Ickworth's Shadow the Snow Leopard trail runs 28 Nov to 3 Jan, crafts from 17 Dec, a £15 drawing workshop on 19 Dec and a tinsel 10K on 20 Dec. Admission £15.
Christmas at Ickworth runs from Monday 16 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It opens with a 1930s Christmas in the servants’ quarters, then Shadow the Snow Leopard returns: an outdoor trail from Saturday 28 November and a story inside the Rotunda from Wednesday 2 December. Almost nothing needs booking; you pay normal admission, and National Trust members go in free.
The quick answer
- November Nostalgia, 16 to 29 November, 11am to 3pm: the servants’ quarters dressed for a 1930s Christmas.
- Shadow the Snow Leopard trail outside, 28 November to 3 January, 10am to 4.30pm (last entry 4pm); inside the Rotunda, 2 December to 3 January, 11am to 3pm.
- New: children’s Christmas crafts, 17 December to 4 January, 10am to 4pm, and a free festive Tinsel Trail Run (5K or 10K) on Sunday 20 December at 9.30am.
- Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No booking, except the £15 drawing workshop on 19 December.
- Admission: £15 an adult, £7.50 a child aged 5 to 17, £37.50 a family (£16.50, £8.30 and £41.25 with Gift Aid). Under-5s and members free.
All of this is from the National Trust’s own Christmas at Ickworth listing and the individual event pages linked below, checked on 24 October 2026.
Updated 31 October: the Trust has added a bookable Shadow drawing workshop with illustrator Nami Ralph on Saturday 19 December, £15.
Updated 24 October: the Trust has added children’s Christmas crafts from 17 December and a Christmas Tinsel Trail Run on 20 December.
Updated 17 October: the indoor Shadow story in the Rotunda now starts a day earlier, on Wednesday 2 December.
What is on, and when
| Dates | What | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 16 to Sun 29 Nov | November Nostalgia: A 1930s Christmas | 11am to 3pm |
| Sat 21 and Sun 22 Nov | March Hare Collective Christmas Craft Fair | 10am to 4pm |
| Weekends 21 to 29 Nov | Costumed volunteers in the basement kitchens | During November Nostalgia |
| Sat 28 Nov to Sun 3 Jan | Shadow’s Snowy Return: outdoor winter trail | 10am to 4.30pm, last entry 4pm |
| Wed 2 Dec to Sun 3 Jan | Winter Adventures: Shadow inside the Rotunda | 11am to 3pm |
| Thu 17 Dec to Mon 4 Jan | Children’s Christmas Crafts | 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.45pm |
| Sat 19 Dec | Shadow’s illustration workshop with Nami Ralph, £15, book ahead | Three one-hour sessions, first 10.30am |
| Sun 20 Dec | Christmas Trust10 Tinsel Trail Run, 5K or 10K | Briefing 9.30am at the Rotunda |
| 16 Nov to 3 Jan | Festive food in the West Wing Cafe, Christmas shop | 10am to 4pm |
| Thu 24 and Fri 25 Dec | Closed |
November Nostalgia, 16 to 29 November
For two weeks the servants’ quarters are decorated as they would have been for a 1930s Christmas: a tree, stockings on the fireplaces, ribbons, greenery cut on the estate. The Trust says there will be Christmassy smells and recordings of Ickworth’s own servants from the 1930s and 1940s talking about the festivities. Children can make paper chains, which are then used in the December displays in the main house. Go in through the shop in the West Wing (National Trust).
On both weekends, the costumed volunteers cook in the basement and you can stir the Christmas pudding (National Trust).
The Christmas craft fair, 21 and 22 November
The March Hare Collective, a group of Suffolk artists, designers and makers, fills the West Wing Gallery with stalls from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November (National Trust). It is included in admission. The same weekend, the Athenaeum fair is on in town on the Sunday; our Christmas markets page has every Bury market and fair.
Shadow the Snow Leopard, outside from 28 November
Shadow is the snow leopard character Ickworth uses for its winter trail, and he is back this year with friends. Shadow’s Snowy Return: A Magical Winter’s Trail leads you round the grounds and into the Italianate garden, daily from 10am to 4.30pm, with last entry at 4pm, from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 3 January (National Trust).
