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When does Santa come to Antarctica?
Santa reaches Antarctica at midnight in each time zone on Christmas Eve: first Auckland at 11:00 UTC on 24 December, and last Palmer, Rothera at 03:00 UTC on 25 December.
Santa's diary:
Toys made so far:
Santa's arrival times in Antarctica
| Clock time | Places | Santa arrives |
|---|---|---|
| UTC+13 | Auckland | Midnight local time 11:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+10 | Port Moresby | Midnight local time 14:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+8 | Casey, Singapore | Midnight local time 16:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+7 | Davis | Midnight local time 17:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+5 | Mawson, Vostok | Midnight local time 19:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+3 | Riyadh | Midnight local time 21:00 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC | Troll | Midnight local time 00:00 UTC on 25 December |
| UTC−3 | Palmer, Rothera | Midnight local time 03:00 UTC on 25 December |
Santa always arrives at the same moment: midnight, when Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day. He keeps to the night side of the Earth, flying from east to west as each country's clocks reach twelve, so every child is asleep when he lands. When midnight strikes in most of Antarctica, he also visits New Zealand, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.
Antarctica is about 1 hours into his journey. By then the reindeer have already pulled the sleigh past thousands of towns, and Rudolph's nose is glowing at full brightness to light the way through the clouds.
Before Christmas Eve you can visit Santa's village any day of the year. See what he is doing right now, count down the sleeps, write him a letter, and on Christmas Eve watch his sleigh fly over your own town.
Questions
What time does Santa come to Antarctica?
At midnight local time on Christmas Eve, in every part of Antarctica. Because Antarctica has 8 different clock times, he reaches the east first and the west last.
Is Santa early or late in Antarctica?
Santa starts his journey in Kiribati, the first place to reach midnight. He reaches Antarctica about 1 hours later.
Can I watch Santa fly over Antarctica?
Yes. Open the live map on Christmas Eve: when it turns midnight where you are, his sleigh flies over your town for about 20 minutes, with a glowing trail from the North Pole.
What should we leave out for Santa?
Many families leave a mince pie or cookies and a glass of milk for Santa, and a carrot for the reindeer. Rudolph likes the crunchy ones.