Perfect Family Day Out at Whipsnade Zoo this Christmas
Bring your friends, kids and family to Whipsnade Zoo this Christmas for a fun-filled festive experience! There’s plenty of seasonal cheer and exciting activities waiting for everyone, from family and kid friendly activities to festive animal fun, Christmas-themed animal talks, and plenty of holiday surprises. Santa is also back at the Santa grotto! Join us to discover the spirit of Christmas while exploring the zoo and create memorable moments with your loved ones.
Meet Santa at Whipsnade Zoo
Join us this Christmas at our cosy Lookout Lodges, as Santa returns to Whipsnade Zoo! This year, choose from Meet Santa, Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving and Meet Santa VIP Breakfast sessions. We also have relaxed sessions available.
What Meet Santa sessions are available this year at Whipsnade Zoo?
Meet Santa
30 November and 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
Santa is stopping by at Whipsnade Zoo’s cosy Lookout Lodge this year. Little ones can join in festive crafts before meeting Santa in his magical grotto and receive a very special early Christmas gift to take home. This experience is £17.50 per child.
Meet Santa Relaxed
1 and 18 December
These sessions include the same experience as standard Meet Santa sessions, but with dimmed lighting, quieter sounds and other reduced sensory stimulation to make the area feel more relaxed, specifically designed for those with additional needs. This experience is £17.50 per child.
Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 24 December
For only £22.50 more per child*, join our elves to make tasty gifts for some of our Zoo residents and then head on a tour to deliver your gift and watch the animals get stuck in. And of course, every child will meet Santa in his grotto and take away a Christmas gift.
Most suitable for ages 5 and over.
Book Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving
A Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed session is available on 23 December. Book Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed.
Meet Santa VIP Breakfast
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
For only £25 more per child*, start your day with a little extra Christmas sparkle as you join Mrs Claus and the elves for crafts, activities and a delicious continental breakfast buffet. Afterwards, your little ones will head over to feed our penguins their breakfast with the help of our animal experts. And of course, every child will meet Santa in his grotto and take away a special Christmas gift.
*Adults priced separately.
The following sessions are no longer available to book.
Meet Santa Priority for Gold members, Fellows and Patrons
23 & 24 November and 19 & 20 December
Gold members, Fellows and Patrons had priority access to these sessions for 1 week only (until 8 October at midnight). The sessions included the same experience as standard Meet Santa sessions but were offered at a 10% discount. If you are a Gold member, Fellow or Patron, you were asked to use the email address associated to your membership to ensure you received your priority booking links.
Meet Santa Priority Relaxed sessions were also available on 23 & 24 November and 19 December. These were also only available for 1 week (until midnight on 8 October).
Christmas Activities for the Whole Family
- The Lost Pudding Hunt
Join the search for our hidden Christmas pudding! Every day from 23-24 Nov and 30 Nov to 6 Jan, one lucky family has the chance to find our lost pudding somewhere around the zoo and exchange it for a festive prize bag with full of surprises. - Letter to Santa
Let the little ones get creative with festive letter writing and colouring sheets, available at several locations across the zoo. Drop off letters in the Visitor Centre’s Christmas post box, set up beside the Christmas tree, and enjoy the holiday cheer. - Pop-Up Mrs. Claus
Stop by the reindeer enclosure for a surprise encounter with Mrs. Claus! Capture a festive photo with her against a giant present backdrop and create cherished holiday memories. - Reindeer Talks
Join our knowledgeable reindeer team for engaging talks throughout the day. Learn all about these fascinating creatures, their habits, and what makes them special during the holiday season. Perfect for curious minds and animal lovers alike! - Festive Bingo
Play along in our fun Festive Bingo sessions. Held near the farm area, this lively game includes a few surprise prizes, and everyone is welcome to join! Available on 23-24 Nov, 30 Nov to 1 Dec, 7-8, 13-18, 21-24 Dec at 12pm and 2pm. - Christmas Animals Talks
Celebrate our festive animal talks, featuring a different animal each day. Catch these Christmas-themed talks on 23-24 Nov, 30 Nov to 1 Dec and 7-24 Dec with spot prizes available for participants. Keep an eye out for the daily talk schedule near the Visitor Centre. - Can You Spot Santa’s Reindeer?
