Families invited for Seasons Greetings, with all the ‘balls and whistles’, with Santa at Gaelic Games HQ
Fans of the festive season and Gaelic games will be thrilled to hear that Santa Claus is preparing his sleigh and reindeer for his annual trip to Croke Park!
Santa arrived at the GAA Museum at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday November 18th and will remain until Friday 22nd December where he will meet all the girls and boys on selected dates before departing to attend to the pressing matter of checking lists twice and preparing his Christmas deliveries! This unique Santa Experience is one Christmas ‘goal’ not to be missed!
Santa’s tree-mendous team from the North Pole are setting up their training camp in Croke Park and they’d love boys and girls and their families to visit, as they prepare for their magical journey around the world, on Christmas Eve.
While on the Croke Park Santa Experience all visitors are VIP’s as they get fascinating behind the ‘winter wonderland’ scenes access. Guided by the Ice Patrol team you’ll be treated to an exclusive peek inside the North Pole GAA Dressing Rooms, you can see where all your favourite hurling and football stars tog out on game day. Next you’ll journey to the super Skills Zone, where you can play a ‘cool’ selection of fun, festive games. Then it’s time to write your letter to Santa at Cú Chulainn’s Den, where you can get it stamped with our official Sam & Liam stamps and post it in our GAA Museum post box!
Just as excitement reaches fever pitch it will be time to step into the very special Croke Park Cabin to meet the Bainisteoir of Christmas himself. You can take a photo with Santa and tell him about your predictions for the 2024 GAA All-Ireland Championship! Here, every child will receive a small GAA-themed gift and photos will also be available to purchase if you wish, or you can capture your own!
The Croke Park Santa Experience also includes access to the award winning GAA Museum, which gives a unique insight into the history of GAA in Ireland and which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. When you are in the museum you can see the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy cups. Make sure to collect your GAA Museum Junior Explorer passport and follow the North Pole GAA trail – find the answers to the clues that the museum mascot Cluasóg has left throughout the museum and you’ll be rewarded with a prize for your excellent efforts!
Not only that, but all Santa visitors will be treated to a 50% discount voucher on Stadium Tours.
After working up an appetite, finish off the perfect day with light refreshments and a festive snack in the museum’s Blackthorn Café. And before you leave, you can even pick up a stocking filler reminder of your big day in the GAA Museum Gift Shop or shop there anytime on crokepark.ie/shop!
The Santa Experience will run on selected dates up until Friday December 22nd. The experience is run in groups, lasts 50 minutes and is wheelchair and buggy accessible. Free parking is available outside the GAA Museum with entry to Croke Park at St Joseph’s Avenue (turn at the Daybreak Shop on the Clonliffe Road). All tickets must be pre-booked online in advance at crokepark.ie/santa.
Tickets prices (excluding booking fees) are as follows:
- Adults: €13
- Children aged 2 upwards: €20 (including gift)
- Children aged 13 months – 23 months: €14 (including gift)
- Children Under 1: Free of charge and gift included, but ticket must be booked
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please contact us at santa@crokepark.ie if you wish to learn more about sensory visits.
Please note, that if you are booked into the last two slots of each day, access to the GAA Museum is advised before your Santa Experience visit.For dates, tour times and booking, see www.crokepark.ie/santa