The Royal Pavilion winter season, A Fairy Tale of Frost and Fire, runs 21 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 with admission. Carol concert 16 Dec, banquets 17 to 19.
The Royal Pavilion’s 2026 winter season is called A Fairy Tale of Frost and Fire and runs from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027, dressing the state rooms with “mysterious beasts amongst royal treasures”. It is included in the normal ticket. Around it, Brighton & Hove Museums has put three ticketed evenings and afternoons on sale: a carol concert in the Music Room on 16 December, Christmas banquets on 17, 18 and 19 December, and Regency cream teas on 15 and 22 December. Father Christmas, who was in the Red Drawing Room last year, has not yet been announced for 2026.
The quick answer
- A Fairy Tale of Frost and Fire: 21 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, free with Pavilion admission. Winter hours are 10am to 5.15pm, last entry 4.30pm.
- Admission: £21.50 adult, £13 child (5 to 18), £16.50 for BN1, BN2, BN3 and BN41 residents, with 5% off for booking online.
- Ticketed extras: carol concert Wednesday 16 December (£38), banquets 17 to 19 December (£195), cream teas Tuesday 15 and 22 December (£32). Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and from 2.30pm on Christmas Eve.
The winter exhibition
A Fairy Tale of Frost and Fire replaces the Dragons season, which closes on 1 November. The museum describes “an enchantingly festive world of fire, frost and fantasy” with mythical creatures set among the Pavilion’s own collection. There is no extra charge: “Free with Royal Pavilion admission, members free.” Timed entry is booked through the normal ticket page.
Opening hours and prices
From October to March the Pavilion opens 10am to 5.15pm with last admission at 4.30pm, per its plan your visit page. It is closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January, and closes early, at 2.30pm, on 24 December.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £21.50 |
| Child, age 5 to 18 | £13.00 |
| Brighton & Hove resident (BN1, BN2, BN3, BN41) | £16.50 |
| Resident young person, 13 to 18 | £9.00 |
| Student at a local university | £16.50 |
| Carer | Free |
Booking online in advance takes 5% off those prices, and a family with one adult and two or more children gets one child ticket free. Members go in free all year.
The ticketed Christmas events
- Carol Concert, Wednesday 16 December 2026, Music Room. Doors 7pm, concert 7.30pm to 9.30pm with an interval, local choirs, and “a mince pie and glass of prosecco in the Banqueting Room”. £38, members 15% off (listing).
- Christmas Banquets, Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December, 6.30pm to 11pm. Sparkling wine from Roebuck Estates in the Great Kitchen, carols in the Music Room, then a three-course Indian-inspired dinner in the Banqueting Room under the dragon chandelier. £195 a head, £175 for members or for a table of ten; over 18s only; dress code “festive glamour” (listing).
- Christmas Regency Cream Teas, Tuesday 15 and Tuesday 22 December, sittings at 2pm and 4pm in the King William IV Room. £32 including Pavilion admission and the winter exhibition, served by staff in Regency dress with a short Jane Austen reading; members 15% off. The room is reached by stairs only (listing).
- Victorian Cookery Club: Christmas Special, Preston Manor, Saturday 5 December, a tour of the Victorian dining room and kitchen followed by hands-on cookery (listing).
Father Christmas: not yet announced
Last year’s season, A Very Austen Christmas, ran from 22 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 and included Father Christmas at the Pavilion from 29 November to 24 December, Storytime with Father Christmas in the Red Drawing Room from 6 to 24 December, and choirs in the Music Room from 1 to 21 December, all listed on the museum’s Christmas season page, which still shows the 2025 programme. None of those has a 2026 listing yet. The Father Christmas dates are the missing piece and will be added here when the museum publishes them. The other grotto and Santa train options within reach of Brighton are on our Santa’s grotto page.
Around the Pavilion in December
The Christmas lights in North Street and the Lanes, and the position on a Christmas market, are on the lights and market page. Burning the Clocks passes through the city centre on Monday 21 December (details). Theatre Royal Brighton’s festive show and the Dome’s Christmas programme are on the pantomime page. For getting in and out over the holiday, including the no-trains days, see Christmas and New Year travel.
Still to be confirmed
- Father Christmas and Storytime dates and prices for 2026, expected from Brighton & Hove Museums in October or November.
- Whether choirs return to the Music Room in the weeks before Christmas.
- Any late-opening evenings during the exhibition.
Sources: Brighton & Hove Museums: A Fairy Tale of Frost and Fire, plan your visit, Carol Concert, Christmas Banquets 2026, Christmas Regency Cream Teas, Christmas season at the Royal Pavilion (2025 programme), what’s on.
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