Terms & Conditions

Tonbridge Christmas Fest is a free-to-enter public event. Certain attractions, entertainment, experiences and evening events require the purchase of a valid ticket.

Tickets for paid events must only be purchased through Skiddle, our official ticketing partner. Tickets purchased through unauthorised sellers or third parties may be cancelled without notice and entry refused.

Tickets will be issued electronically. It is the ticket holder's responsibility to ensure their contact details are correct and that tickets have been received prior to arrival.

All ticket sales are final. Refunds will not be issued where a ticket holder is unable to attend due to illness, travel disruption, work commitments, personal circumstances or any other reason beyond the organiser's control.

The organiser reserves the right to amend, substitute, postpone or cancel any advertised attraction, entertainment, character appearance, performer, experience, trader or event timetable without liability.

Refunds will only be considered where a ticketed event is cancelled and cannot be rescheduled due solely to circumstances within the organiser's reasonable control. No refunds or compensation will be issued where cancellations, interruptions, delays or changes occur as a result of force majeure, including but not limited to:

• Severe weather, high winds, flooding, snow or ice
• Fire, government restrictions, pandemics, terrorism, civil unrest or industrial action
• Any circumstance beyond the organiser's reasonable control

Where appropriate, tickets may be transferred to another date or event at the organiser's discretion. The temporary or permanent closure of all or part of the event site for reasons of safety, emergency or force majeure shall not constitute grounds for compensation or additional liability on the part of the organiser.

No refund will be issued where a visitor is refused entry to, or removed from, the event site as a result of a breach of these Terms & Conditions.

The organiser reserves the right to refuse admission or remove any visitor without refund where, in the reasonable opinion of event management, security personnel or the venue, a person's behaviour is dangerous, abusive, violent or threatening; causes nuisance or distress to other visitors; compromises the safety or enjoyment of the event; breaches these Terms & Conditions; or fails to comply with instructions issued by event staff, security personnel, emergency services or venue representatives.

Visitors attending ticketed attractions may be issued with a wristband or admission pass which must remain valid throughout the event. Lost, damaged or tampered wristbands may be deemed invalid. Re-entry to ticketed attractions or the Christmas Lounge is not guaranteed and remains at the discretion of event management.

Entry will also be refused to any person who has been notified in writing that they will not be admitted to events operated by Sauly Events Ltd — see Previous Conduct & Refusal of Entry below.

The organiser reserves the right to refuse entry to, or remove from, any of its events any person who has previously been refused entry to or removed from an event operated by Sauly Events Ltd, or whose previous conduct at such an event gives the organiser reasonable grounds to refuse entry.

Where the organiser has notified a person in writing that they will not be admitted to its events, that person must not attend the event site, purchase, hold, transfer or attempt to use a ticket for any ticketed experience, or arrange for another person to purchase a ticket on their behalf.

General admission to Tonbridge Christmas Fest is free, so no refund arises in respect of general entry. If you have received such a notification and hold tickets for a ticketed experience, please email info@tonbridgechristmasfest.co.uk quoting your Skiddle order reference and we will arrange a refund. Requests must be received no later than 14 days before the date of the ticketed event. Where notification is given within 14 days of that date, requests must instead be made within 14 days of the date of the notification. Refunds are made at ticket face value; booking fees charged by our ticketing partner are non-refundable and will be retained.

If you arrive at the event and are refused entry on these grounds: decisions of this kind are not discussed, reviewed or overturned on site. You will be asked to leave, and event staff and security have no authority to set such a decision aside or to discuss the reasons for it at the time. Anyone who believes a decision has been made in error, or who did not receive notification of it, should email the address above afterwards and the matter will be reviewed away from the event site. Where the organiser is satisfied that notification was not properly given, a refund of any ticket face value will be issued. Refusal to leave the site when asked may result in the police being called.

Tonbridge Christmas Fest is a family-friendly event. Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 years or over at all times, including inside the Christmas Lounge and at all ticketed experiences and meet & greets.

Parents and guardians remain responsible for the safety, welfare, supervision and behaviour of children in their care throughout the event. Our staff are here to help, but they cannot supervise children on your behalf.

Children under 2 years of age are admitted free to ticketed children's experiences. Where a show carries age guidance, it is offered as guidance only, and the accompanying adult remains responsible for deciding what is suitable for their child.

The welfare of children at our events matters more to us than anything else on this page. We operate a lost child procedure throughout every event day, and our staff and stewards are briefed on it.

If you become separated from your child, go to the nearest member of event staff, steward or security operative straight away — they are in high-visibility clothing and can be found throughout the site. Tell them your child's name, age, what they are wearing and where you last saw them. Please stay with that member of staff rather than searching alone, so that we can reach you immediately when your child is found.

