How to have an autism-friendly Christmas in the North East, from relaxed pantomimes to quiet Santa's Grottos

It's a time of cheer and celebration - but for people who are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent, it can be a time of great upset and stress.

Crowds, queues, flashing lights, loud music and beeping tills can create sensory overload for some autistic children and adults.

As we head towards Christmas, the North East Autism Society (NEAS) has put together a round-up of relaxed festive events, shows and shopping for families with loved ones who are autistic, so they don't have to miss out on the fun.

Many venues have taken this into account and have provided quiet, relaxed or sensory-friendly visits that are tailor-made for the neurodivergent among us.

Kerrie Highcock, family development manager at NEAS, said: “Everyone should be able to join in the fun of the festive season, but for autistic people this can be a challenging time.

 “Adaptations to make events more accessible can mean the difference between a family having the experience or not being able to take part.

 “I have been lucky enough over the years to see the impact of such changes, including a local theatre staging a relaxed panto.

"Changes to lighting and sound levels and the option to move about made it such a success. Seeing people being able to just be themselves was amazing.”

The charity, which supports more than 6,000 people and their families around the region each week, has put together free festive toolkits and family fun packs which you can download at https://www.ne-as.org.uk/festive-resources

Autism-friendly events in the North East this Christmas

Quiet Santa’s grottos

Want to see Santa but can’t face the crowds? We’ve tracked down some sensory-friendly grottos where you and your family can visit the big man in peace.

This can involve allocated times to avoid crowds and queuing, subdued lighting and music, and staff trained to make the visit as accessible as possible.

• The Bridges in Sunderland has a quiet hour for Santa visits between 11am and 12pm on Sundays.

• Dobbies run Quiet Grottos in 50 of their garden centres from 2.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday December 8, including Ponteland (book here), Birtley (book here), Gosforth (book here), Morpeth (book here), and Stockton (book here). All time slots are booked so there is no queuing, music and twinkling lights are turned off, you can choose to have a present wrapped or unwrapped, and you are sent a photograph before the day so you can visualise what you will see there.

• West Boldon Lodge is running an Enchanted Forest Playschool especially for pre-schoolers on Friday 1st December, which includes crafts, games or walks in the woods and visit to Santa's grotto. Organisers say they are equipped to meet additional needs if they are informed in advance. Tickets cost £15 per child, £12 concession - book here.

• Dalton Park has a Santa's grotto outside the Next outlet, and every Sunday there is a quiet experience from 11am to 12pm. Lights are dimmed, music turned down and tannoy announcements switched off. It costs £6 per child and no booking is necessary.

• Auckland Castle in County Durham is putting on six sensory-friendly sessions of its AGLOW light trail, which includes a Santa's village. They take place on Tuesday 28th November, Monday 4th December and Thursday 14th December at 4.30pm and 5pm, when the site will be less crowded and quieter. Book tickets here.

• Noo Noo’s Forest at Haystax inclusive farm in Lanchester, County Durham, has a forest festive trail featuring Santa or Mrs Claus on 22nd and 23rd December. It’s SEN-friendly and includes crafts and marshmallow toasting. Tickets are available here.

• Winter Wonderscape: A journey to the North Pole, runs at the MetroCentre November 20th - January 7th. The relaxed SEN sessions are every Wednesday at 11am, with reduced capacity and quieter music. Book the tickets here.

• Life, in Newcastle, has an animated show What Santa Sees in its planetarium as part of the general entrance ticket. There are no special relaxed sessions, but ear defenders are available from reception and you can download a visual story in advance from here.

• Father Christmas at Gibside Stables, near Rowlands Gill, is an interactive story event and there are five relaxed sessions where audiences will be smaller and noise levels reduced. These are on December 3rd, 9th, 16th, 17th and 23rd; see times and book tickets here.

• Elf School at New Hartley Memorial Hall, Whitley Bay. Learn Elf skills, win your Elf bells and visit Santa at the same time. There's a SEN session at 10.30am on Sunday 17th December. Book here.

• The Quiet Father Christmas experience at Wallington, in Northumberland, is sold out .. but we're told that Mrs Christmas is a good experience for families. She will be at Wallington telling stories on 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th and 23rd December and no booking is required. Read more here.

Relaxed pantos

The Sunderland Empire holds a Gold Standard Autism Acceptance Award from NEAS for making sure its shows and services are as supportive, understanding and accessible as possible.

That includes its Christmas panto, which includes a relaxed performance where audiences can come in and out, make a noise, or withdraw to a quiet area. 

The cast of this year’s show, Beauty and the Beast, explain what to expect in this TikTok.

