Santa Specials run on 15 days from 28 November to Christmas Eve: £15 a child, £13 an adult, less on early bird days. Glow in the Dark trains 19 to 23 December.

The Leighton Buzzard Railway’s Santa Specials run on 15 days between Saturday 28 November and Christmas Eve 2026, from Page’s Park station on Billington Road. Booking is open now. A child’s ticket is £15 and includes a present from Santa; the first three dates are cheaper early bird days.

The quick answer

  • Santa Specials: 28 and 29 November, then 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16 and 19 to 24 December. A 25-minute steam train ride, then Santa’s grotto at Page’s Park.
  • Prices: child (2 to 12) £15, adult £13, under-2 £9. On the early bird days, 28 and 29 November and 2 December, they are £13, £10 and £7.
  • Glow in the Dark trains at 4.30pm and 5.30pm from 19 to 23 December, and Mince Pie Specials from 27 to 30 December at £11 an adult and £8 a child.

How a Santa Special works

The railway describes it on its own Christmas page: (Leighton Buzzard Railway, Santa Specials)

  • Board at Page’s Park Station, Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard LU7 4TG for a 25-minute return steam train ride to Leedon Loop.
  • Adults get free mince pies and fruit punch; children get biscuits.
  • Back at Page’s Park you walk to Santa’s Grotto, where every child aged 12 and under gets “a high-quality, age-appropriate gift”.
  • Allow up to an hour for the whole visit.
  • Only assistance dogs are allowed on Santa trains, although dogs are welcome in the normal season.

The railway is frank about the view: “our Santa trains only run as far as Leedon Loop and the scenery is predominantly suburban in nature.” (Leighton Buzzard Railway, Christmas)

Every date and departure

These are the dates and times on the railway’s booking system on 25 September 2026. (Leighton Buzzard Railway booking)

Date Departures Type
Sat 28 Nov 10.30am to 2.30pm, hourly Early bird
Sun 29 Nov 10.30am to 2.30pm, hourly Early bird
Wed 2 Dec 10.30am to 2.30pm, hourly Early bird
Sat 5 Dec 10.30am to 4.30pm, hourly Daytime
Sun 6 Dec 10.30am to 4.30pm, hourly Daytime
Wed 9 Dec 12.30pm and 2.30pm Daytime
Sat 12 Dec 10.30am to 4.30pm, hourly Daytime
Sun 13 Dec 10.30am to 4.30pm, hourly Daytime
Wed 16 Dec 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm Daytime
Sat 19 to Wed 23 Dec 10.30am to 3.30pm hourly, then 4.30pm and 5.30pm Daytime, then Glow in the Dark
Thu 24 Dec 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm Daytime

Most departures had 60 to 75 seats left when we checked; the busiest was 53. The railway says the Santa trains “frequently sell out” and advises booking early, and says newsletter subscribers often get priority booking.

Prices

Ticket Early bird (28, 29 Nov, 2 Dec) All other dates
Child, 2 to 12 £13.00 £15.00
Adult, 13 and over £10.00 £13.00
Under 2 £7.00 £9.00

Wheelchair spaces are sold at the same prices. The Glow in the Dark trains cost the same as a daytime train. Money-off vouchers, complimentary tickets and other promotions cannot be used on Santa Specials. (Leighton Buzzard Railway, special events)

Glow in the Dark specials, 19 to 23 December

In the last week before Christmas, the 4.30pm and 5.30pm trains run after sunset with the line lit up. The railway swaps the fruit punch for hot chocolate, every passenger gets a giant marshmallow to toast on the station fire pit before boarding, and everyone gets a glow stick for the ride. The fire pit closes after the last departure, so arrive early if you want the marshmallow.

Mince Pie Specials, 27 to 30 December

After Christmas the railway runs four trains a day from Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 December, at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm, with a festive treat on board. There is no Santa. The 2pm train each day is an “Elf on the Shelf” send-off: bring your elf, tuck it into a sleeping bag, and either take it home or leave it with the railway for Santa to look after until next December. (Leighton Buzzard Railway, Mince Pie Specials)

Mince Pie tickets: adult £11, child (2 to 12) £8, under-2 free.

Groups

Groups of up to 30 can book through the website. For bigger parties, the railway asks you to contact traffic.mgr@lbngrs.org.uk or call 01525 373888.

Before Christmas: the end of the normal season

The regular season ends with a Halloween weekend on 31 October and 1 November, after the Steam Gala on 24 and 25 October. Both are on our October half term page. The railway’s timetable page currently says trains are terminating at Stonehenge Works because of track damage on Munday’s Hill; it should not affect the Santa trains, which turn back at Leedon Loop, the stop before Munday’s Hill on the railway’s timetable. (Leighton Buzzard Railway, times and fares)

Other ways to see Santa

The town has other grottos and a Santa float. They are compared on our Santa in Leighton Buzzard page. The Christmas lights go on at 7pm on Friday 27 November: see the switch-on page. For town-centre car parks, see our parking page.

What is still to be confirmed

Nothing that affects booking: dates, times and prices are all live. This page will be rechecked in November for sell-outs and any added departures.