The Santa Express 2024 in Oakfield Park is back bigger and better than ever before!
We all know that Santa delivers presents to every boy and girl on the night of Christmas Eve, but nobody ever sees him then because we’re all fast asleep in our beds! And before Christmas Eve, Santa is at work in the North Pole, so how can you see him?
How do you get to the North Pole from Ireland? With a magical Santa Express ticket from Oakfield Park! Hold your ticket tightly in your hand and make a wish as you pass through the bright tunnel of Christmas stars, and you’ll find yourself stepping out into the bustling Christmas village of the North Pole…
Walk through the brand-new tunnel of lights and feel the snow on your face as you emerge into the ambient Christmas village where The Santa Express train awaits.
Snuggled together in your own private carriage, you’ll be gently whisked away to Santa’s grotto through the frosty forest where there’s a festival of lights, the biggest Christmas tree in Ireland, Candyland and Toytown, and many magical creatures to see along the way.
At Santa’s grotto, the spirited elves invite you into in the freshly decorated festive Fun House to play before you meet Santa! Warm and cosy by his fire, he can’t wait to meet you and give you your special Christmas gift.
Back in the Christmas village, there are many places for you to exchange your special Oakfield Christmas token given to you upon arrival. Maybe you want to warm your hands around delicious hot chocolate or mulled wine from The Holly Hut or perhaps you’d prefer some Christmas candy from The Treat Truck.
You could buy some reindeer food or enter the Christmas raffle for a chance to win incredible prizes or donate to our chosen children’s charity or simply hold on to it as a treasured keepsake – there’s something for everyone.
Tootsie’s Toy shop is back with a beautiful selection of gifts and toys this year, including bespoke Santa Express keepsakes for all ages. Mrs Claus is working in the Post Office and is so excited to see if you’re up for her latest challenge – getting your North Pole Passport!
The crafty elves are back in The Green Room with new creations; you can make Christmas cards, tree decorations, and write your letters to Santa. There’s also the opportunity to make Christmas candles and brand-new yuletide logs!
New for 2024 is a Sensory Tent, designed in conjunction with Letterkenny Autism Family Support group and situated in a new heated tepee to ensure everyone has an equally amazing experience.
Have you ever noticed that igloos look a lot like embedded golf balls? Well, Santa did! So, this year he has transformed Mo’s igloo into a Crazy Christmas golf course! See if you can get a north pole hole in one, or a Partridge in a Par 3.
Meet the Elves of the North Pole like Mo or Google in the piazza with many tricks up her sleeve and games to play. Be sure to take photos with the giant teddy and other new photo opportunities.
What’s new this year:
- Christmas Currency: Each member of your party will receive a Christmas token upon arrival. These can be exchanged for an item of your choosing. Choose between a hot drink from the Holly Hut, a pick’ n mix bag of sweets from The Treat truck, reindeer food to take home, an embossed Christmas card or Santa letter from the Green Room, raffle entry (for prizes such as family ticket to Santa next year), children’s charity donation where every token donated, is worth 1 euro. You can also club your tokens together for an extra round of crazy golf or 1 make-your-own candle.
- Real Snow machine. Watch real snowflakes tumble across the piazza making it feel like the perfect fairy tale Christmas.
- Christmas Crazy Golf. The Igloo has been transformed into an exciting Christmas themed crazy golf course! Suitable for all ages. See if you can beat Mo’s record.
- The Biggest Christmas Tree in Ireland! It has long been an ambition to build the biggest Christmas tree in Ireland and this year we have achieved it! This magical construction can be seen from the train journey as well as with the newly extended Candyland, Toytown and Unicorn Kingdom.
- Craft in The Green Room. New last year, the Green Room has been even more lavishly decorated and filled with new and exciting arts and crafts activities. We have real wooden logs hand cut into Yuletide logs for you to decorate.
- Sensory Tent, designed in conjunction with Letterkenny Autism Family Support group.
- New and Exciting Christmas menu in Buffers as well as indoor seating. No prebooking required. Buffers have created a delectable Christmas menu, with cosy indoor seating and festive favourites.
- Fun House Cabins! The fully covered cabins outside Santa’s grotto have been given a fresh makeover, filled with all things fun from bendy mirrors, old fairground games, and face-painting stations and the elves are prepped with exciting new games for all ages and abilities.
- Interactive challenges, collect stamps to complete your North Pole Passport application as you progress around your Santa Express journey. The entire experience takes around 2-3 hours including a 45-minute train journey.
Please note that the most popular tickets sell out first, so we advise early booking to avoid disappointment. When you receive your tickets, please keep them safe. There will be no refunds under any circumstance. It is essential that only the ticketholders attend on the day. We encourage everyone to read the Terms and Conditions carefully before booking, and before contacting us.
The start time on your ticket is the time that the TRAIN LEAVES THE STATION. We advise arriving at least 10 minutes before your allocated time. However, if your train time is later in the evening, you can arrive a long while BEFORE and enjoy the other activities, have a meal and take in the atmosphere. The same applies for early trains – you can hang around AFTER the train comes back to the station. On later trains there won’t be enough time after your train ride to enjoy all the activities.
We advise having at least an hour set aside either before or after your train ride to fit everything in. The train ride and Santa visit itself takes approximately 40 minutes. Therefore the total experience can take 2 hours or even more.
Join us for one of the country’s biggest Christmas events, and take a real train to meet the man himself by visiting www.oakfieldpark.com/santa or ticketmaster.ie