Discover Santa’s reindeer hidden around the reindeer enclosure! Find all nine miniature reindeer, and claim a festive reindeer sticker from our friendly volunteers or the ticket elf nearby. - Christmas Cracker of a Joke Competition
Think you’ve got the best Christmas joke? Join our festive joke competition by scanning the QR code on-site and submitting your joke from 23 Nov to 6 Jan. Our head comedy elf will choose the winner in January, with an exclusive animal experience up for grabs! *T&Cs apply.
Come to enjoy a holiday season filled with joy, laughter, and festive fun at Whipsnade Zoo with family and kids !
Important Information
- ZSL members with a valid Meet Santa ticket will be granted Zoo entry on arrival by showing the Meet Santa ticket in conjunction with their membership card, without the need to pre-book a Zoo ticket in advance.
- All other visitors, including Under 3s and any non-members, will need a valid Zoo ticket in addition to their Meet Santa ticket in order to enter the Zoo.
- A Meet Santa ticket alone does not include Zoo admission.
- For Meet Santa, a maximum of three children can be added per booking onto a single time slot, but if you wanted to book for more children, you’d just need to make two online bookings. If booked into the same time slot, we’ll do our best to allow the children to do their crafts together in the same lodge, but we can only allow up to 5 people into Santa's grotto at any time.
- A maximum of 2 adults per booking can accompany children into the grotto.
- Babes in arms are welcome with their parent/guardian/carer – no ticket is required. However, if you wish for them receive a gift or participate in the experience in any way, you must book them an Under 3s Meet Santa ticket.
- Zoo admission T&Cs apply.
Meet Santa Frequently Asked Questions
Please find a list of available dates per Meet Santa session type below.
Meet Santa
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
Meet Santa Priority - NOW CLOSED
23 & 24 November and 19 & 20 December
Meet Santa Priority Relaxed - NOW CLOSED
23 & 24 November and 19 December
Meet Santa Relaxed
1 November and 18 December
Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 24 December
Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed
23 December
Meet Santa VIP Breakfast
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
Yes, Gold members, Fellows and Patrons who registered their interest had one week's priority access to book for four special dates at a discounted rate of £15.75: 23 & 24 November and 19 & 20 December.
Registered Gold members, Fellows and Patrons were also the first to know as soon as tickets went live!
These are the available Meet Santa session types for 2024 at Whipsnade Zoo:
- Meet Santa
- Meet Santa Priority - NOW CLOSED
- Meet Santa Priority Relaxed - NOW CLOSED
- Meet Santa Relaxed
- Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving
- Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed
- Meet Santa VIP Breakfast
We appreciate that the Zoo and our events can be quite loud or overwhelming for some visitors. Our Meet Santa Relaxed Sessions offer visitors with additional needs a more comfortable experience. This may mean less lighting, reduced noise, and off-peak times to limit the number of visitors on site.
Meet Santa tickets are valid for the experience only and do not include Zoo admission. All participants and accompanying adults also need either a valid ZSL Membership or Zoo admission tickets.
The prices for all different session types for Meet Santa at Whipsnade Zoo 2024 are listed below:
- Meet Santa - £17.50 per child
- Meet Santa Priority - £15.75 per child
- Meet Santa Priority Relaxed - £15.75 per child
- Meet Santa Relaxed - £17.50 per child
- Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving - £40 per child / £15.00 per adult
- Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed - £40 per child / £15.00 per adult
- Meet Santa VIP Breakfast - £42.50 per child / £21.50 per adult
There’s a maximum of three children per booking, but if you wanted to book for more children, you’d just need to make two online bookings. If booked into the same time slot, we’ll do our best to allow the children to do their crafts together in the same lodge, but we can only allow up to 5 people into Santa's grotto at any time.
At Whipsnade Zoo, due to limited space around the grotto cabins there is a maximum of two adults per booking. Please add your adult or accompanying adult tickets when you make your Meet Santa booking.
If you don’t wish for them to meet Santa or receive a gift (e.g. babes in arms), they do not need a ticket. If you wish for them to participate in the experience in any way, you must book them an Under 3s Meet Santa ticket.
The Meet Santa ticket alone does not include Zoo admission.
Members, Fellows and Patrons will be granted Zoo entry on arrival simply by showing their membership card. Membership alone only provides access to the Zoo.
