The theme park season might end in November, but the rest of the resort is open nearly year-round offering a wide range of activities to escape those long chilly nights.
While the hotels are at the heart of the Winter Season, the park also has limited opening hours and ride availability during some events over Winter.
The weather can be quite wintery and it often snows in the Staffordshire Moorlands when it might be more mild elsewhere, so be sure to check the weather before setting out, prepare your car for cold weather and wrap up warmly for your visit.
On a budget? The Winter Season can be an excellent time to experience the hotel attractions at a fraction of the price. Outside the main theme park season there are often plenty of good deals to be found for a stay at Alton Towers.
Christmas Breaks
This year, as well as the traditional Santa Sleepovers and Festive breaks, on selected dates over the Christmas holidays the theme park will be open for paying day guests to experience a selection of the theme park’s family rides.
You can add a little bit of extra magic to Christmas this year by taking a short break at the Alton Towers Resort – the fantastical Christmas event is a must for all those with a young family.
Event Dates
Santa’s Sleepover Dates:
- 24th – 26th November
- 1st – 3rd December
- 8th – 10th December
- 15th December – 23rd December
Festive Breaks:
- 27th December 2023 — 7th January 2024
Visiting Santa
During your Santa Sleepover you can visit Santa’s Woodland Grotto, from which Santa will be posing for pictures as well as giving out gifts.
Things to See and Do
The usual resort activities are open for the Christmas event so you can take a splash in the Alton Towers Water Park, which is always pleasantly warm, or play a frosty round of Extraordinary Golf.
There is also Christmas entertainment as well as meet and greets with your favourite CBeebies characters. For older children and adults there is also light entertainment in and around the atrium of the Alton Towers Hotel.
Food and Drink
Christmas fare can be found in the restaurants across the hotels but for all the Christmas trimmings with an extra loop, why not consider the Rollercoaster Restaurant, which is also open during the event serving Christmas dinner in its own unique style!
For lunch, you can grab some food from stalls in the park, or choose something from the lunch menu at the hotel restaurants. There is also food served in the Water Park.
The Dragon Bar is open until late into the night, offering a whole range of drinks. As this is a family event, we would recommend that any groups of adults bear in mind that children may still be around.
Hotel Christmas Gallery
Run Alton Towers
If you’ve ever felt like your day out at Alton Towers was a tad too leisurely, this is the event for you. The weekend after the main season ends, the entire resort is transformed into a giant racetrack, giving you the opportunity to run either a 5k, 10k or half-marathon race along a course that takes you past your favourite attractions.
And as a reward, once you’ve run your race in the morning, in the afternoon the majority of attractions are open for runners and spectators to enjoy. For more information and to reserve your spot, check out the Run Alton Towers website.
Dancing With the Stars
The dance professionals from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing return to the resort to strut their stuff for the annual Dancing With the Stars weekend in March.
The event is immensely popular and includes demonstrations, lessons from the professionals, a black tie ball and a Q&A with the dancing stars. If you’re a strictly fan then this is the weekend break for you!
