 and £10 for adults, and the summer offer in 2026 brought a dated wristband down to £19.25. Those event prices are a bonus rather than the norm, and the standard 2026 prices are the ones to budget for.

For most families the family-of-four wristband is the right buy, because at £72 it costs less than four day wristbands and needs no thinking on the day. If you have one child who rides everything and adults who only want the train and the carousel, a single wristband plus a few £3.50 tickets usually works out cheaper. The annual wristband pays for itself in about four visits, which only makes sense if you live nearby, but the £60 annual parking pass is worth knowing about if you return several times in a year. Wicksteed Park does not publish discount codes, so the official event offers are the reliable way to pay less.

Christmas at Wicksteed Park 2026: Santa, Rides and Ticket Prices

Christmas at Wicksteed Park returns in 2026 on ten dates: Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, and every day from Saturday 19 to Thursday 24 December. Each family books a timed slot to meet Santa in his grotto, with slots every 20 minutes from 9.20am to 4.20pm, and the rides run from 10am to 5pm before or after your visit. On Christmas Eve the last Santa slot and the rides both finish at 3pm, so book an earlier slot if you are travelling home that evening.

Tickets cost £17 per adult and £22 per child, and the opening weekend of 5 and 6 December is cheaper at £16 and £20. Every member of the family needs a ticket, children must be with a responsible adult, and tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable, so check your dates carefully before you pay. On arrival you collect a welcome pack from Ho Ho HQ at reception, and families with later slots can collect from 10am and enjoy the rides first. If you miss your slot you miss the visit with Santa, so allow time for parking and the walk from the car park.

If you would rather skip the grotto, a rides-only ticket costs £15 per person or £50 for a family of four and covers the same Christmas rides and attractions, without Santa, the gift, the reindeer food or the crafts. That option suits older children or a second visit in the same month. Santa photographs can be bought from Wicky’s Gift Shop, and hot food and drinks are served at the Northern Lights Café and the Garden Café. The 2024 event sold out, so we suggest booking Christmas at Wicksteed as soon as you have fixed your dates, then building the rest of the trip around it.

Wicksteed Park Fireworks Spectacular: Saturday 7 November 2026

The Wicksteed Park Fireworks Spectacular is on Saturday 7 November 2026, starting from 5pm with live stage entertainment and attractions before the display. Early bird tickets cost £6 per person until 31 October, and the price rises to £7 per person from 1 November until the night. Parking is free from 5pm on a first-come basis, while the usual parking charges apply before then, so arriving just after five saves the fee and still leaves time to settle in before the show.

The rides are not included in the fireworks ticket. The Carousel and the Sway Rider run at £3.50 per person per ride, and a travelling funfair adds extra rides at its own prices. Hot chocolate, hot dogs, burgers, doughnuts and other food come from the Garden Café, Carlo’s Courtyard and mobile food units around the site. If you are staying with us that weekend, the Harborough Fireworks Spectacular takes place earlier in the week on Wednesday 4 November at Harborough Showground, so a family can see two displays in one short break.

Rides and Attractions at Wicksteed Park

Wicksteed Park has more than 25 rides and attractions, split between the Heritage zone, with the gentler historic rides, and the Adventure zone for older children. The mix suits families with a wide age range, because the toddler rides and the faster rides sit within a short walk of each other and one wristband covers both. Height bands run from under 0.9m to over 1.4m, and the park’s height guide shows which rides each band can use, so it is worth measuring children before you go.

1. The Water Chute

The Water Chute is the park’s signature ride. Designed by Charles Wicksteed, it carried its first riders on 2 April 1926 and celebrated its centenary on 2 April 2026, and it was given Grade II listed status in 2016. The boat is hauled up the slope and released down the chute into the lake, and the ride experience is almost unchanged from the day it opened, which is part of its charm for grandparents who rode it as children.

In July 2026 the Wicksteed Charitable Trust launched a £30,000 appeal for repairs to the Water Chute roof. Like every ride it can close for maintenance, so check the park’s rides page on the morning of your visit if the Water Chute is the main reason for the trip. Sit at the front if you do not mind getting wet, and keep a towel and a spare top in the car on cooler days.

2. Wicksteed Park Railway

The Wicksteed Park Railway is a two-foot narrow-gauge line that opened in 1931 and has carried more than fifteen million passengers since. The train runs along the edge of the lake, and the maroon carriages behind locomotives such as Merlin are the photograph most families take home. It runs during Christmas at Wicksteed as well, boarding at the North Pole station, so it is one of the few rides you can enjoy in both summer and December.

The railway is a good first ride of the day because it shows children the layout of the park and where everything is. Queues are usually shortest in the first hour after opening and late in the afternoon, and the gentle pace makes it a good choice for grandparents, babies on a lap and anyone who wants a rest between faster rides.

