Ashford Designer Outlet opens Santa's Lodge 28 November at £5 a child. Open 8am to 10pm on Black Friday and Boxing Day, shut Christmas Day; market dates TBC.

Ashford Designer Outlet has published its Christmas plans for 2026 (Ashford Designer Outlet: Christmas events). Santa’s Lodge opens on Saturday 28 November at £5 a child. The Christmas market returns to Polo Square, and the Grinch visits on 18 to 20 December. Opening hours are longer from Black Friday. What the outlet has not yet published is the date the market opens.

The quick answer

Santa’s Lodge: from Saturday 28 November, 12pm to 5pm on the first day, then every day in December until 5pm on Christmas Eve. £5 a child, ages 2 to 10, all proceeds to charity, no gift. Christmas market: in Polo Square, opening date not yet published. The Grinch: 18, 19 and 20 December. Hours: 8am to 10pm on Black Friday (27 November), Saturday 28 November and Boxing Day; 9am to 5pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve; closed Christmas Day. Parking is free after 5pm.

Santa’s Lodge

The lodge is a 30-minute session in a cabin, “just down from Starbucks, opposite Kate Spade and Michael Kors”, according to the outlet’s Santa’s Lodge FAQs. Children play games with the elves, and each family group gets an individual meet and greet with Santa. The details:

  • £5 a child. All proceeds go to the outlet’s charity partner of the year.
  • No present. The FAQs say: “No. All proceeds from this event will be donated to our charity partner of the year.”
  • Ages 2 to 10. Up to two adults go in free with each paying child.
  • Book ahead. Tickets are e-tickets, not refundable. Arrive no more than ten minutes before your slot, and leave pushchairs at Guest Services.
  • Photos: you can take your own; the outlet encourages it.
  • Wheelchair access throughout the lodge.

The story changes each week:

Week Theme What children take home
1 Santa’s Naughty or Nice List A Nice List certificate
2 Santa’s Lost Songbook A Grotto Carolers sheet
3 Reindeer Flight Academy A Junior Reindeer Flight Licence
4 The Toymaker Elf A toy they design themselves

SEND sessions are the first and last session of the day, in a quieter and calmer setting. The outlet says these run “every Monday from 1st December to 22nd December”. In 2026, 1 and 22 December fall on a Tuesday, so the day or the dates may be carried over from last year: check the booking page before you rely on it.

For the other grottos around the town, from Dobbies at £15 to the Tenterden Santa trains, see our Santa’s grotto in Ashford page.

The Christmas market in Polo Square

The outlet says its Christmas market “is back this year, bigger, brighter and more festive than ever”, in Polo Square. It lists these traders:

  • Food: Swing Grill, Yorkshire Pudding Wraps, The Greek, Loaded Fries, Mouse House.
  • Sweet things and hot drinks: coffee and cakes, crepes and waffles, hot chocolate, Old Time Fudge, Love & Crumble, toasted marshmallows.
  • Gifts: Christmas wreaths and table decorations, personalised Christmas decorations.

The outlet has not published the market’s opening or closing date, or its daily hours. We will add them when it does.

The Grinch, 18 to 20 December

The Grinch roams the outlet for photos in half-hour slots:

Date Times
Friday 18 December 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Saturday 19 December 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Sunday 20 December 12pm, 1pm, 2pm

There is no fixed spot: the outlet describes him as “roaming”.

Christmas opening hours

The outlet’s published festive hours:

Day Hours
Black Friday, 27 November 8am to 10pm
Saturday 28 November 8am to 10pm
Sunday 29 November 9am to 7pm (larger stores 11am to 5pm)
December, Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm
December Sundays 10am to 6pm (larger stores 11am to 5pm)
Christmas Eve 9am to 5pm
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day 8am to 10pm
Sunday 27 December 10am to 6pm (larger stores 11am to 5pm)
Monday 28 December 9am to 9pm
Wednesday 30 December 9am to 9pm
New Year’s Eve 9am to 5pm
New Year’s Day 10am to 6pm

The list skips Tuesday 29 December; the outlet’s regular hours on a Tuesday are 9am to 9pm. Before Christmas there is also a late night shopping event on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October, 9am to 10pm, with extra discounts at more than 50 brands (Ashford Designer Outlet: Late Night Shopping).

Getting there and parking

The outlet is on Kimberley Way, TN24 0SD. It says parking is free after 5pm over Christmas, and that it is 38 minutes from London St Pancras by train. Check Ashford roadworks and travel before you set off, and parking in Ashford if you are combining the trip with the town centre.

What is still to be confirmed

  • Christmas market dates and hours.
  • Santa’s Lodge SEND session days, given the Monday and Tuesday mismatch above.

More Christmas in Ashford

Sources