Christmas 2018: Where to Meet Santa Claus in Singapore

Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whatever you call the big man in red, there are plenty of places to see him in Singapore this festive season

Want to meet Santa Claus in Singapore, mamas? Whether you’re shopping for gifts at holiday fairs, noshing on your Christmas brunch, or looking out for the prettiest Christmas trees, there’s always time to say hi to Santa!

Of course, kiddos may want to give Father Christmas a heads up beforehand with our downloadable Dear Santa letter template! Just print and get your kids to fill it out (it requires them to think about if they have been naughty or nice!) then pop it in the post to the North Pole! Download our Dear Santa letter template here!

Malls
Holiday Fairs
Hotels & Restaurants
Others

Malls

Christmas Fair & Meet Santa at Cluny Court
Cluny Court’s Christmas Fair and Market will take place this year over three weekends (dates below). With an eclectic mix of stalls from original and authentic festive traders, the Christmas Fair is the perfect destination for those seeking unique Christmas gifts and decorations or the perfect party outfit whilst ordering that Christmas tree and festive goodies. Santa will be there on various dates between 23 November – 14 December, ready to snap some photos with the kids! Professional photography packages will also be available at designated time slots.

When: Christmas Fair and Market: 23 – 25 November; 30 November – 2 December; and 7 December – 9 December
Meet Santa Claus: 23 November – 14 December (appearance schedule available here!)
Where: Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259760

Christmas Winterland at Tanglin Mall

In addition to their famous evening snow “avalanche”, Tanglin will also have a Santa’s Workshop this year in the Level 2 Atrium. Kiddos can look forward to a sing-a-long and storytelling session in addition to the all-important Santa Meet & Greet and photo op – no minimum spend required! But take heed, mamas: It’s BYO camera (or let’s be honest, phone) and each session is limited to the first 30 families to ensure a fun time for everyone. Prepare to make a day of it, as Tanglin Mall will also be offering Christmas craft workshops ($30 minimum spend required) and an exclusive tea party (spend $150 or more to join the fun). In the days leading up to Christmas there’ll also be an Ecuadorian Band playing Christmas carols with a Latin twist, and an artisanal Christmas Market to get in that last-minute shopping. 

When: Nightly Avalanche: Now through 1 January 2019; Tea Party: 8-9 December; Christmas Ecuadorian Band: 21-23 December; Christmas Market by the Social Exchange: 20-23 December. Click here for full schedule and timings.
Meet Santa Claus: Level 2 Atrium, 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 December. Timings: 12pm, 3pm & 6pm.
FREE Photobooth Corner: 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23 December, Timings: 12pm-1pm, 3-4pm and 6-7pm
Where: Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247933

ION Orchard
Chances are you’ve already spotted the massive Cartier ferris wheel out in front of ION on Orchard Road; step inside and you’ll discover a whole lot more festive merriment, from an Insta-worthy Christmas park with trees, colourful baubles and over 800 gift-wrapped boxes, to the Rockettes-inspired “ION Sparklers”, who’ll be high-kicking all over the mall along with a roving brass band and the Overdrive singers. And the man in red himself will be available for twice-daily meet-and-greets in the last two weekends in December leading up to Christmas!

When: 30 November – 25 December
Meet Santa: Level 1 Atrium (next to the Concierge), 14-16 December and 21-25 December, 1-2pm and 6-7pm.
Where: ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

NEX
This one’s for Thomas the Tank Engine lovers! To kick off the festive season, kiddos can catch a live show and attend a Thomas Workshop and Tea Party to celebrate the recent feature film, Thomas & Friends™ BIG WORLD! BIG ADVENTURES! And for one special weekend, Santa and the Gingerbread Man will rove the mall for photo ops on a very special and festive walkabout.

When: Thomas’s World of Adventure Show and Thomas Workshop and Tea Party: 30 November – 9 December, 11am to 9pm. Click here for details.
Meet Santa: 15-16 December, Level 1, 3pm and 5pm
Where: NEX, 23 Serangoon Central, Singapore 556083

The Great Christmas Village on Orchard Road (Ngee Ann City)
Back by popular demand after its launch last year, the Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza will include a duplex carousel (including special wheelchair-accessible seats) and other amusement rides, and, new this year, a Santa House where children can participate in free arts & crafts activities and partake in meet-and-greets with Santa Claus every Friday and Saturday night between 7pm and 9pm.

When: Thursday 15 November – Wednesday 26 December; 11:30am to 10pm daily (Sun-Thu) and 11:30am to 11pm (Fri & Sat, and 20-24 December)
Meet Santa: Fridays & Saturdays (23-24, 30 November; 1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 December), 7pm to 9pm at the Hitachi Santa House
Where: Ngee Ann City, Civic Plaza, 391 Orchard Road, Singapore 238873

Holiday Fairs

Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay
There’s nothing quite like Christmas Wonderland to fill you with that festive holiday feeling. Inspired by European-style Christmas Markets, you can take a wander through quaint wooden huts offering a festive collection of crafts, boutique goods and specialty food and drinks. With the promise of a visit to Santa’s Grotto (the largest of its kind in Asia!), a nightly blizzard, outdoor ice-skating, the kids will enjoy themselves as much as you do (who are we kidding, they’ll love it more!).

When: 30 November – 26 December (Santa’s Grotto is open from 4pm to 11pm daily, last admission at 10:30pm)
Where: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
How much: From $4 for admission ticket; Santa photos are Bring-Your-Own camera with no paid options/printing.