Dogs: only assistance dogs are allowed in the Italianate garden, so a dog walker will have to skip that part. Dogs on leads are welcome in the parkland.
Shadow inside the Rotunda, from 2 December
Winter Adventures: Shadow’s Snowy Return is the indoor half: the story of Shadow and friends “getting up to mischief and mayhem” around the Rotunda, written by Bethan Davidson with the Trust. It runs from Wednesday 2 December to Sunday 3 January, from 11am to 3pm (National Trust).
Children’s crafts and a tinsel run, from 17 December
The Christmas craft events the Trust had listed as “still to be confirmed” are now dated. Children’s Christmas Crafts, inspired by Shadow the Snow Leopard, run from Thursday 17 December to Monday 4 January, 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3.45pm: building a hot air balloon, making snowflake garlands and more. No booking; it is covered by normal admission (National Trust).
The one thing to book is on Saturday 19 December: a one-hour Shadow’s illustration workshop with Nami Ralph, the children’s illustrator who draws Shadow the Snow Leopard. It suits all abilities, materials are provided, and you finish by turning your drawing into a Christmas tree decoration. There are three sessions, the first at 10.30am. Tickets are £15 on the Trust’s box office, booking is essential, and non-members pay standard admission on arrival as well (National Trust).
On Sunday 20 December Ickworth holds its first Christmas Trust10 Tinsel Trail Run: two 5K loops of the estate’s multi-use trail, so you can stop at 5K or carry on to 10K. Briefing is at 9.30am in front of the Rotunda, with a start shortly after; tinsel and festive wear are encouraged. It is free, runners get in without paying admission, and there is no booking. Spectators pay normal admission, runners cannot bring dogs, and the Trust asks everyone to use the overflow car park. There are no facilities on the route, so bring water (National Trust).
What it costs
There is no separate Christmas ticket. You pay the normal whole-estate admission, which covers everything open that day (National Trust):
| Ticket | Without Gift Aid | With Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18 and over) | £15.00 | £16.50 |
| Child (5 to 17) | £7.50 | £8.30 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £37.50 | £41.25 |
| 1 adult, 2 children | £22.50 | £24.80 |
Under-5s and National Trust members are free. Those are the prices published on 10 October; we will check them again before the Christmas events open.
Getting there
Ickworth is at Horringer, three miles south-west of Bury on the A143. The Trust asks drivers not to use the IP29 5QE postcode in a satnav: come in through Horringer village and follow the brown signs, and avoid Chevington, which is a no through road. Stop at the welcome kiosk on the drive with membership cards ready; there is a large car park and an overflow that may close in wet weather.
By bus, the 14 and 15 run from Bury town centre to Horringer, and it is about a 15-minute walk from the stop to the visitor centre (National Trust). If you are combining it with a trip into town, our parking page has the town car parks, and the roadworks page has this week’s closures.
Still to be confirmed
- An outdoor Christmas trail beyond Shadow. The Trust’s Christmas listing still names one as “still to be confirmed”.
- Whether Father Christmas visits Ickworth this year. Nothing is listed yet. Our Santa’s grotto page has the grottos that are booking now.
We will add these when the Trust publishes them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book for Christmas at Ickworth?
Not for the trail, the Rotunda story, the crafts or the 1930s Christmas: you pay normal admission on arrival, or go in free as a member. The exception is the £15 Shadow illustration workshop on Saturday 19 December, which must be booked.
Is Ickworth open on Christmas Day?
No. The estate is closed on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 December, and open again from Saturday 26 December until the Christmas events end on Sunday 3 January.
Is there a light trail at Ickworth this Christmas?
Not that the Trust has announced. The 2026 programme is the Shadow the Snow Leopard daytime trail, which closes for the day at 4.30pm.
Can I take my dog?
Dogs on leads are welcome in the parkland, but only assistance dogs are allowed in the Italianate garden, which the outdoor Shadow trail goes through.
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