Christmas has arrived in Reading town centre! From family-friendly things to do to festive nibbles and merry markets, you don't have to travel far in Reading to get your Christmas fix. Here's what you can expect in the heart Reading town centre this festive season:
Candy Cane stilt walkers
Sunday 1 and Sunday 8 December, Broad St
Visit Reading town centre during the first couple of December weekends and you'll find our Candy Cane Stilt-walkers in Broad Street, spreading festive cheer! Make sure you're in town at 12pm, 1:30pm or 3pm to catch our friendly festive giants - the perfect way to kick start the holiday season and free entertainment for the little ones while you get some Christmas shopping sorted!
Magical Christmas Storytime
Sunday 15 December, Reading Biscuit Factory
Experience the magic of the season on Sunday 15 December, with a free festive storytime from Reading Children’s Book Group. Drop into Reading Biscuit Factory between 1-3pm for stories from Christmas-themed picture books and classic festive tales – no booking required! (All welcome, but this event is best suited to children aged 7 and under.)
Festive character visits
Saturday 21 December, Broad St
Head to Reading's Broad Street on Saturday 21 December to meet some of our best-loved characters. Children can meet the Huggable Snowman and Snow Queen who’ll be sprinkling some festive magic to Reading town centre ahead of the big day. Pop into town between 11am-4pm to meet our festive characters and embrace the holiday magic!
Father Christmas visits Reading
Sunday 22 December, Broad St
Who’s on Santa’s ‘nice’ list this year? Head to Broad Street on Sunday 22 December to find out, as Father Christmas himself pays Reading town centre a visit! If you want to catch him, make sure you head to Broad Street between 11am-1pm where you'll find him greeting shoppers and saying hello to little ones before he flies back to the North Pole. (Rumour has it Santa will be stopping off at some other Reading locations during the festive season - so no excuse to miss him!).
Looking for something to do, rather than something to see? We've got all manner of classes and workshops, plus games, escape rooms and other interactive activities. There's something for everyone, from dance, to arts and crafts, to food and drink and the odd bit of geekery, too!
