Tong Garden Centre in Leeds transforms into Christmas Wonderland as festive season arrives early
This Leeds garden centre have stepped into Christmas in October
Christmas has arrived early at Tong Garden Centre, as the popular West Yorkshire destination unveils its annual festive department.
The Leeds garden centre has unveiled its annual Christmas displays, with winter food markets, ice rinks and Santa experiences still to come.
The garden centre has been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with towering Christmas trees, glowing displays, thousands of decorations and its much-loved miniature village.
For managing director of Yorkshire Garden Centres Mark Farnsworth, the festive transformation is months in the making, with preparations beginning long before the first bauble goes on display.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We start buying for Christmas in the November before the next Christmas. In store, the build-up starts at the end of August and takes us about six weeks to get ready.
“We have to clear all the garden furniture and barbeques away and turn it into the winter wonderland you see today.”
While some may argue October is too early to start celebrating Christmas, Mark said customer enthusiasm suggests otherwise.
“Every year, as soon as the children go back to school, our phones start ringing with people asking when the Christmas displays are in store and when the grotto tickets go on sale.
“So there are a lot of people who are very ready for Christmas,” he said.
Tong Garden Centre has been welcoming customers since 1984, with Christmas remaining central to its offering over the years.
Mark said the effort that goes into creating the displays is what keeps families returning year after year, with the miniature Christmas village proving particularly popular.
The centre’s festive offering will continue to grow over the coming weeks, with Tong’s Winter Food Market returning on October 28, following a successful debut last year.
Across Yorkshire Garden Centres’ seven sights, visitors can also look forward to illuminated light trails, ice rinks, festive grottos and breakfast with Santa.
Afternoon tea experiences will run throughout the season, while a new addition for 2026, Santa Paws, will allow visitors to bring their dogs along for a festive meeting with Father Christmas.
For Mark, the appeal goes beyond shopping for Christmas decorations.
He said: “We are a shop where you can buy everything that you want and need for Christmas, but more than that, it’s an experience.
“We’ve got an amazing team and they put so much hard work and effort in, so we just really enjoy showing that to all of our customers.”