The Herald's guide · 2026
Christmas in Haddenham 2026
61 sleeps to ChristmasHere is our round-up of what is happening in and around the village this Christmas, gathered in one place so you can plan the month. We have listed the things people ask us about most, with dates and venues where we have them and a plain note where something is still to be confirmed. Details are checked before publication, and if you spot something missing or out of date, please let us know so we can update the page.
For the diary
- Nov1SunTinsel Christmas Market12pm · Village Hall, Banks Road
- Nov29SunSanta Dash 202611am · From HVH
- Dec4Fri-SunXmas Tree Festival 20264 to 6 Dec, 11am · St Mary's Church
- Dec6SunGingerbread Family Fest, a Christmas market12pm · Village Hall, Banks Road
- Dec20SunXmas Tractor Run11am · Through Haddenham
Thame's Christmas lights switch-on
Thame switches on its Christmas lights on Friday 27 November 2026, with stalls in the town centre. The Town Council has not published the times yet. Last year it ran from 4pm to 7pm, with the tree lit at 6:30pm.
In Haddenham the lights moment is the Festive Trail switch-on, below.
Seeing Santa
Haddenham Garden Centre no longer runs its Santa's grotto. After more than 12 years, and over £50,000 raised for the Rotary Club of Haddenham & District, it has stopped the grotto and Supper with Santa.
Thame has a Santa's grotto and charities fair planned for Saturday 28 November 2026. That date comes from the Town Council's draft minutes, so it may change.
The Santa Dash
The Haddenham Santa Dash is on Sunday 29 November 2026, raising money for the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity. Registration opens at 10am at the Village Hall in Banks Park and the dash starts at 11am. Run, walk or jog 3km or 5km round the village. Fancy dress is encouraged.
Entry is £8 for under 16s and £10 for adults if you book by 30 October. From 31 October it is £12 and £15. Every entry gets a Santa hat, a medal and a mince pie. Book through Eventbrite from the hospice's page. Tickets are not refundable.
The Festive Trail
The Festive Trail is a walk round the village's decorated windows and gardens, run by volunteers since 2020. The organisers say it will run again in December 2026. Dates and the entry form are not out yet.
Last year households entered by 24 November, displays stayed up from 1 to 31 December, and the switch-on was on 1 December at 6pm at Haddenham Park Care Home. Donations went to Dementia UK, and the trail raised almost £700.
The Christmas Tree Festival
The Christmas Tree Festival fills St Mary's Church with trees decorated by village groups, schools and businesses. In 2026 it is open on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December from 11am to 5pm, and on Sunday 6 December from noon to 5pm.
Last year entry was free, with donations going to Thame Foodbank and the Friends of St Mary's. This year's arrangements have not been announced yet.
Winterfest, the Christmas beer festival
Haddenham Winterfest is on Saturday 12 December 2026, from noon to 6pm in Banks Park, Banks Parade, Haddenham, next to the Village Hall, with last entry at 5pm. It is run by the Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust, which has raised money for local causes since 2004. Over half of each entry fee goes to support local charities and good causes.
This year it is a ticket only event to avoid overcrowding, and tickets must be bought in advance, children included, because they count towards the capacity limit. Adult tickets are £10, the same price for the third year running, and include a recyclable and reusable festival beaker while stocks last. Under 18s go free but must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Tickets are non refundable.
The marquees will have over 30 ales, including winter ales, craft beers and lagers, along with ciders, gins, rums, wine, prosecco, mulled wine and cider, and a wide range of non alcoholic drinks, plus artisan food and live music. There is mingling space outside the main marquees, so wrap up warm. The bars take credit and debit cards only, there is no parking so please walk or use public transport, and no dogs apart from registered assistance dogs.
Carol services
Church service times for Christmas 2026 are not out yet. As a guide, last year St Mary's held its Advent carol service on the last Sunday of November at 6pm, carols by candlelight on the Sunday before Christmas at 6pm, crib services on Christmas Eve at 3pm and 4pm, and Midnight Communion at 11:30pm.
The Baptist and Methodist churches and the Church of the Good Shepherd also held carol services and Christmas Day services. We will add this year's times as each church publishes them.
Christmas markets and fairs
Two Christmas markets are on at Haddenham Village Hall, Banks Road, HP17 8EE this year. Both are free to get in, and pushchairs and wheelchairs are welcome.
The Tinsel Christmas Market is on Sunday 1 November 2026, from 12pm to 4pm, with a Christmas market, caricatures, cookie decorating, craft making, bath bomb making, games, a tombola, glitter tattoos and a pop-up cafe.
The Gingerbread Family Fest is on Sunday 6 December 2026, from 12pm to 4pm, with a Christmas market, a toddler bouncy castle, cookie decorating, gingerbread craft making, Christmas stockings to decorate, bath bomb making, a gingerbread competition, caricatures, games, glitter tattoos and a pop-up cafe.
In Thame, the town's Christmas stalls are part of the lights switch-on on Friday 27 November.
The pantomime
The village pantomime is put on by the Haddenham Players at the Village Hall. Their most recent show was Aladdin, over the weekend of 31 January and 1 February 2026. The next one has not been announced yet.