Tis the season!
Elf Town Dublin is returning to the RDS for 2026, bringing back its spectacular live performances and some of the most impressive festive sets in Ireland, but this year with one major difference.
For the first time ever, Elf Town Dublin has been completely reimagined to offer families different ways to experience the magic, with new experience lengths and price points designed to suit different budgets.
Returning from November 14th to December 23rd, 2026, families can now choose between the full 90 minute Elf Town Immersive Experience or the brand new for 2026 30 minute Santa’s Magical Visit, giving parents greater choice over both the experience and cost while maintaining the same extraordinary production standards for which Elf Town has become known.
The move marks the biggest change to the Dublin experience to date and has been designed around one central ambition: to allow more families to experience Elf Town, regardless of budget.
Founder Barry Battle says: “I’m a dad of five young kids, all still at the perfect age to get the most out of the magic of Christmas and Santa. Equally, as a parent, I’m very aware of how much families have to budget for at Christmas. So we really wanted to rethink the options with one core question in mind: ‘How do we make this accessible to more people this year?’ We’ve really tried our hardest to do just that.”
While the two options offer different journeys through Elf Town, the team behind the experience says there has been no compromise on quality, detail or magic.
Every family still enters the same spectacular Elf Town world, created using large scale theatrical sets, live performance, interactive storytelling, beautifully designed costumes, personalised details, Ireland's only real reindeer and a private family visit with Santa Claus himself.
At the centre of the entire experience is one simple question that influences almost every creative decision made by the Elf Town team: what will make a child believe?
From the characters and costumes to the sets, toys, personalised details and even the Elf Town postal stamps, every element has been created through the eyes of a child and designed to protect and celebrate their belief in Christmas magic.
Chief Elf Town Dublin Elf Daniel, aka Glitterpants, said:
“For the first time, families can choose the experience that works best for them, their children, their schedule and their budget. What was incredibly important to us was that offering more choice could never mean compromising on magic or quality.”
“Whichever experience a family chooses, they are still walking into the same extraordinary Elf Town world, with the same level of detail, the Hollywood level sets, the same incredible characters and the same commitment to protecting that wonderful childhood belief in Christmas.”
The Elf Town Immersive Experience
The magic of Elf Town begins before families even leave home.
Ahead of their visit, there is an option for children to receive their own special Elf Town golden ticket through the post, helping to build excitement in the days leading up to their adventure. Families can also add further personalised touches designed to keep the magic building at home, including a special letter inviting each child to Elf Town and a postcard from Santa to discover on Christmas morning.
By the time families arrive at the RDS, children are not simply turning up to an event. They already feel as though they have been personally invited into Santa’s world.
The full length, signature Elf Town Dublin experience returns in 2026 as a spectacular 90 minute journey through a series of immersive Christmas worlds.
Families begin their adventure at the Elfification Station, where children become official Honorary Elves and receive their complimentary Elf Town hat and name badge before entering the magical world beyond.
At the Elven Gateway they will meet Pippin, Head of the Elf B I, who checks passports, festive spirit levels and ensures every new Honorary Elf is ready to cross from the human world into Elf Town.
Families then visit the Elf Town Stables, where Reggie the Reindeer Keeper introduces them to two of Santa’s real reindeer, Comet and Cupid, and reveals what it takes to prepare Santa’s team for their most important night of the year.
From there, families make their way through the Enchanted Forest to the Elf Town Post Office, overseen by Postie the Elf, Head of the Department of Christmas Communications.
Children write their own letter to Santa before posting it directly into the North Pole mail system.
The adventure continues into Elf Terrace, where Glitterpants and Binny lead families through musical mischief and festive fun, before guests arrive at Mrs Claus’ Kitchen to decorate gingerbread cookies alongside Mrs Claus, Cinnamon and her team of baking elves.
Then comes one of the most important moments of the entire journey, a completely private family visit with Santa Claus.
Unlike a traditional queue and quick photograph experience, each family is given dedicated time with Santa, who knows special details about the children (supplied privately by their parents when booking).
Santa might know the name of a child’s best friend, something they are particularly good at, their favourite hobby or even a little achievement from the year.
The idea is to create one of those rare childhood moments when a child genuinely feels the magic, and is left simply amazed.
Elf Town Dublin has spent more than a decade refining its Santa experience and says it will never compromise on casting. The team believes that anybody can wear the famous red suit, but only a very particular performer can genuinely make a child believe.
After meeting Santa, children receive their own special Elf Town Golden Coin before travelling through Jack Frost’s Frozen Forest. There they meet Jack Frost himself before entering his extraordinary Ice Cave, constructed using real ice and filled with frozen details, sculptures and scenery.
Based on research carried out by the Elf Town team, it is believed to be the only Christmas attraction in the world currently offering a dedicated Jack Frost Frozen Ice Cave created from real ice.
The final stop is the Elf Town Toy Shop, where children exchange the Golden Coin given to them by Santa for a toy of their own choosing, with every toy individually selected by the Elf Town team.
Santa’s Magical Visit
Brand new for 2026, Santa’s Magical Visit offers families a shorter 30 minute Elf Town adventure while still incorporating some of the most magical and memorable parts of the full experience.
Created for families who may prefer a shorter visit, have younger children, have less time available or simply want a different price point, the experience still takes place inside the same beautifully created Elf Town world.
Children receive their Elf Town hat and name badge before enjoying their own private family visit with Santa Claus, complete with the same personalised details that make the encounter feel genuinely magical.
Following Santa, families enter Jack Frost’s Frozen Forest and real Ice Cave before children finish their adventure at the Toy Shop, exchanging their Golden Coin for a gift of their choosing.
The new format means families no longer have to choose between a simple Santa visit and a large scale immersive Christmas experience. Instead, they can choose the version of Elf Town that works best for their family.
More Than A Santa Grotto
The team behind Elf Town Dublin says one of its biggest challenges has always been explaining that the attraction is far more than a traditional visit to Santa. The Santa meeting is one of the emotional highlights of the journey, but Elf Town Dublin has been designed as an entire theatrical Christmas world.
Every elf has a distinct character. Every room has a story. Every costume, prop, activity and piece of scenery has a purpose.
New characters for 2026 include Bramble, Pippin and Cinnamon, alongside returning favourites including Glitterpants, Binny, Postie, Jack Frost and Mrs Claus.
One further new character will remain a secret until families encounter them during their journey!
Glitterpants, Chief Elf for 2026 and Elf Town’s new spokesperson, said:
“Being an elf is very serious business, despite what the bells on our shoes might suggest! Parents are trusting us with some of the most magical memories their children will ever have, so we take that responsibility very seriously.”
“Children only get a few precious years where Christmas feels completely, wonderfully real, and our job is to protect that magic with everything we have. Every room, every character, every little surprise and every secret Santa somehow knows has been designed to make children stop and really, truly feel and believe the magic of Christmas”.
“If they leave Elf Town absolutely convinced they have just stepped into Santa’s world, then us elves know we’ve done our job properly.”
Elf Town Dublin opens at the RDS on November 14th 2026 and runs until December 23rd 2026.
For the first time, families can choose the Elf Town experience that best suits both their time and their budget.
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Santa’s Magical Visit: Adults from €10, children from €18 and babies under 13 months from €8.
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The Immersive Experience: Adults from €19, children from €29 and babies under 13 months from €13.
Tickets and full booking information are available from https://elftowndublin.ie/.