Danish Christmas Bazaar

The traditional, Danish Christmas Bazaar at the Danish Seamen’s Church is back again this year! The Christmas Bazaar has become an institution in itself in Singapore, and you are guaranteed 100% Christmas spirit with handmade decorations, Christmas foods and sweets, open faced sandwiches, hotdogs, beer, children’s creative corner, lucky draws, live music and a visit from Santa himself!

When: Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 November, 11am to 4pm
Where: Danish Seamen’s Church, 10 Pender Road, Singapore 099171
How much: $2 per person

Swiss Association of Singapore Santa Claus 2018
Meet Santa Claus and Schmutzli (Santa’s sidekick!) and enjoy raclette and sausages by Huber’s Butchery! Be sure to contact [email protected] by 1 December to get the “Nice and Naughty Behavior” Form (one per child!).

When: 9 December, 3pm – 6pm.
Where: Residence of the Swiss Ambassador, 3 Sime Park Hill, Singapore 288327
How much: $15 for members and $30 for non-members (for anyone aged 3 and up). Register here!

Tanglin Trust School PTA Christmas Fair
Get ready for heaps of festive fun, mama! You and the kiddos can look forward to a variety of gift and book stalls, live music, a kids’ crafting area and plenty of yummy treats from gourmet vendors – including mulled wine! Plus a lovely $10 shop (where kids can purchase gifts for their parents) and – best of all – Santa’s Grotto!

When: Friday 30 November (8am-4pm) and Saturday 1 December (10am-4pm)
Where: Tanglin Trust School, 95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299 

Hotels & Restaurants

If you’ll be in Singapore on Christmas itself, you just might want to book in for a special Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day brunch. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Festive Dining for all the deets on super fun kid-friendly activities happening all over the island. By our count Santa will be making an appearance at all of the following places (he is one busy guy!):

Brotzeit
Fullerton Bay Hotel (La Brasserie)
Fullerton Hotel (Town Restaurant)
The Garage
Hotel Fort Canning
Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Regent Hotel (Basilico)
Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore (parents can drop off a gift for Santa to hand-deliver to kids at Buds between 10am-11am).
Tanjong Beach Club

Others

American Association of Singapore’s Toys for Tots
Spread holiday cheer and experience the joy of giving by bringing an unwrapped new toy for the Marines to distribute to children around Singapore. There will be classic craft-making, carols and refreshments; a chance to meet the US Marines; and of course a visit from Santa Claus himself.
When: 3 December, 5 -7 pm
Where: The American Club, 10 Claymore Hill, Singapore 229573
How much: $15-$35; click here for ticketing info

ArtScience Museum

So kiddos won’t get to take their photos with Santa per se, but they’re sure to be enchanted when the Future World exhibition welcomes Santa to its digital universe with a special festive installation, “Sketch Christmas”. With a tap on the screen, kids will be able to watch Santa deliver presents across Singapore.

When: 1 December to 6 January, 2019
Where: ArtScience Museum, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956

Nordic-Asia Christmas Festival

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year, Finnish flag carrier Finnair is flying Santa Claus straight from his hometown in Rovaniemi and onto our sunny shores of Singapore! On the afternoons of 7 and 8 December, Santa will pay special visits to the inaugural Nordic-Asia Christmas Festival, where Christmas will come early for the shoppers at Millenia Walk.

When: 7 & 8 December, 3pm – 7pm
Where: Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, Grand Hall (Main Atrium), Level 1, Singapore 039596

Snow City Singapore 
This year’s theme, “Hansel & Gretel’s Winter Adventure” will offer up all sorts of snowy fun, including hourly snow fall, storytelling, and Christmas carolling on 24-25 December. There’ll also be an interactive meet-and-greet with Santa Claus and Hansel & Gretel in the Snow Chamber.

When: Weekends (1-2, 8-9, 15-160, 22-23) and 24-25 December 2018, 3pm.
Where: Snow City Singapore Snow Chamber, 21 Jurong Town Hall Rd, Singapore 609433
How much: Admission to Snow City Singapore applies. 

A Universal Christmas
Even the grinchiest folks will be humming Christmas carols with a smile on their face after visiting this Christmas extravaganza, which features multiple interactive Christmas shows featuring the likes of Oscar the Grouch, Betty Boop and B-boy dancers; a Christmas Light-up Party; an interactive Elf Town; and the show-stopping Santa’s Snowy Sleigh Parade, which culminates with a festive group meet-and-greet. Read more about our experience at ‘A Universal Christmas’ here.

When: 1 December 2018 to 1 January 2019
Meet Santa: At the end of “Elf Town” and following Santa’s Snowy Sleigh Parade
Where: Universal Studios Singapore, 1 Sentosa East Mall, Singapore 099054

A Christmas Party with a French Accent

The non-profit Association Française Singapour is organizing what’s sure to be a super chic fête on Sentosa at the W Hotel. You can expect lots of fun activities for kids (including face painting, balloon sculpting, arts & crafts, and a magic show), Christmas carols from the Alliance Française Choir, a shopping fair, and a whole bunch of surprises. Besides a yummy FREE French breakfast for the family, Santa himself will also be on hand to take photos with the kiddos.

When: Sunday 9 December, 10am to 12pm
Where: W Singapore Sentosa Cove, 21 Ocean Way, Sentosa Cove, Singapore 098374
How much: $20 (member) / $35 (non-member) / Free for children under 3. Click here to book in advance!