Birmingham Family Days Out | Christmas 2026 | Millennium Point, city centre
Looking for a festive day out that will keep curious kids busy and warm this December? Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum at Millennium Point is adding a generous sprinkle of Christmas magic to its four floors of hands-on science this year. We recently shared five reasons to visit Thinktank over half term, so this time we’re focusing on what makes it special in the run-up to Christmas, from meeting Father Christmas to watching festive films under the stars. Here are five reasons to put it on your December list.
1. Breakfast with Santa, new for 2026
New to Thinktank’s festive line-up this year is Breakfast with Santa, an early-morning treat served in the museum’s Signal Box Cafe. Grown-ups tuck into a full cooked breakfast while younger guests get pancakes, and then everyone gets to meet Father Christmas himself. Each child receives a special gift, and there’s time for festive photos to remember the morning by. Best of all, your breakfast ticket includes same-day admission to the museum, so you can head straight off to explore the galleries once the plates are cleared. Sessions are listed at 9am on selected December dates, including Saturday 5 December and Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December, and you’ll pre-order your breakfast when you book.
2. Crafts and wishes at Santa’s Workshop
If breakfast is a little early for your crew, Santa’s Workshop is a lovely alternative later in the day. Families start with a hands-on Christmas craft activity, then visit Santa’s grotto so children can share their Christmas wishes and have a photo taken. Everyone takes home a festive gift, which makes it a gentle, unhurried way to meet the big man without the queues of a shopping-centre grotto. Sessions are listed at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm on dates including 5, 21 and 22 December, and they need to be booked in advance. Keep your eyes peeled during your visit too, because Father Christmas is also making surprise walkabouts around the museum this season.
3. Christmas films under the planetarium dome
Thinktank’s planetarium was Birmingham’s first, and when it isn’t taking audiences on a tour of the night sky and the solar system it doubles as a rather magical cinema. This December it is showing Christmas favourites on the dome, with Elf scheduled for 4pm and Love Actually at 7pm on Saturday 5 December. Watching a festive classic while reclining beneath a giant curved screen feels like a proper occasion, and it’s a great way to round off a family day at the museum. The evening screening also makes a fun alternative date night or catch-up with friends. Check the Birmingham Museums Christmas listings for the full film line-up and to book seats, as dome screenings tend to sell out.
4. A Spitfire, a famous steam engine and a mighty locomotive
Between festive activities there’s a whole museum of Birmingham’s engineering heritage to explore. The Spitfire Gallery shows a real Spitfire and explains how it was built and the science that keeps aircraft in the air. Downstairs, the Smethwick Engine is described by the museum as the jewel of its collection, a giant from the age of steam that helped power the Industrial Revolution. The Move It gallery is packed with cars, bikes, planes, a tram and a train linked to the city, including the magnificent maroon City of Birmingham steam locomotive. Even children who think they’re “not into history” tend to be won over by machines this big.
5. Plenty for little ones, whatever the weather
Thinktank has more than 200 hands-on exhibits across its four floors, which makes it a reliable choice on a cold or wet winter’s day. Under-8s can run their own town in MiniBrum, a child-sized city with play zones for transport, shops, a park and a construction site complete with a slide, plus sensory areas for babies. Older children can head to Our Changing Planet, home to a huge green sea turtle skeleton, or come face to face with a dinosaur in the natural history displays. When everyone needs fresh air, the outdoor Science Garden has more than 30 hands-on exhibits on engineering and transport, right next to Eastside City Park. There’s a café, coffee corner, picnic area, baby changing room and highchairs too, so it’s easy to make a full day of it.
Visit
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG
Open 10am – 5pm; open every day during Birmingham school holidays (check the website for term-time opening days and Christmas closures)
Santa events, Breakfast with Santa and Christmas Cinema must be booked in advance; pre-booking general admission is also advised at weekends and in the holidays
Nearest stations: Birmingham Moor Street and New Street