Carlisle’s Tullie Museum To Open On Christmas Day For The First Time
Tullie Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle will welcome visitors on Christmas Day for the first time, offering a special festive lunch for families and friends.
The museum, located on Castle Street in Carlisle's historic quarter, is preparing to open Café Tullie on Friday, 25 December 2026. The special event will give residents and visitors an opportunity to enjoy Christmas together without having to prepare a meal or manage the usual household responsibilities associated with the celebrations. Organisers say the experience will combine traditional festive food, seasonal entertainment and a welcoming atmosphere, making it a new addition to Carlisle's Christmas celebrations.
The Christmas Day opening will feature a three-course meal served with table service throughout the event. Guests will be welcomed with a choice of Buck's fizz or fresh orange juice, accompanied by a festive canapé before sitting down for lunch. The experience will also include Christmas crackers, festive music, tea or coffee and a warm mince pie. A fully stocked bar will operate throughout the celebration, with wine and Champagne packages available for guests wishing to arrange drinks in advance.
Katie Mitchell, head of commercial and operations at Tullie, said the organisation was excited to welcome people into the venue on Christmas Day for the first time. She explained that this year's programme had been designed to bring warmth, nostalgia and festive enjoyment to the museum. The celebrations will include Christmas music, decorative displays, seasonal food and opportunities for visitors to spend time together. She also highlighted the intention to provide different experiences for families, children, colleagues and people looking for an alternative way to celebrate the holiday.
The Christmas Day lunch will offer a choice of traditional dishes alongside food prepared using Cumbrian produce and seasonal ingredients. Adult guests will be able to select from several starters, including baked Camembert, ham hock and pea terrine, smoked salmon gravlax and traditional Christmas soup. The main course options will include turkey ballotine with Cumberland sausage and sage stuffing, slow-roasted Cumbrian beef brisket and a festive vegan Wellington. The menu has been designed to provide a range of traditional and alternative choices for different dietary preferences.
Dessert options will include traditional Christmas pudding served with brandy sauce, winter berry cheesecake and chocolate Yule log. Following the meal, guests will be offered tea or filter coffee with a warm mince pie. The combination of traditional Christmas favourites and locally sourced ingredients is intended to give visitors a festive dining experience while showcasing regional food. The event will also provide an opportunity for families to enjoy a special occasion together in the museum's decorated surroundings.
Children will have their own three-course Christmas menu, with options designed specifically for younger visitors. The choices include a festive snack plate featuring Cumbrian cheese and ham, winter vegetable soup and Christmas tree crudités. Main courses will include roast turkey, Cumberland sausages and a mini vegetable Wellington. For dessert, children can choose between a chocolate Yule log, a snowman ice cream sundae and winter berry cheesecake. Christmas crackers, activities and a small Christmas gift will also form part of the children's experience.
Tickets for the Christmas Day celebration are priced at £80 per adult and £40 per child. Places will be limited, and visitors will need to register their interest before receiving further booking information. Advance reservations and menu selections will be required. Tullie has clarified that completing the expression-of-interest form does not automatically confirm a booking. The venue's team will contact interested visitors with information about availability, payment arrangements and the next steps needed to secure a place.
The Christmas Day lunch will form the final part of Tullie's wider Step into Christmas programme, which begins on Sunday, 22 November. The opening event, A Very Tullie Christmas, will bring together local makers, independent traders and festive shoppers. Visitors will be able to explore seasonal stalls, browse products in the museum shop and enjoy live choir performances alongside festive food. The event is intended to provide an opportunity to support local businesses while beginning the Christmas season in Carlisle.
Two Christmas Magic Weekends are also planned for 5 and 6 December and 12 and 13 December. These family-focused events will feature a winter wonderland grotto where children can meet Mr and Mrs Claus. Additional activities will include festive trails, craft sessions, face painting and storytelling. The programme is designed to offer younger visitors opportunities to enjoy Christmas traditions in a museum setting, while parents and other family members can explore the wider festive activities taking place throughout the venue.
For adults, Tullie will host an after-hours Christmas party on Friday, 18 December. The event will offer music, drinks and festive food, providing an alternative to conventional workplace Christmas celebrations. The museum is positioning the evening as an opportunity for colleagues and groups of friends to enjoy the building outside its normal opening hours. The event forms part of the wider effort to make the museum a destination for different types of seasonal entertainment rather than limiting its Christmas programme to daytime family activities.
The same date will also feature a pomander-making workshop, offering participants an opportunity to create traditional Christmas decorations. Pomanders are traditionally made using fragrant ingredients such as citrus fruit and cloves and have long been associated with seasonal celebrations. The workshop will provide a hands-on activity for visitors interested in traditional festive crafts. It will add another element to the museum's programme, combining creative activities with the wider atmosphere of its Christmas celebrations.
On Tuesday, 22 December, visitors will also be able to attend an Alice in Wonderland shadow puppet theatre performance. The production will bring the familiar story to life through traditional shadow puppetry, offering a different form of entertainment ahead of Christmas Day. The performance adds to the variety of activities planned for the festive period, particularly for families looking for cultural events and indoor entertainment during the school holiday season.
Alongside the Christmas programme, visitors can explore the Picturing Place exhibition, which will remain on display until 10 January 2027. The exhibition focuses on paintings of Cumbria that inspired artists Thomas Bushby, Sam Bough and William Blacklock. It also includes three original works depicting the local area by Romantic painter JMW Turner. The collection provides an opportunity to explore how the landscapes and communities of Cumbria have influenced artists across different periods, offering a cultural attraction for residents and visitors during the Christmas season.
The announcement comes after Tullie recorded more than 180,000 visitors during the first year following a major redevelopment project. The £4 million transformation included a new welcome building, gallery spaces, community rooms and a museum shop, which opened in April 2025. The redevelopment was intended to improve the visitor experience and strengthen the museum's connection with Carlisle's historic city centre. The latest Christmas programme builds on those developments by expanding the venue's role as a place for community activities, hospitality and cultural events.
The decision to open on Christmas Day represents a new direction for Tullie, which has traditionally operated as a museum and gallery with a programme of exhibitions and public events. By introducing a dedicated festive dining experience, the organisation is seeking to attract visitors who may want to celebrate outside their homes. The initiative also provides an additional opportunity for the museum to connect with the local community during one of the busiest periods of the year.
With activities beginning in November and continuing through to Christmas Day, Tullie's festive programme is expected to attract families, local shoppers and visitors from across Cumbria. The combination of a Christmas market, Santa's grotto, workshops, entertainment and a special lunch offers a range of activities throughout the season. For Carlisle, the first Christmas Day opening at the museum marks a notable addition to the city's festive calendar, with limited places available for those interested in celebrating at Café Tullie.
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