Hire a Santa / Father Christmas in Romford & Essex – Cottles Castles
Local, Professional Santa Hire You Can Trust
Looking to hire a Santa or Father Christmas locally for your Christmas event? At Cottles Castles, we provide professional Santa hire across Romford and the surrounding Essex and East London areas, with no travel fees, plus full coverage across London and nearby counties.
We work with schools, councils, nurseries, shopping centres, community groups and corporate clients every Christmas, delivering reliable, high-quality Santa experiences that families genuinely believe in.
Whether you’re planning a school fair in Romford, a community event in Hornchurch, a Christmas party in Upminster, or a corporate event in Brentwood or Chelmsford, our Santa brings real festive magic to your event.
Our Santa – Handpicked, Professional & Exclusive
Last Christmas, we worked with a number of Santas across many events throughout Romford, Havering, Essex and London. One Santa stood out head and shoulders above the rest, both in performance quality and how naturally children engaged with him.
Because of this, we made the decision to work exclusively with him for the coming season.
He has a strong performing arts background, including West End acting experience, which shows in his voice, character consistency and ability to adapt to any event environment — from busy town-centre events to quiet grotto experiences.
Our Santa also holds an enhanced DBS check, making him suitable for schools, nurseries and council-run events.
We believe in being upfront and transparent. Unlike many Santa agencies, we clearly display our pricing and quality of work on our website, so you know exactly what you’re booking. No hidden fees, no vague quotes.
If you’d like reassurance before booking, our Santa is happy to speak with you directly by phone, so you can feel completely confident in his performance — and his ho ho ho.
What’s Included in Our Santa Hire
Your Santa / Father Christmas hire includes:
• A professional Santa in full traditional costume
• Confident, natural interaction with children and families
• Flexible performance style to suit your event
• Ability to work alongside our Santa’s grottos, Mega Sleigh or Snow Globe
Santa can adapt his approach depending on your event needs:
• Fast-paced meet-and-greets for busy Christmas fairs to reduce queue times
• Longer, high-quality interactions for magical grotto experiences
• Performing shows, storytelling and interactive performances
• Adjusting tone and pace to suit different age groups and crowd sizes
Additional Santa Services (Very Popular Locally)
Alongside live appearances, we also offer:
• Personalised phone calls from Santa for children
• Video messages from Santa
• Promotional video messages to advertise your Christmas event in advance
These are especially popular with schools, councils, shopping centres and local businesses across Romford, Havering and Essex.
Elves & Supporting Staff
We can also provide professional elves to support Santa, manage queues and help events run smoothly:
• £80 per hour per elf
• Minimum booking: 3 hours
Pricing & Booking Information
• Santa hire: £150 per hour
• Minimum booking: 3 hours (£450 minimum spend)
• Elves: £80 per hour (minimum 3 hours)
• Christmas Eve & Christmas Day are charged at double rate
• A 20% booking fee is required to secure your booking (non-refundable)
• If cancelled within 7 days, the full balance is payable
Our pricing covers Romford and all surrounding areas with no travel fees, including:
Hornchurch, Upminster, Rainham, Dagenham, Barking, Barkingside, Ilford, Chadwell Heath, Goodmayes, Collier Row, Harold Hill, Noak Hill, Cranham, West Horndon, Grays, Thurrock, Brentwood, Great Warley, Basildon, Chelmsford, Ongar, Loughton and Epping Forest.
We also cover all of London and surrounding counties (Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire, Surrey and beyond) with no travel fees. For events further afield, just get in touch and we’ll advise on logistics.
Safety, Trust & Reputation
• Enhanced DBS-checked Santa
• £5,000,000 public liability insurance
• Risk assessments completed on the day
• All inflatables PIPA tested and tagged (grottos not PIPA-testable)
• Backed by 200+ five-star Google reviews
How to Book Santa Locally
To hire Santa in Romford, Havering, Essex or London, contact us today:
📧 info@santasgrottohire.co.uk
📞 01708 918 668
🌐 Or book online via Cottles Castles
Early booking is strongly recommended — December dates fill quickly.
FAQ – Local Santa / Father Christmas Hire
Do you cover my area?
Yes — we cover Romford and all surrounding areas, all of London, and nearby counties with no travel fees.
Is your Santa DBS checked?
Yes, our Santa holds an enhanced DBS check.
Can Santa work fast for busy local events?
Yes — Santa can adapt to high footfall events to keep queues moving, or slow things down for intimate grotto visits.
Can Santa perform shows?
Yes — Santa can deliver performances, storytelling and interactive shows.
Do you offer services outside live visits?
Yes — we offer Santa phone calls, video messages and promotional videos.
Hire a Santa in London, Essex and Surrounding Counties
A grotto isn’t complete without Santa himself. Our Santa hire service provides a fully costumed, professional performer who is CRB-checked, reliable and ready to bring festive cheer to your event. Whether you’re planning a School & Nursery Event, a shopping centre Christmas experience, or a Christmas Party Hire at your workplace, our Santas know how to engage children and adults alike.
A Professional Touch for Any Christmas Event
Each Santa is supplied with the full outfit, from red velvet suit and hat to polished boots and accessories, so there’s no need to worry about presentation. Our performers are experienced at meet-and-greet sessions, photo opportunities and gift handouts, making them ideal for both small community events and large-scale attractions. Because every Santa we supply is CRB-checked, you can book with confidence knowing that safeguarding is a top priority.
Santa Hire Areas
We regularly provide Santas for events in Romford, Hornchurch, Brentwood, Dagenham, Ilford, Upminster and across Essex. In London, our performers cover Central, East, North, South and West, and we also travel further afield to Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
Pair Santa With Other Festive Hire
Most organisers choose to combine a Santa booking with one of our themed grottos such as the Gold Grotto Package or Silver Grotto Package. Adding the Mega Sleigh or Large Inflatable Santa's Grotto makes an even bigger seasonal statement. For school fairs and town centres, extra attractions like Giant Garden Games and 5ft Platform Inflatable Slide hire can help keep queues happy while children wait to meet Father Christmas.
Booking Your Santa
Booking is quick through our online system: select your date, enter your postcode, and check availability in seconds. You’ll see delivery charges and hire rates upfront. If you need Santa for several hours or multiple days, we can tailor packages to suit. For local events in Havering and Havering, delivery costs are automatically calculated.