Meet Santa at London Zoo is now sold out for 2024
If you'd like to be one of the first to hear about London Zoo Meet Santa tickets in future years, please register your interest on the form below.
The Magic of Christmas
Meet Santa may have sold out, but there's still plenty to enjoy at London Zoo this Christmas
Experience the festive season with eco-friendly crafts, letter writing to Santa and our 12 animals of Christmas
Meet Santa at London Zoo has now sold out for 2024
If you'd like to be one of the first to know when Meet Santa at London Zoo tickets release in future years, please sign up to our register your interest form at the top of this page.
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 enter together; the limit per booking just allows us to manage the time slots and capacities of the event.
- At London Zoo there is no limit on accompanying adults in the grotto. You can include up to two free accompanying adult tickets when you make your Meet Santa booking. However, for Deluxe sessions and VIP Breakfast, to ensure the maximum number of children can enjoy these special Christmas experiences, the maximum number of adults per booking is two.
- 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.
The following sessions are no longer available to book.
Meet Santa
30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
Little ones can take part in Christmas crafts before they meet Santa in his magical grotto at the heart of London Zoo and receive a very special early Christmas gift to take home. Perhaps they’ll even be lucky enough to spot our animals snuffling around next door as well! This experience is £17.50 per child.
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. 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 24 November and 19 December.
Meet Santa Relaxed
30 November and 1, 16, 17 & 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 Deluxe
30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
For only £22.50 more per child*, enjoy a really special treat this year. Little ones will love meeting Mrs Claus and helping to prepare some Christmas dinner for the animals, before the whole group enjoys a sweet treat and a delicious hot** drink each plus a 30-minute Zoo tour. And of course, every child will meet Santa in his grotto and take away a Christmas gift.
Meet Santa Deluxe Relaxed
23 & 24 December
These sessions include the same experience as other Meet Santa Deluxe 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.
Meet Santa VIP Breakfast
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 December
Our elves will sneak you into the Zoo at 8am, before normal opening, for a very special VIP Breakfast with Mrs Claus in our Tiny Giants exhibit. After a delicious continental breakfast, you’ll embark on a special early morning tour whilst the Zoo is waking up before little ones meet Santa in his grotto, taking home a special Christmas gift.
*Adults priced separately.
**Cold drink alternative available for our littlest guests.
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, 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
24 November and 19 December
Meet Santa Relaxed
30 November and 1, 16, 17 & 18 December
Meet Santa Deluxe
30 November and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,23 & 24 December
Meet Santa Deluxe Relaxed
23 & 24 December
Meet Santa VIP Breakfast
23, 24 & 30 November and 1, 7, 8, 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:
- Meet Santa
- Meet Santa Priority - NOW CLOSED
- Meet Santa Priority Relaxed - NOW CLOSED
- Meet Santa Relaxed
- Meet Santa Deluxe
- Meet Santa Deluxe 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.
A visual story is available for Meet Santa, our Magic of Christmas event and the wider Zoo as a whole.
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 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 Deluxe - £40 per child / £15.00 per adult
- Meet Santa Deluxe 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 enter together; the limit per booking just allows us to manage the time slots and capacities of the event.
At London Zoo there is no limit on accompanying adults in the grotto. You can include up to two free accompanying adult tickets when you make your Meet Santa booking. If you’d like to have more than two adults attend the grotto session, please just mention this to the team on the day.
For Deluxe sessions and VIP Breakfast, to ensure the maximum number of children can enjoy these special Christmas experiences, the maximum number of adults per booking is two.
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.
We want to make the Christmas experience as magical as possible, and just one or two bits of information can help the conversation with Santa be more tailored to your child.
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://zsllondonzoo.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 an enquiry form.
London 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 Deluxe and Meet Santa Deluxe 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 above and click the relevant booking 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.
The Meet Santa experience will be inside, however there may be a short wait outside while waiting for your grotto timeslot. Those who have Meet Santa Deluxe, Meet Santa Deluxe Relaxed or Meet Santa VIP Breakfast tickets will also be outside for the special tour of the Zoo.
We’d recommend you choose the age bracket relevant to the age your child will be at the experience.
Since your Meet Santa session will take place before the Zoo opens to general visitors, please arrive 15mins prior to your timeslot at London Zoo’s Fast Track entrance on Outer Circle (near the corner with Regent’s Park Broad Walk, opposite the ZSL Library) where a member of staff will let you in. 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 15 mins prior to your timeslot at London Zoo’s Fast Track entrance on Outer Circle (near the corner with Regent’s Park Broad Walk, opposite the ZSL Library) where a member of staff will let you in. This information will also be available on your PDF tickets.
Meet Santa is fully accessible and there will be also be accessible benches available for the crafts.
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 website for any updates.
Santa will be making pop-up appearances around London Zoo during our Christmas event so there’s a chance little ones may still see Santa from a distance. However, this does not include any of the grotto experience, in-person meet and greet, crafts or present, and is at unscheduled times throughout the day so cannot be guaranteed.
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.
London Zoo will be celebrating the Magic of Christmas from 23 November 2024 to 5 January 2025. We’ve got everything you need for a jam-packed family day out, like festive crafts, our giant animal advent calendar, Christmas-themed animal talks, Pop-up Santa, seasonal food and drink*, and even the chance to write your letter to Santa! Find out more here.
*additional charges apply.
Yes, all children who have a ticket booked to Meet Santa, across all session types, will receive a gift.
Babes in arms and other children under 3 who do not have a ticket will not receive a gift. If you wish for your under 3 child to meet Santa and receive a gift, you must book them a 'Child Under 3 with Gift' ticket.