If we find a child who has become separated, they will be looked after by our team until their adult is found. A found child is never left alone with a single member of staff — two members of the team will always be present. We will not broadcast a child's name publicly. A child will only be reunited with the adult who brought them, or another adult that person identifies, and we may ask questions before doing so.

Two things that help enormously: take a photograph of your child on your phone when you arrive, and write your mobile number somewhere your child can show to a member of staff.

Any safeguarding concern raised with us will be taken seriously and, where appropriate, referred to the police or to Kent County Council children's social care.

Children must remain with their accompanying adult throughout all meet & greets, shows and workshops. Our performers and costumed characters are never left alone with a child, and a member of the event team is present throughout.

Photographs at meet & greets are taken on your own device by your own party. Please be considerate of other families waiting, and avoid photographing other people's children.

Meet & greet sessions are not allocated as individual time slots unless stated otherwise — please arrive during your chosen session and join the queue, and our team will make sure everyone gets their turn. Where a session is time-limited or capacity is reached, entry cannot be guaranteed to latecomers and no refund arises in those circumstances.

Characters, performers and appearances are subject to change without notice. Costumed characters are performed by people who take regular breaks, so a character may be unavailable for short periods during a session.

Certain evening events are strictly for persons aged 18 years and over. Valid photographic identification may be requested upon entry. Accepted forms of identification include a valid passport, UK driving licence (full or provisional), PASS accredited proof of age card, Ministry of Defence identity card, or national identity card. Anyone unable to provide satisfactory proof of age may be refused entry without refund.

There is no search on entry to the Christmas Market. General admission is free and the Market, Food Village and surrounding grounds are open to the public.

Searches do apply at ticketed events. As a condition of entry to any ticketed show, workshop, meet & greet or evening event, and to the Christmas Lounge, visitors consent to reasonable security searches of their person, bags and belongings. Searches are carried out by our appointed security contractor.

The organiser reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone refusing a search or found in possession of prohibited items. Where entry is refused on these grounds, no refund will be issued. Prohibited items may be confiscated and disposed of without compensation.

This is a family event, and we want every parent bringing children here to know where we stand. Illegal drugs and weapons have no place at Tonbridge Christmas Fest, and we operate a zero tolerance policy.

Any person found in possession of illegal drugs, psychoactive substances, a weapon, or any item which in the reasonable judgement of event management could be used as a weapon, will be refused entry or removed from the site immediately. No refund will be issued in these circumstances. Such items will be confiscated and will not be returned.

Where the organiser considers it appropriate, confiscated items and the details of the individual concerned will be passed to Kent Police. Any person suspected of supplying, or of intending to supply, controlled substances will be detained pending police attendance.

The same applies to any person who arrives in a state of intoxication such that they present a risk to themselves or to others, or who behaves in a violent, threatening, abusive or discriminatory manner. Refusal of entry or removal on any of these grounds carries no entitlement to a refund or to compensation.

Prescribed medication: this section does not apply to medication lawfully prescribed to you, including cannabis-based medicinal products prescribed under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Please bring it in its original dispensing pharmacy packaging with the label intact, together with a valid FP10 prescription or private clinic letter dated within the last 30 days and photo ID confirming you are the named patient. Commercial cards such as Cancard or MedCannID are not prescriptions and cannot be accepted on their own. Where cannabis-based medication is permitted on site it may be used by medical vaporiser only; smoking or combusting cannabis in any form remains unlawful and, as this is a family event with children present, will result in removal from the site without refund.

The organiser may, at its discretion, notify any person refused entry or removed under this section that they will not be admitted to future events operated by Sauly Events Ltd.

The following items are prohibited: alcohol purchased off-site; illegal drugs or psychoactive substances; weapons or sharp objects; fireworks, flares or smoke canisters; glass bottles or containers; BBQs, camping stoves or naked flames; drones without prior written permission; laser pens; and any item considered dangerous, offensive or disruptive by event management. The organiser reserves the right to amend this list and confiscate prohibited items where necessary.

Possession of illegal drugs or of any weapon carries the specific consequences set out in Drugs, Weapons & Prohibited Substances above.

The organiser reserves the right to temporarily suspend, restrict access to, evacuate or close all or part of the Fest at any time where necessary in the interests of public safety or the safe operation of the event, including (but not limited to) severe weather, fire or emergency incidents, security threats, public safety concerns, structural or infrastructure issues, medical emergencies, direction from emergency services or a statutory agency, or any circumstance beyond the organiser's reasonable control.

Where an event or attraction is interrupted, delayed, suspended or cancelled for any of the above reasons, the organiser shall not be liable for any loss, expense, compensation or consequential costs incurred by visitors. Where reasonably practicable, the organiser will endeavour to reopen the event or provide alternative arrangements; however, this cannot be guaranteed.

By entering Tonbridge Christmas Fest, visitors consent to being photographed, filmed or recorded. Images and recordings may be used by the organiser for promotional, advertising, editorial and commercial purposes without payment, notification or further consent.