3. The Carousel and the Heritage Rides

The Heritage zone holds the gentler rides, including the Carousel, the Cups and Saucers and the Heritage Toy Roundabout. These suit toddlers and younger children, and they are the rides the park keeps running for the Christmas event, so a December visit still gives small children plenty to do. The Carousel is also available on fireworks night at £3.50 per ride.

Older children usually head for the Adventure zone and the faster rides, including the rollercoasters. A day wristband covers both zones, so a family can split up for an hour and meet again at the lake, and the big wheel standing above the trees makes a useful landmark if anyone gets separated.

4. Pig ‘N Putt Crazy Golf and Wicky’s Farmyard

Pig ‘N Putt is the park’s crazy golf course, laid out among planted beds and lawns close to the playground. It is a calmer hour for families with mixed ages, and it is included in the Christmas at Wicksteed ticket, although it closes at 4pm each day during the event. Wicky’s Farmyard, with its farm animals, is a short walk away and is also part of the Christmas experience.

Both work well in the middle of the day, when the queues for the bigger rides are at their longest. A round of crazy golf and a visit to the animals before lunch at the Garden Café gives younger children a break from the rides and stops the day becoming a race from one queue to the next.

5. The Playground, the Lake and Wicky’s Play Factory

The playground is where Wicksteed Park began: Charles Wicksteed installed the first play equipment in 1917, made by his own engineering company, and the paid attractions have always helped fund free play for local families. The lake was dug in 1921, is fed by the Ise Brook and was restored in 2014, and the path around it is the best free walk in the park, with cycling allowed on the lake path before the rides open at 10.30am or after they close at 4pm.

Wicky’s Play Factory is the indoor soft play for children aged eight and under, with two-hour sessions from £6 and opening every day unless the park says otherwise. It is the most useful part of the park in winter and on wet days, because it stays open when the outdoor rides are closed. Book a session in advance during school holidays, when it fills quickly.

Photos of The Loft: Stay Near Wicksteed Park

The Loft is a lake-view stable conversion on our 14 Acres estate in Clipston, ten minutes from Market Harborough and about 25 minutes from Wicksteed Park via the A14. It has two super king bedrooms that split into twin beds, a sofa bed, a well-equipped family kitchen and a private balcony over the lake, and it sleeps up to six guests with free parking. After a long day of rides, most families enjoy cooking at home and letting the children unwind in a quiet place with space to run around.

For families, the twin-bed option is the detail that matters most: two children can share one bedroom in their own beds, and the adults keep the second super king. Breakfast provisions, fresh milk and bean-to-cup coffee are waiting when you arrive, the underfloor heating keeps the rooms warm in December, and the smart TV with Netflix and the Xbox help on a wet evening. The estate also has family cottage holidays for larger groups, with The Barn and The Cottage sleeping up to eighteen guests between the three homes.

Getting to Wicksteed Park, Parking and Practical Tips

Wicksteed Park is on Barton Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 6NJ, on the south-east side of the town next to Barton Seagrave, and the vehicle entrance is a few minutes from the A14. From The Loft in Clipston the drive is about 25 minutes, heading east along the A14, and from Market Harborough town centre it is around half an hour. Walkers and cyclists can also come in through the gates on Paradise Lane, Barton Road and the arboretum, and there are bike racks near the playground entrance.

Parking is charged at all times, from £3.50, and the money helps keep the park free to enter. You pay through the park’s app or QR code, which adds a small booking fee, or at one of the two machines near Wicky Bear’s Theatre and opposite Wicky’s Play Factory, and vehicles that leave without paying are fined. On fireworks night parking is free from 5pm. Dogs are welcome in the parkland on a lead, but they are not allowed in the children’s play areas, and owners must clean up after them.

A little planning makes the day easier. Book wristbands and Christmas tickets online for your date, arrive close to opening when the car park and the queues are quieter, and measure your children against the height bands before you leave. In winter, pack hats, gloves and a change of clothes, because the lake path is exposed and the Water Chute lives up to its name. The park’s phone number is 01536 512475 if you need to check a ride or an accessibility question before travelling.

Things to Do Near Wicksteed Park and Market Harborough

A Wicksteed day fits easily into a longer stay in the area. Closer to The Loft, Welland Park in Market Harborough has a large free playground, a cafe and riverside paths, which makes it a good second family day that costs very little. Ten minutes from the town, the ten staircase locks at Foxton Locks are a favourite with children who like watching the narrowboats, and the Christmas illuminations there usually switch on in late November.

For evenings out, the best restaurants in Market Harborough range from village pubs that welcome families to town-centre bistros for a quieter dinner. If your trip runs into the end of December, the town and the countryside around Clipston stay lively through the holidays, and New Year breaks near Market Harborough combine New Year’s Eve dinners with frosty New Year’s Day walks and quiet January days out.

Wicksteed Park: Frequently Asked Questions

Wicksteed Park photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Michael Trolove, CC BY-SA 2.0; Keuneke, CC BY-SA 4.0; Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0.