Iconic venues including Coombe Abbey Hotel and Coventry Transport Museum have unveiled their family-friendly Christmas activities as part of Visit Coventry’s ‘Love Coventry this Christmas’ initiative – including a variety of free and affordable options.

The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is inviting youngsters to express their creative spark and get involved in singalongs and story time with a Sensory Stories and Rhymes Christmas Story Special on December 10 and Santa Sing-Along Special on December 17. Admission is £1.50 while adults go free.

And to keep busy over the holidays on December 27, 28 and 30, the Herbert will host Playful Paper Winter Crafts, where visitors can create soft snowy paper snowflakes and colourful paper polar bear sculptures. Entry is from £2.50 or free for under-3s.

Visit Coventry will host a free Young Explorers Trail, where youngsters can pick up a guide from Coventry Visitor Information Centre and explore some popular city centre attractions, finding 10 answers to win an exclusive Coventry Young Explorers badge.

Families will have a variety of opportunities to see Father Christmas this year, with Coombe Abbey Hotel hosting a festive three-course Sunday lunch with Santa on December 1, 8. 15 and 22.

The Albany Theatre will host Father Christmas and Friends on November 30, treating visitors to a 45-minute, interactive family show, particularly suitable for 2–8-year-olds. Afterwards, the adventure continues as each child gets to meet Father Christmas and receive a specially wrapped present.

Coventry Transport Museum’s Vintage Sleigh Ride experience will also return to the city centre venue, giving families the chance to embark on a winter adventure pulled by two trust reindeer to Santa’s grotto every weekend from Friday, November 22. Tickets for one child and two adults start at £10.

And for those wondering how Santa delivers every single present in one night, the Coventry Transport Museum is inviting visitors of all ages to discover the physical forces and engineering feats involved in the science behind the Sleigh with WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) STEM expert Phil Jemmett on Friday, December 6.

A huge range of festive performances designed to captivate all ages will also arrive in Coventry over Christmas.

With tickets from £9.50 and matinee and evening shows available, Planet Ice will present Aladdin on Ice at Coventry Skydome on December 3.

The show features amateur local skaters who have honed their skills through Planet Ice’s Learn To Skate program, providing audiences with a truly memorable adaptation of the timeless story.

The Belgrade Theatre’s panto for 2024 is the much-loved classic Dick Whittington, with organisers saying it will be jam-packed with festive fun, magical mayhem and loads of Christmas sparkle from November 20 to January 4.

The Belgrade is also inviting families to a stage adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved book, Father Christmas – ideal for youngsters under 6-years old – on show from December 5 to 29.

The Albany Theatre will take inspiration from Alice in Wonderland for its hugely popular in-house Christmas production this year, with shows from December 7 to 29, while its Community Pantomime from January 4 to 12 adapts Sleeping Beauty for the panto stage

Paul McMahon, Managing Director at Visit Coventry said: “Our incredible partner venues are hosting a huge range of exciting family-friendly events this Christmas.

“We are starting to see people get into the festive spirit, and we can’t wait to see families enjoying some brilliant activities and performances over the next couple of months, including many which are budget-friendly while offering loads of festive fun!”

For more information about the festive events taking place across the city, visit https://visitcoventry.co.uk/event-category/christmas-events