How To Make A Santa’s Grotto

These Santa’s grotto ideas are sure to get you into the spirit of Christmas! Whether you’re looking to make Christmas at home even more magical this year or you need to create a professional Santa’s grotto for a school fete, market or event – we’ve got you covered!
Keep reading for our tips approved by Santa himself, from choosing a suitable space at home to advertising your grotto to the local community.

How to make a Santa’s grotto at home

1. Choose your space

When choosing a space, you need to consider whether you want to make your grotto inside or outside. Of course, inside will be much warmer, however it can often be difficult to keep the grotto a secret from spying eyes!
If you’re setting up a Christmas grotto outside, you could use the garden shed or a garage. These will need to be cleared of any furniture, tools or clutter, meaning this isn’t always an option for families.
In that case, our pop up Santa grotto fits perfectly in most gardens and can be assembled in just 60 seconds with two adults. Gardens are a popular choice as the grotto can be set up in secret without ruining the surprise for any visitors.

2. Decorate the inside

Get creative and create Christmas themed paper chains, snowflakes and bunting to hang around the gazebo frame. Don’t hold back on traditional Christmas decorations such as tinsel, baubles and garlands to make the grotto a place Santa would truly call home!
You could also fit in a Christmas tree, complete with twinkling lights, a star on top and a few beautifully-wrapped presents sat beneath it.
Finally, why not hide candy canes, sweets and chocolates around the grotto as an additional sweet treat for the children to enjoy?

3. Decorate the outside

Once you’re happy with the interior decorations, spend some time decorating the outside. By adding special touches to the areas leading up to the grotto, you can build the mystery, magic and excitement for those visiting.
If you’ve placed your grotto in the garden, you could add fairy lights to the surrounding trees or plants, perfect for creating that Christmassy feel.
Another great touch is placing fake presents around the garden as a hint to who might be waiting for them in the grotto. You can do this by wrapping up empty cardboard boxes – just don’t forget to add a bow!

4. Light it up

Finally, add the finishing touches by lighting up your grotto with twinkling fairy lights. Or, if you’d prefer to go for the warm orange glow that you get from a fireplace, opt for a dim orange-tinted lamp.
If you’ve chosen to place your grotto outside in a gazebo, read our expert advice on how to heat a gazebo in winter here. With glowing lights, festive decorations and cosy warmth, you’ll have achieved a magical Santa’s grotto that your kids, family and friends will never forget!

How to make a Christmas grotto for an event

1. Find a high-quality, professional grotto

Firstly, when planning for a festive event, school fair or Christmas market, you’ll need to find a suitable home for your Santa. Make sure it looks professional and, most importantly, magical, to build the excitement.
A gazebo is the most popular choice as it can be used indoors or outdoors, creating an enclosed area for families to meet Santa with their own private time. Our 3m x 3m Santa’s Grotto comes with single or double-sided printed walls, meaning you can choose an option that works best for your requirements.

2. Don’t hold back on decoration

To truly make your Santa’s grotto magical, you’ll need to go all out on the decoration.
Think fairy lights, tinsel, baubles, garlands, snowflakes and glittering materials. You should also try and add in a Christmas tree, adorned with tinsel and finished with a star on top. If your grotto will be outside, you could consider adding fake snow around the gazebo with reindeer and mischievous elves to welcome the guests.
Finally, make sure to decorate Santa’s chair, making it as comfortable and as Christmassy as possible. You could add cushions, fairy lights or tinsel to make it a throne worthy of the Big Man himself.

3. Prepare magical gifts

Every child that visits Santa should leave with a gift and a beaming smile on their face. Make sure to prepare enough gifts for the children, each one beautifully wrapped as if it had been lovingly prepared by Santa’s elves.
You may want to consider handing out a range of gifts which appeal to different ages, around 2 – 3 different types. That way, older siblings will love their gift just as much as their baby brother or sister.

4. Get the word out

After you’ve put all that effort into creating your magical Christmas grotto, you’ll want to make sure it gets some visitors.
You could create flyers, posters or shout out about your grotto on social media. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to promote your grotto before the event begins.

5. Take advance bookings

Once you’ve got the word out, we strongly recommend taking advance bookings to help with the smooth-running of the event. You don’t want parents, children and families queueing outside in the cold (and possibly wet) after everyone turns up at once without a timeslot!
Not only will it help families get their time with Santa quicker, it’ll give you an idea towards how popular your grotto will be and help you plan for the number of gifts you need to prepare.
Your Santa will thank you for it, too!