But it’s not just the Empire that does relaxed performances – here’s our top ten list this year with times of special showings and how to book.

Sunderland Empire - Beauty and the Beast.

Relaxed performance Wednesday 27th December at 5pm.

Book here

The Customs House, South Shields - Aladdin.

Relaxed performance Thursday 28th December at 10.30am.

Book here

Gala Theatre, Durham - Cinderella.

Relaxed performance Friday 8th December at 1pm.

Book here

Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle - Peter Pan.

Relaxed performance Friday 8th December at 1pm and Wednesday 3rd January at 4pm.

Book here

Northern Stage, Newcastle - Cinderella: A Fairytale.

Relaxed performances Sunday 17th December at 1pm, and Wednesday 20th December at 10am and 2pm.

Book here

The Glass House, Gateshead - RNS: The Snowman in Concert.

Relaxed performance Friday 22nd December at 2pm.

Book here

Theatre Royal, Newcastle - Pinocchio.

Relaxed performances Sunday 10th December at 12pm and Wednesday 10th January at 12pm.

Book here

Forum Theatre, Billingham - Jack & the Beanstalk.

Relaxed performance Tuesday 5th December at 6pm.

Book here

Darlington Hippodrome - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Relaxed performance Friday 15th December at 12pm.

Book here

Alnwick Playhouse - Snow White.

Relaxed performance Wednesday 27th December at 4pm.

Book here

Relaxed cinema screenings

If films are more your thing, some cinemas do relaxed screenings with muted sound, no adverts or trailers, and lights left on low during the film.

But finding them can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Two websites that an help are: Accessible Screenings UK at https://accessiblescreeningsuk.co.uk, and Dimensions at https://dimensions-uk.org/get-involved/campaigns/autism-friendly-cinema-screenings/.

Showcase say they have autism-friendly screenings every Sunday at 10am; Vue cinemas say their relaxed screenings are the last Sunday of every month; for Tyneside Cinema, it’s the first Sunday of every month. Odeon and Cineworld don’t specify a regular date.

Christmas screenings we have found so far are:

• The Muppet Christmas Carol, Sunday 26th November at 11.30am, at Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle.

• Wish, Sunday 26th November at 10am, at Showcase Cinema de Lux, Teesside.

• Wish, Sunday 3rd December at 11am, at Vue cinemas and Cineworld Cinemas.

• Frozen 2, Friday 8th December at 10am, at Everyman, Newcastle.

Shopping quiet hours

Shops and malls have worked on becoming more accessible all year round, and many have quieter hours where tannoy announcements are stopped, music lowered or switched off, and till beeps muted.

Eldon Square went further and became the first shopping centre in the area to achieve our Autism Acceptance Gold Award after working with NEAS for seven years.

Here’s what they and other shops, centres and supermarkets around the region do:

The Bridges, Sunderland

Quiet hour 11-12pm on Sundays, with no music or rides

Dalton Park, County Durham

Quiet hours every Tuesday, 10am-12pm

Eldon Square, Newcastle

Quiet hours are every Tuesday (10-11am) and Saturday (9-10am) all year round

All staff receive autism awareness training

Sensory backpack for hire for three hours (£20 refundable deposit)

Autism-friendly visual guide available here

Metrocentre, Gateshead

Quiet hours on Tuesday 5th December (9-10am) and Saturday 9th December (9-10am)

Sensory backpacks available from customer service desks in upper Platinum and lower Green malls

Darlington town centre

Quieter hour every Sunday, 10.30-11.30am

Cleveland Centre, Middlesbrough

Quiet hour every Saturday, 9-10am

Hill Street Shopping Centre, Middlesbrough

Quiet hours Sunday 10.30am-12pm

Tesco

Quiet hour every Wednesday and Saturday, 9-10am. Visual aids here

Asda

Quieter hour Monday-Thursday 2-3pm

Morrisons

Quieter hour 9-10am on Saturday 

Lidl

Autism aware quiet evenings Tuesday 6-8pm

Other festive fun

• Luna Blu creative arts therapy in South Shields is holding children’s sensory-friendly Christmas workshops on 16th December. For age 4-plus, there’s decorate a plate plus crafts from 10.30am-12pm – tickets can be booked here. And for age 6-plus, there’s a snowglobe creation session from 1pm-2.30pm – tickets here.

• The Tim Lamb Centre in Benton is holding a series of Christmas parties for members of Pathways 4 All: a toddler fun day for the under-fives on Monday 18th December 10am-2pm (drop-in); a quiet party (10-12) and a lively party (1-3pm) on Saturday 9th December (tickets from reception), and a youth groups Snow Party on Monday 11th December 4.30-6.30pm (email [email protected]).