All other visitors, including Under 3s and any non-members accompanying members, will need a valid Zoo ticket in addition to any Meet Santa ticket in order to enter the Zoo.
Please note, any child members wanting to see Santa will need a Meet Santa ticket.
The Meet Santa experience at Whipsnade Zoo will take place at Lookout Lodge. Although the Meet Santa experience itself is indoors, there may be a short wait outside while waiting for your grotto timeslot and other elements of the Christmas experience are outdoors. While offering a magical location amongst woodland and with beautiful views, being on a hilltop it can also be exposed to wind, so please dress appropriately for winter weather.
Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving, Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed and Meet Santa VIP Breakfast sessions will all include outdoors elements, so please plan and dress accordingly.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Tickets are only valid at the Zoo the booking was made for and at the date/time shown on the tickets.
If you have already made a booking and have a query about your booking, please quote your booking reference in the SEE Tickets Customer Service portal:
https://zslwhipsnadezoo.seetickets.com/customerservice
If you do not already have a booking and your question is not answered in the FAQs, contact ZSL’s Supporter Contact team on 0344 225 1826 or click on this link to complete our enquiry form.
Whipsnade Zoo Meet Santa tickets were released on 1 October from 11am for pre-registered Gold members, Fellows and Patrons and from 11:30am for everyone else who had pre-registered. All remaining tickets are now available on our website.
- Meet Santa, Meet Santa Priority, Meet Santa Priority Relaxed and Meet Santa Relaxed sessions last approximately 30 minutes.
Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving and Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed sessions last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Meet Santa VIP Breakfast lasts approximately 2 hours.
- Choose which session type you’d like to book for and click the relevant link.
- Choose your date and time.
- Add your ticket types.
Please note: You can add a maximum of 3 children and 2 adults per booking. - If required, you can then add admission tickets for your party. Members, Fellows and Patrons will be granted Zoo entry on arrival simply by showing their membership card, but any non-members will need an admissions ticket alongside their Meet Santa ticket in order to enter the Zoo.
- Checkout and payment.
We’d recommend you choose the age bracket relevant to the age your child will be at the experience.
Since your session will take place before the Zoo opens to general visitors, please arrive at the Zoo entrance ahead of time so you have sufficient time to get to the start point. Please have your tickets ready for checking at the gate by our friendly security staff. You will be directed to park in the Zoo before being directed to your experience. This information will also be available on your PDF tickets.
Since your session will take place before the Zoo opens to general visitors, please arrive at the Zoo entrance by 8.15am so you have sufficient time to get to the start point. Please have your tickets ready for checking at the gate by our friendly security staff. You will be directed to park in the Zoo before being directed to your experience. This information will also be available on your PDF tickets.
Since your Meet Santa session will take place as the Zoo opens to general visitors, please arrive at the Zoo entrance by 9:45am to allow sufficient time to get to the start point. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee admission to late-comers. This information will also be available on your PDF tickets.
Santa’s grotto is accessible for standard sized wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs, with ramps leading into the event area and the room with the grottos. The doors of the Santa’s grotto lodge are approximately 79cm wide.
One of our craft lodges is accessible with all others requiring 1 step-access. If you have accessibility requirements, including requiring the accessible lodge for your visit, please contact our Supporter Contact team in advance of your visit and we will do our best to accommodate you.
There are accessible toilets and a changing facility located nearby Lookout Lodge.
As part of the Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving and Meet Santa Animal Gift-Giving Relaxed experiences, there is a tour lasting up to 15 minutes. It’s not yet confirmed which animals will be a part of this tour, so we can’t yet confirm if these sessions will be fully accessible.
As part of Meet Santa VIP Breakfast, the group will be walked over to our penguin exhibit, via a tarmacked path.
If that person is accompanying purely to assist in a carer capacity they do not need a separate ticket. However, if they intend to actively take part in the experience in their own right, alongside the person they care for, then they will need to buy an experience ticket.
Please see general admission terms and conditions for more information on Zoo entry with a free carer ticket.
Once a session time has sold out, unfortunately we won't be able to release any more tickets for that session. On rare occasions we may be able to add extra dates and if we do so, these will be available on the same booking links – please check this webpage for any updates.
Confirmation emails can take a little while to come through so please be patient and check Junk or Spam folders. If there’s still nothing, you can access your booking details and download your tickets using your booking number and email address through the SEE Tickets customer support centre.