Santa Tracker 2026
Where is Santa right now? Follow Santa Claus and his reindeer on the map as he delivers presents around the world on Christmas Eve.
Every year on 24 December Santa leaves the North Pole and flies west from one time zone to the next, so that children everywhere get their presents around local midnight. On Christmas Eve this page shows his sleigh live on the map: where Santa is now, where he is heading next and how many presents he has delivered so far.
For the rest of the year Santa stays at his workshop at the North Pole, getting ready for the big night. The countdown shows how long it is until take-off.
Just for fun: Santa's route is made up, the cities are real.
How Santa gets ready for Christmas Eve
Long before December the elves at the North Pole read children's letters, check every wish list twice and wrap the presents. Santa looks after the reindeer: they practise take-offs and landings in the snow, because on Christmas Eve they will land on thousands of rooftops.
In the last days before Christmas the sleigh gets a final check — runners polished, bells tuned and a map of every city on the route packed. Then all that is left is to wait for the first midnight. It arrives over the Pacific Ocean, right next to the date line.
How the Santa tracker works
The Santa tracker is a game for children and their parents. Santa's route is made up: we chose 559 real cities in 172 countries and territories from open map data and timed the visits so that each one falls around local midnight, within an hour either way. The presents counter is a playful estimate based on how many people live in the cities on the route and around them.
Everyone sees the same thing at the same moment. Santa's position is calculated in your browser from the current time — the page does not ask our servers where Santa is, and it needs no account and no location.
Real aircraft in the sky tonight
The rest of map.flights is a live map of real aircraft, built on a network of community ADS-B receivers. Santa's sleigh does not transmit ADS-B, so you will not find it among the planes — but on Christmas Eve you can switch on the real aircraft over Santa's map and see who else is flying tonight.
Santa, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas
In the UK Santa is also called Father Christmas, and many families leave him a mince pie and a carrot for the reindeer. Children in other countries wait for other gift-bringers, often on a different evening — but everyone can follow Santa's flight around the world.
Questions from parents
Is the Santa tracker real?
It is a game, not a measurement. The route, the times and the presents counter are made up for fun — no radar or satellite really tracks Santa. The cities and their positions are real, taken from open map data.
When does Santa set off?
Santa takes off from the North Pole on 24 December at 08:15 UTC. His first stop is Tabwakea (Kiribati), where midnight comes first, and he finishes over Tāfuna (American Samoa) at about 11:55 UTC on 25 December.
When will Santa be over my town?
Around local midnight between 24 and 25 December, within an hour either way. Santa flies west across the time zones, so the night moves along with him. On Christmas Eve the tracker always shows his next stop.
How many cities does Santa visit?
The map shows 559 cities in 172 countries and territories, from big capitals to small island towns. The presents counter also counts the towns and villages around them.
Do I need to sign in or share my location?
No. The Santa tracker needs no account and no location. Santa's position is calculated in your browser from the current time.
Can we see real planes too?
Yes. Switch on “Show real aircraft” on the map to see live flights from the map.flights network around Santa, or open the live flight map.