Christmas in Ponteland 2026

Christmas in Ponteland is a village affair rather than a civic production. There is no switch-on stage on Main Street, but there are lights in the trees, a busy run of church and hall events, two Santa visits within a few miles, and one of the oddest and oldest traditions in Northumberland waiting on New Year's Day.

Here is what happens each year, with the 2026 dates we have confirmed.

The village lights

Ponteland Town Council pays for the village's Christmas lights each year. They hang in the existing trees along Main Street, Bell Villas and Coates Green, and the shopping centres at Merton Way and the Broadway in Darras Hall are decorated too. Northumberland County Council puts them up on the town council's behalf.

The council says the lights usually go on at the beginning of December and stay up until early January. It does not advertise a public switch-on event, and none had been announced for 2026 when we checked in early November.

Christmas markets and fairs

Ponteland has no Christmas market of its own, but there is plenty within reach. Our Christmas markets guide covers the Belsay Hall craft fair, Newcastle's city-centre market, Brocksbushes and Hexham in full.

Closer to home, Ponteland Memorial Hall holds its annual Christmas Fair on Sunday 6 December. Opening times had not been published at the time of writing.

Santa visits

Dobbies Garden Centre at Street House Farm is the village's main Santa venue. Santa officially arrives at Dobbies on Sunday 22 November at 10.30am, a free morning with entertainment from local groups (pre-booking is recommended).

Its walk-through Santa's Grotto runs from 21 November to Christmas Eve, with 10-minute timed slots from about £15 a child and a penguin soft toy for every ticketed child. There is also a sit-down Santa's Breakfast from 28 November, and Santa Paws on selected dates from 6 to 23 December for families who want the dog in the photo.

Six miles up the A696, Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens offers a quieter alternative. Father Christmas at Belsay runs on December weekends from 5 December plus 21 and 22 December, with storytelling and a traditional present. It costs £12 per child on top of admission, and must be booked ahead. The Walking with The Snowman sculpture trail is in the grounds from 7 November into January.

Best for:

Best for: Dobbies if you want the full grotto experience on your doorstep; Belsay if you want a country-house setting and a walk afterwards.

Shows

The festive season starts early at the Memorial Hall, where the Ponteland Repertory Society stages A Musical Christmas Carol from 13 to 15 November. Tickets are £12 for adults and £8 for under-16s.

For a full pantomime, Newcastle Theatre Royal's Jack and the Beanstalk runs from 24 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, including relaxed and captioned performances.

Carols and church services

St Mary the Virgin Church is the village's 12th-century parish church and a busy concert venue in December. Its calendar lists a Northern Praeclassica concert on Saturday 12 December and the Ponteland Community Wind Band's Christmas concert in mid-December. In past years St Mary's has held crib services on Christmas Eve afternoon, a candlelit carol service in the evening and a late-night communion, but the 2026 times had not been published when we checked. The parish office is on 01661 824470.

Ponteland Methodist Church on Bell Villas lists a Christmas Fayre in its church hall on Saturday 28 November, 10am to noon, and a Christmas wreath-making workshop the following afternoon. Check its website for Christmas service times nearer the day.

Festive walks

Walking off a Christmas lunch is easy here. Ponteland Park, owned by the town council, follows the River Pont through the middle of the village, and the old Darras Hall railway line runs from near the river out through Darras Hall for more than two miles. Join the two for a loop of around five miles; our walks guide has the details.

New Year's Day: the Wheelbarrow Race

We have not found a Boxing Day tradition peculiar to Ponteland. The village saves its big moment for New Year's Day, when the Ponteland Wheelbarrow Race sets off from The Blackbird on North Road. Local legend traces it to the 14th century, when villagers are said to have used wheelbarrows to carry home the spoils of a hunt in a hard winter.

In recent years it has been run by Ponteland 41 Club with help from Ponteland Rugby Club, raising money for St Oswald's Hospice and Tynedale Hospice at Home. The January 2025 race opened with a noon parade, followed by junior, ladies' and open races. No details for 1 January 2027 had been published at the time of writing.

Shopping locally

For gifts, Carousel Gifts on the Broadway covers cards and homeware. For the Christmas table, Davidson of Darras Hall is the local bakery and Manners for Meat the butcher. Order early, as Christmas cut-off dates vary. Dobbies also holds a Christmas Shopping Night on Thursday 26 November, 5pm to 8pm, raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK.

Work Christmas parties

If you are the one organising the work do, our guide to corporate Christmas party venues in Ponteland rounds up the local places that take festive bookings for teams and groups, with what each offers and how to book.

Christmas trees

Real trees are on sale at Dobbies, at Broomhall Christmas Trees in Black Callerton (opening 26 November 2026) and at Cowell's Garden Centre in Woolsington. Northumberland's garden-waste bins aren't collected from December to February, so in January trees go to Kirkley West Thorn household waste recovery centre. Our guide to Christmas trees in Ponteland has the details.

Parking and buses

Parking in Ponteland is free. The county council's car parks at Merton Way North, Merton Way South and Thornhill Road serve the village shops (short-stay bays need a parking disc), and the Ponteland Leisure Centre car park on Callerton Lane is all-day and free. Our parking guide has more.

For the city-centre market or the panto, Stagecoach's X77, X78 and X79 run from Ponteland to Eldon Square. You can also drive to Callerton Parkway and take the Metro, which avoids city parking altogether. Bus and Metro services are reduced over Christmas and New Year, with little or nothing on Christmas Day, so check the festive timetables before you travel. See getting around Ponteland for more.

Know of a Ponteland Christmas event we have missed? Get in touch via our contact page.