Images of children: we know parents care about this, so we keep it simple. Our photographers work openly and are briefed to ask before taking a close-up photograph of a child. We never publish a child's name alongside their image. If you would prefer that images of you or your child are not used, tell the photographer at the time, or email info@tonbridgechristmasfest.co.uk with the date, approximate time and location, and we will remove them from our library.

Visitors taking their own photographs are asked to be considerate and to avoid photographing other people's children.

Body-worn video: there is no CCTV at Tonbridge Christmas Fest. Our security operatives do wear body-worn cameras, which are not recording continuously — they are activated at the point a search, a refusal of entry or a developing incident begins. These cameras are operated by our appointed security contractor, who records, holds and is responsible for any footage under their own privacy policy and retention arrangements. The organiser does not hold this footage and does not have routine access to it. Footage may be disclosed to the police or other authorities where required by law. To make a request in relation to footage of yourself, contact us and we will pass your request to our security contractor. Full details of how we handle personal information are set out in our Privacy Policy.

Visitors attend the event entirely at their own risk. The organiser, venue owners, contractors and event partners accept no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage of personal belongings, vehicles or property brought onto or left at the event site.

All licensed bars operate a Challenge 25 policy. Anyone appearing under the age of 25 may be required to produce valid photographic identification before alcohol is served. Failure to provide valid identification may result in alcohol being refused.

Alcohol will not be served to anyone who appears intoxicated. It is an offence to buy alcohol on behalf of a person under 18.

Visitors may bring food and soft drinks into the main event site. Outside food and drink must not be consumed inside the Christmas Lounge. Food and drink purchased from authorised on-site traders may be taken into the Christmas Lounge. Alcohol purchased off-site is not permitted anywhere within the event.

Medical requirements: if you or someone in your party needs to bring specific food or drink into the Christmas Lounge for a medical reason or a medically necessary dietary requirement, that is permitted. Please speak to a member of the event team on arrival, and contact us in advance where you can so that we can make arrangements without holding you up.

Allergens at the Market and Food Village: food and drink here is prepared and sold by independent traders, each of whom is responsible for their own allergen information — please ask at the stall before ordering.

Allergens at ticketed experiences: where food is included in the ticket price, it is supplied by us and we hold the allergen information for it. Please tell us about any allergy, intolerance or dietary requirement at the time of booking, or email us as soon as possible afterwards, so that we can confirm what we are able to cater for before you travel. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment, as food is prepared in a shared setting.

Marshmallow Corner uses open fire pits. Children must be supervised by their accompanying adult at all times when toasting marshmallows, and toasting sticks must not be taken away from the supervised area. Please follow the instructions of the staff member on duty.

Our snow effect is produced by machines positioned around the site. If anyone in your party has a respiratory condition, or sensitive skin or eyes, please keep a comfortable distance while the effect is running.

The event takes place in the grounds of a historic castle. Surfaces are uneven in places and may be slippery in wet, icy or frosty conditions. Please take care, wear suitable footwear, and keep to marked pathways.

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas of the Christmas Market — the Market Village, Food Village and surrounding grounds — and must be kept on a short lead at all times.

Dogs are not permitted at any ticketed event. This includes all shows, workshops, meet & greets and evening events, and the Christmas Lounge generally. Only registered assistance dogs are permitted in these areas.

Please bear in mind that this is a busy event with young children, crowds, music and lighting effects, and consider whether it is a suitable environment for your dog. Owners remain responsible for their animals at all times, including for cleaning up after them.

Tonbridge Christmas Fest aims to provide an accessible experience for all visitors. There is step-free access throughout the public areas, including the Christmas Lounge, and accessible toilet facilities are available on site.

Visitors requiring assistance during their visit should speak to a member of the event team, who will be glad to help. If you have specific access requirements, please contact us in advance so that we can discuss them with you before you book or travel.

Tonbridge Christmas Fest operates primarily outdoors and will proceed in most weather conditions. Visitors are advised to dress appropriately for winter weather. The Christmas Lounge offers covered seating; however, capacity is limited and admission cannot be guaranteed at busy times.

Character appearances, performances, entertainment, traders, attractions, food vendors and experiences are subject to change without prior notice. The organiser accepts no liability where advertised attractions become unavailable due to illness, technical failure or circumstances beyond reasonable control.

Attendance at Tonbridge Christmas Fest is entirely at the visitor's own risk. Nothing within these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury arising from negligence where such liability cannot legally be excluded.

The organiser reserves the right to amend these Terms & Conditions at any time without prior notice. The latest version will always be published on the official Tonbridge Christmas Fest website.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. By entering Tonbridge Christmas Fest and/or purchasing tickets for any paid attraction or event, visitors confirm that they have read, understood and agree to be bound by them.