Christmas Grotto

The Royal Pavilion is bringing back its Christmas Grotto this year, with the first dates starting on Friday 4 December. It's set in the Adelaide Suite, so it's tucked inside the Pavilion rather than out in the open. The whole thing is run by Pier Pressure, who've handled the grottos there for the last four years, providing the staff, the décor and the production. This time they've partnered with the Pavilion again to create a new experience for small children to run alongside the main Grotto.

There's a bit more to it than just the meeting with Father Christmas. There's a festive waiting area with activities for the children to keep them occupied, and a bar for the adults to lean on while elves mingle with the visitors. Once it's their turn, each child gets a private audience with Father Christmas. After that, a professional photographer takes photos, which you can buy on the day as a print, a keyring, a bauble or a snowglobe.

It runs across several weekends and then every day in the lead-up to Christmas. The dates are Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December; Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December; Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December; and then every day from Monday 21 through to Thursday 24 December. That's thirteen days in total, so you've got plenty of options if the weekends are already full.

Tickets are £19 per child and £5 per adult. The whole thing is held in the Adelaide Suite at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.