Where to Meet Santa Claus at Walt Disney World

Ho, ho, ho, and Merry Christmas! If you’re planning to meet Santa Claus at Disney World, we have the details! The jolly old Saint Nick meets at multiple locations throughout the parks and Disney Springs. Below, we’ll discuss where you can find him and what to expect. If you’re interested in meeting Santa or want to have a holiday family photo taken, we encourage you to take the time for at least one of these special meet-and-greet opportunities. Disney does an incredible job of bringing these areas to life with elaborate and often fun holiday decor. Let’s take a look at what to expect.

These locations have not been updated for 2026. We’ll adjust them when details are announced.

Santa Claus Locations

Let’s take a look at where to find the jolly fellow by location, starting with the Most Magical Place on Earth. You’ll want to note that all regular Santa meet-and-greets end on December 24, 2026. Santa has to go home to the North Pole to see Mrs. Claus after he delivers all the presents on Christmas Eve.

Magic Kingdom

If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom this holiday season, you’ll have two opportunities to meet Santa.

🎅🏻 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
📍Santa’s Christmas Carnival
📅 : Select Party Nights

This special meet-and-greet is exclusive to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Santa begins meeting in the Calliope Tent at the back of Storybook Circus at 6:00 p.m. on party evenings. This area is formally called Santa’s Christmas Carnival during the party. You can expect long lines throughout the evening. We have a separate overview of our experience this year: Don’t Miss Santa’s Christmas Carnival at Mickey’s Christmas Party

Santa at his meet-and-greet in Storybook Circus during the Christmas Party

🎅🏻 Santa Goofy at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
📍Club Tinsel
📅: Select Party Nights

Santa Goofy can be found intermittently throughout the evening on the Club Tinsel dance floor in Tomorrowland during the Christmas Party. See our guide for other dance party characters during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

🎅🏻 Magic Kingdom (Regular Park Hours)
📍Storybook Circus
📅 : Starting Thanksgiving Day

Santa will meet guests in Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom Park during regular park hours starting Thanksgiving Day. You will want to check for Santa in the character section of the My Disney Experience app, or you can use the search function and search for “Santa” to find his exact locations and times on the day of your visit.

Epcot

If you’re visiting Epcot this holiday season, you’ll have an opportunity to meet Santa Claus and Santa Goofy at Epcot.

🎅🏻 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
📍CommuniCore Hall in World Celebration
📆 Starting November 28th

Santa is part of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays and will meet with guests daily through Christmas Eve. This meet-and-greet is listed in the My Disney Experience app.

🎅🏻 Santa Goofy at Epcot
📍The Odyssey Pavilion

Santa Goofy met at last year’s Epcot Festival of the Holidays in the Odyssey Pavilion. This is the odd-shaped building that sits between Test Track and the Mexico side of the World Showcase.

Santa Goofy at Epcot's Odyssey Pavilion — ©Disney

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Santa will also meet at a new location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2025.

🎅🏻 Walt Disney Presents
📍Animation Courtyard
📅 : November 8 through December 24th

Santa’s meet-and-greet has relocated to the back of Walt Disney Presents, where the live-action Ariel from The Little Mermaid was meeting. The space has been transformed into a magical meet-and-greet with Santa and a few select toys. It’s a beautiful area and a fun queue. You can most certainly expect a long wait at this location. We have a separate photo post of the Walt Disney Presents Santa Meet-and-Greet at Hollywood Studios.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Last year, Santa met for the last time in Dinoland, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We are awaiting details of where he will meet in the park in 2026.

🎅🏻 Dinoland, U.S.A. (One Last Time)
📍Restaurantosaurus Patio
📅 : November 14th through December 24, 2025

Meet Santa at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2025 — ©Disney

Disney Springs

Santa meets at Disney Springs at Santa’s Marketplace near Disney Pin Traders. This location is on the Marketplace side of Disney Springs, where eateries and shops like Earl of Sandwich and World of Disney are located.

🎅🏻 Santa’s Marketplace at Disney Springs
📍Near Disney Pin Traders (Behind It)
📅 : November 13th through December 24th

You will need to join a virtual queue to receive a time slot to return for this meet-and-greet. There will be multiple opportunities to enter the virtual queue throughout the day. You must be at Disney Springs to enter the virtual queue. We’ve put together a guide with steps on how to meet Santa at Disney Springs.

Other Santas at Disney World This Year

In addition to the Santa meet-and-greets we’ve already discussed, you might want to be aware of a few other Santa opportunities in the parks.

Several of the holiday storytellers who participate in the Epcot Festival of the Holidays are Santas. We have a complete list of Holiday Storytellers with their locations in 2025 if you would like to learn more.
Santa Goofy is part of Minnie’s Seasonal Dine at Hollywood and Vine during the holiday season. (This is a character dining restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.)
A special meal with Santa was announced by the Cake Bake Shop, by reservation only. Last we checked, dinner with Santa was waitlist only.
Santa Claus is in the Christmas Parade at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The Christmas parade will replace the Festival of Fantasy Parade during regular park hours, the week of Christmas Eve through New Year’s. We have a video of the 2025 Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this overview of where to find Santa Claus at Disney World this holiday season! For more Disney World planning tips, hotel guides, and holiday coverage, check back with Resorts Gal again soon. You might also enjoy our Christmas Planning Guide for Disney World.