The Ideal Christmas Show

At The Ideal Christmas Show you can shop more than 400 brands for gifts, decorations and festive food in one visit to Olympia London, from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 November 2026. The Ideal Christmas Show is a four-day public event run by Media 10, owner of the Ideal Home Show, with live demonstrations, bookable workshops, a food stage and Santa’s Grotto. The 2025 edition ran at Olympia from 26 to 30 November under the name Ideal Home Show Christmas, and the official site still uses both names.

Dates, opening times and tickets for 2026

You pay less by buying your See Tickets e-ticket in advance than on the door. Opening hours are 10:00 to 17:00 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturday. Prices:

• Weekday adult: £16 in advance, £22 on the door
• Weekend adult: £18 in advance, £24 on the door
• Weekday concession (over 60s): £14
• Children aged 5 to 15: £5 on weekdays, £7 at weekends
• Children aged 4 and under: free, but they still need a ticket and must come with a paying adult
• VIP: £65, with fast-track entry, the VIP Lounge, a glass of prosecco and a goody bag the organiser values at up to £70

Each order carries a £2.99 transaction fee and tickets are non-refundable. A weekend ticket is valid on any day, while a weekday ticket has to be upgraded for Saturday or Sunday. If you are a registered disabled visitor and buy a ticket, you can bring a carer free. Santa’s Grotto and the workshops are booked separately.

One ticket, three shows

Your ticket also gets you into the Eat & Drink Festival and The Cake & Bake Show, held at Olympia on the same dates. The organiser bills the Eat & Drink Festival as the country’s biggest indoor food festival, with produce for Christmas hampers. Our guide on what a co-located exhibition ticket actually covers explains combined admission.

What you will find on the show floor

You can head straight for what you want, as stands are grouped into five sections:

• Christmas Gifts: candles, hampers, homeware, personalised keepsakes, edible treats, toys and handmade items
• Christmas Decorations: lights, baubles, wreaths, ornaments and Christmas trees
• Christmas Home: furniture, soft furnishings and festive home accessories
• Entertainment Hub: gaming, gadgets and experience gifts
• Eat & Drink Festival: seasonal food and drink

New areas for 2026 include the Personalisation Pavilion and The Merry Little Gift Village. Food features include the Festive Food Stage, a Festive Food Hall and Santa’s Speakeasy, a bar with live music. The 2026 exhibitor list includes Aeropress, Birchall Tea, Beckford Rum, Bella and Duke and Amber Hue Candles. Independents the organiser has featured include Elegant Treats, which makes confectionery with Caribbean flavours, and March Muses, which sells Black Christmas decorations and gifts.

Workshops, demonstrations and Santa’s Grotto

You can try your hand at festive crafts and drinks, and your children can meet Santa. Bookable workshops cover wreath making, festive drinks and chocolate, and Mainline Spirits is bringing cocktail making sessions. A Grotto ticket includes meeting Santa, a family photo and a gift for each child. At a previous Christmas edition the Christmas Theatre featured a wreath demonstration by interiors stylist Melanie Lissack, Annie Sloan painting Christmas decorations with Chalk Paint, and a tablescaping session from the Style Makers.

Exhibiting to Christmas shoppers

Media 10 says the show puts your brand in front of more than 44,000 Christmas shoppers. It also reports that 75% of visitors plan to buy decorations and things for the home. You can take a stand, sponsorship or both. See our guide to planning a December exhibition without losing the January follow-up.

More festive and gift events for your diary

Elsewhere in the retail and gifts calendar, Spirit of Christmas Fair opens at Olympia on 2 November 2026, Simply Christmas follows at NEC Birmingham from 5 November, and Top Drawer returns to Olympia from 10 January 2027. Media 10 also runs Futurebuild at Excel London from 11 May 2027. See also London trade shows.

Getting there

You can arrive by train right next to the venue at Kensington (Olympia) station, served by the London Overground and National Rail. From the Central line, change at Shepherd’s Bush for a one-stop Overground ride; on weekdays District line passengers change at West Brompton. Olympia sits inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking is limited, so book a space in advance through the venue.

Source: theidealchristmasshow.co.uk, theidealchristmasshow.co.uk/plan-your-visit, theidealchristmasshow.co.uk/contact-us, theidealchristmasshow.co.uk/exhibit