Dinton Pastures is open every day this winter, gates 6.45am to 9pm, parking £3 an hour or £8.50 a day, cafes to 4pm. Laser show 1 November, fair, Santa Dash.
Dinton Pastures does not close for winter. The 350-acre country park at Hurst is open every day of the year, its main gates run on a timer from 6.45am to 9pm, and the two cafes serve until 4pm. What changes between November and January is the programme: the council’s countryside service has moved its biggest events of the year into the dark months, starting with a laser light show on 1 November and ending with a quiz at the end of January. This page has the practical detail for a winter visit, then every dated event the service had published by 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
Open 365 days; the yellow main gates open at 6.45am and close at 9pm, and if you are still inside when they lock it costs £126 to be let out. Parking is pay and display, charged 6am to 10pm every day, £3 an hour or £8.50 for the day. The Coffee House by the Davis Street car park opens 8.30am to 4pm and the Coffee Deck at the Activity Centre 9am to 4pm. Big dates: Hollywood under the Stars laser show, Sunday 1 November; Festive Fair Weekend, 5 and 6 December; Santa Dash, Sunday 13 December.
Getting in and parking
Put RG10 0TH into a sat nav for the main Davis Street entrance. There are six car parks around the park’s entrances; the main ones are on Davis Street and at the Activity Centre on Sandford Lane. The smaller car parks and overflow areas keep their own hours, posted on signs at each entrance, and the countryside service’s warning is blunt: if a gate happens to be open after the advertised time, do not assume it will stay open (parking and location).
Charges apply from 6am to 10pm daily and can be paid at the machines by cash or card, or by RingGo using location code 23817. The 2026 tariff, up from 1 April, is £3 an hour and £8.50 all day, the same as California Country Park; the full tariff and the notice that set it are on our parking page. Minibuses with ten or more seats pay the coach rate unless they show a blue badge.
Without a car, Winnersh is the nearest station, on both the Waterloo and North Downs lines, and Courtney routes 127, 128 and 129 stop opposite the main entrance.
Cafes, toilets and the Activity Centre
Both cafes changed hands in April 2026. DP Hospitality now runs The Coffee House by the main car park, open 8.30am to 4pm daily, and The Coffee Deck at the Activity Centre, open 9am to 4pm daily, with breakfasts, sandwiches, cakes, afternoon tea and a barbecue menu (council news, 7 September 2026). For Christmas the Coffee House is taking bookings for festive lunches and dinners at £29.45 for two courses and £36.45 for three, a festive afternoon tea at £20.45 a head or £28.45 with prosecco, and buffets from £22.45 a head, all with crackers and hats, from the Christmas at Dinton brochure. The Coffee Deck and Coffee House can each be hired privately at £40 an hour for a minimum of three hours.
Public toilets are inside the cafe by the main car park or next to the Emmbrook room, and at the Activity Centre, generally open 9am to 4pm. The Activity Centre’s accessible changing room is available around the clock with a Radar key (plan your visit).
The Activity Centre keeps going through the winter: indoor climbing is open every weekend for ages four and up, the 18-hole disc golf course is free if you bring your own discs, and the guided night paddles are back for winter 2026 (Dinton activities for everyone). Archery is listed as currently closed.
Winter events, in date order
| Date | Event | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 November, 5pm to 8pm | Hollywood under the Stars: music, light and laser show, Davis Street entrance | Adults £9.95, children £5.95, carers £7.95; parking £5 pre-booked |
| Every Sat and Sun from 21 November | Christmas tree sales at the Activity Centre | Tree prices at the centre |
| Thu 26 November, 6.30pm | Christmas wreath making, Coffee Deck | £65 |
| Thu 3 December, 7pm | Fused glass Christmas decorations workshop | £35 |
| Sat 5 and Sun 6 December | Festive Fair Weekend at the Activity Centre, with Santa's Grotto | Free entry; grotto booked separately |
| Sun 13 December, 10am | Dinton Santa Dash, 2km and 5km, tenth year | Entry via organiser; parking £5 pre-booked |
| Fri 18 December, 6pm to 9pm | Christmas on the Deck: a capella group Avenue, fire pit | Not stated |
| Fri 29 January 2027, 7pm | Dinton Quiz Night for Building for the Future, over 18s | £5 a person, teams of up to six |
The laser show instead of fireworks, Sunday 1 November
The countryside service’s answer to Bonfire Night is a 25 to 30 minute laser and light show set to film music, with live music, a barbecue and bar, rides and stalls from 5pm. It is capped at 2,000 people, there are no tickets on the gate, dogs are not admitted, and entry is by the Davis Street gate only. Adults £9.95, children £5.95, carers £7.95 with ID, light-up bands £3.95, and a £5 pre-booked parking ticket that covers 4pm to 9pm (Hollywood under the Stars). It falls on the Sunday after half term ends; the rest of that week is on our half term page.
The Festive Fair Weekend and the grotto
New for 2026, the Activity Centre hosts a free fair on Saturday 5 December from 10am to 3pm and Sunday 6 December from 11am to 3.30pm, with gift stalls, a festive barbecue, live performances and children’s rides (Festive Fair Weekend). Santa’s Grotto bookings are open but the service has not published its 2026 dates or price; what is known, and last year’s £16 a child, is on our Santa’s grotto page. The wider list of fairs across the borough is on the Christmas fairs page.
The festive season page also promises a festive trail around the park, with decorations hidden by local schools, and festive jumper climbing sessions with a 30 per cent voucher for a return visit, both bookable but neither yet dated (Festive Season at Dinton Pastures).
Dogs and the lakes in winter
Dogs must be on leads on the main walkway to the bird feeding area, on the Activity Centre beach and in the nature areas during nesting season, and are never allowed in the play park. Swimming in the lakes is not permitted outside the organised open water sessions, and motorised scooters are banned throughout the park (FAQs).
Still to be confirmed
- Santa’s Grotto dates and price for 2026.
- Dates for the festive trail and festive jumper climbing sessions.
- Whether the cafes change their hours over Christmas. The service has not published festive opening times for the cafes or the Activity Centre.
Related: Santa’s grotto, Christmas fairs and markets, October half term, things to do in Wokingham, parking in Wokingham.
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