At a Glance
- Tasks: Bring Santa’s Secret Village to life through engaging performances and spontaneous interactions.
- Company: Join The Escapade Group, a fun family of attractions focused on adventure and memorable experiences.
- Benefits: Flexible shifts, festive atmosphere, and the chance to create magical moments for families.
- Other info: Ideal for students looking for a fun, active role over the Christmas holidays.
- Why this job: Perfect for those who love storytelling and making people smile during the festive season.
- Qualifications: No prior experience needed; just bring your energy, creativity, and passion for performance.
The predicted salary is between 11.7 - 14.3 £ per hour.
If you can hold the attention of a room full of excited children, improvise when something unexpected happens and stay completely in character while a six-year-old asks you a question nobody prepared you for, we should probably talk. We’re looking for brilliant Christmas Actors to help bring Santa’s Secret Village to life. This is a proper performance role — but not one where you stand on a stage, deliver the same lines and disappear backstage. You’ll be right in the middle of the action. One moment you could be leading story time, the next you’re appearing in a festive scene, entertaining families in a walkabout moment or helping create a completely spontaneous bit of Christmas magic. Every shift will look a little different. And that’s exactly the point.
Key dates
- Recruitment Open Days: Tuesday 3 November, 5pm–8pm; Saturday 7 November, 10am–5pm
- Training: Weekend of 14–15 November
- PR Activity: Weekend of 21–22 November
- Open to the Public: 28–29 November onwards
You’ll also need good availability across weekends in the run-up to Christmas and throughout the Christmas holidays, including Christmas Eve. December is rather important when you work in Santa’s Village, so strong festive availability is essential.
Your job is simple to explain: Make Santa’s Secret Village feel real. How you do that will change throughout the day. You could be:
- Bringing festive characters and stories to life
- Leading story times, shows and interactive moments
- Performing for groups of children, adults and entire families
- Getting guests involved rather than simply performing at them
- Appearing in walkabout scenes and spontaneous character interactions
- Playing different festive characters throughout the day
- Improvising when guests throw something unexpected your way
- Keeping the story and energy going even when things change around you
- Working closely with our Christmas Hosts and fellow cast members
- Helping move groups through experiences while staying completely in character
- Spotting those little opportunities to create a moment a family will remember
Some performances will be planned. Some will absolutely not be. That’s where the fun begins.
We’re looking for performers with personality
You’ll need to be comfortable performing for children and adults of all ages, sometimes in a busy environment with lots happening around you. We’re looking for people who:
- Are confident, warm and engaging performers
- Have strong storytelling skills
- Can improvise without completely derailing Christmas
- Have good comic timing
- Are comfortable leading and directing groups
- Can read an audience and adapt their performance
- Bring plenty of energy to every interaction
- Can stay in character when guests ask unexpected questions
- Enjoy working collaboratively as part of a cast
- Have the stamina for an active performance role
And most importantly, you’ll genuinely enjoy making people smile. You don’t need to have worked at the North Pole before. Previous experience in theatre, pantomime, am-dram, presenting, teaching, tour guiding, entertainment or children’s activities would all translate brilliantly into this role. If you can also sing, perform magic, use puppets, dance or have another performance skill hidden up your festive sleeve, we’d love to hear about it. What matters most is that you can tell a story, connect with an audience and throw yourself into creating an experience.
What does a brilliant shift look like?
Children are completely absorbed in the story. Adults are enjoying it just as much as they pretend not to be. The energy stays high. And guests leave believing they’ve experienced something a little bit special. They should just see Christmas magic.
About The Escapade Group
We’re The Escapade Group, a growing family of visitor attractions built around play, adventure, animals and brilliant family days out. Our attractions include Hobbledown Epsom, Hobbledown Heath, Gripped London, Kidspace Croydon, Kidspace Romford, Watermouth Castle and Farmer Ted’s Adventure Farm. Across the group you’ll find everything from adventure play and animal encounters to high ropes, indoor play, birthday parties, seasonal events and plenty of organised chaos. Different attractions. Different experiences. One thing in common: brilliant teams creating memorable days out for families. And whether someone is serving lunch, caring for animals, running an attraction, welcoming guests through the gates or spending December convincing children they really do work for Santa, every member of the team plays a part in making those experiences special.
Screening Questions
- Can you work weekends and the dates specified in the advert?
- Will your commute be 30 minutes or less?
Christmas Actor Hobbledown Heath in London employer: The Escapade Group
The Escapade Group offers a dynamic and festive work environment, particularly during the holiday season, where employees can engage with families and create memorable experiences. The company values variety in roles, allowing staff to take on multiple responsibilities and interact with guests in a lively atmosphere. This makes it an attractive employer for those who enjoy working in a fast-paced, customer-focused setting.
