To find where to see Santa near you, type your ZIP code in the finder below. It opens a Google Maps search for Santa photos nearby. Among the big names, Bass Pro Shops gives a free 4x6 photo from November 8, Macy's Santaland opens November 7 in Chicago and November 27 in New York, and whereissanta.com lists 400+ mall Santas.
Updated by the Frugal Santa elves
Santa finder
Looking for pictures with Santa near you? Type a ZIP code or a town, pick what you want, and a Google Maps search opens in a new tab with the Santa spots around that place.
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Santa visits happen in four kinds of places: shopping malls, big stores with a Santa set, portrait studios and free community events. Malls are the biggest group. Cherry Hill Programs runs Santa at more than 400 locations across North America and lists them at whereissanta.com, including many Simon malls. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's set up Santa's Wonderland inside their stores, and Macy's builds a Santaland in its two flagship stores, in New York and Chicago. JCPenney Portraits books Santa sessions in select studios.
Community Santas are the hardest to find, because each one is listed only by its own town. Parks departments, libraries, fire stations, churches and tree farms host them, often for a single morning. Henrico County, Virginia, for example, holds a free Santa Paws photo morning for dogs on December 12, 2026.
The finder above covers every kind at once. It searches the map around your ZIP code, so a mall set, a store and a pancake breakfast can all turn up together.
The big Santa sets open between November 5 and November 27, 2026. At Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, Santa arrives on Saturday, November 7, and the free photos start the next day. Macy's opens Santaland in Chicago on November 7 and in New York on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving.
Mall dates vary by mall. Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, expects Santa on November 5, Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey on November 6, and Barton Creek Square in Austin, Texas, on November 7. Bass Pro and Cherry Hill Mall both keep Santa through December 24.
Book early where you can. Macy's releases reservations at 6:30 a.m. local time, seven days ahead, starting October 31 in Chicago and November 20 in New York. Cherry Hill's mall sets already take bookings and still welcome walk-ups when there is room.
| Where | 2026 dates | Cost | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass Pro Shops and Cabela'sSanta's Wonderland, in-store | Santa arrives Saturday, November 7. Free photos run November 8 to December 24. | Free 4x6 photo and a free shareable video. | Reserve a time on the official page. In 2025, slots were required and opened 7 days ahead. Bass Pro Shops (opens in a new tab) Cabela's (opens in a new tab) |
| Macy's Santaland, ChicagoState Street store, floor 5 | Opens Saturday, November 7. | Photo packages from $44.99. | Reservations required. They open October 31, then each day at 6:30 a.m., 7 days ahead. Macy's Chicago (opens in a new tab) |
| Macy's Santaland, New YorkHerald Square store, floor 8, all new for 2026 | Opens Friday, November 27. | Free general reservation. Photos from $44.99. VIP tickets $250 per group of up to 8. | VIP sale starts October 22. General reservations open November 20 at 6:30 a.m., 7 days ahead. Macy's New York (opens in a new tab) |
| Mall Santas by Cherry Hill Programs400+ locations, many of them Simon malls | Varies by mall. Cherry Hill Mall, New Jersey: November 6 to December 24. | Varies by mall. Cherry Hill Mall: $20 to hold a slot, no package needed; packages from $44.99. | Reservations encouraged, not required. Walk-ups welcome when there is room. whereissanta.com (opens in a new tab) |
| JCPenney PortraitsSanta sessions in select studios | Santa offer runs November 1 to December 31. | $14.99 session fee per person, free with Perks Club. Prints $6.99 each. | Find a studio and schedule a session online. JCPenney Portraits (opens in a new tab) |
Checked on official pages, October 16, 2026.
In 2026, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's give a free 4x6 print and a shareable video with Santa, November 8 to December 24, with a reserved time. Other free Santas tend to be pet-store days or one-day local events.
Pet stores have been the next best bet. In 2025, PetSmart gave free pet photos with Santa at every US store on December 13 and 14, booked online, and Petco held a free walk-in photo afternoon at participating stores on December 6. Neither had posted 2026 dates by mid-October.
Local free Santas come from parks departments, libraries, fire stations and churches. In Henrico County, Virginia, elves snap dogs with Santa on the owner's own phone at Short Pump Park on December 12, 2026. To find yours, pick Free Santa photos in the finder above, then check your town's parks and library calendars again in November, as the holiday events go up.
What is free, when, and the catch. Checked October 16, 2026.
At several of the big Santa sets, yes: the visit is free and only the photos cost money. Macy's says general reservations for the New York Santaland are free, with photos for sale after the visit. Cherry Hill's Santa Cares sessions need no purchase to book, and buying photos there is optional. At Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, both the visit and a 4x6 print are free.
There are two catches. Some mall sets charge to hold a time slot. At Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey, a reserved slot costs $20, with no package required. And some sets ban your own pictures: Cherry Hill's FAQ says its professional photographers are on set, so personal photography is not allowed.
If you only want a chat with Santa, ask the staff at the set whether a visit without a package is welcome. If you want a free photo to keep, Bass Pro, a pet day or a town event is the better plan.
Yes, at pet sessions. Many Santa sets hold special pet times, while Macy's Santaland allows only service animals. Cherry Hill's mall sets call theirs Pet Parties, and Washington Prime malls call them Paws and Claws. Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey holds pet photos every Monday from November 9 to December 14, 2026. Barton Creek Square in Austin has pet photos on Sunday, December 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., with no reservation needed. Bass Pro says whether a pet can join depends on the store, so call yours first.
Pet stores ran free days in 2025: PetSmart on December 13 and 14, booked online, and Petco on December 6, from 2 to 4 p.m., with no booking.
A calm pet makes a better picture. Walk your dog before you go, keep cats in a carrier until it's your turn, and bring a treat to hold up behind the camera. A leash and a short, tidy line help everyone, Santa included.
A sensory-friendly Santa visit is a quiet, booked session for children and adults with autism or sensory needs, usually held outside regular mall hours. The biggest program is Santa Cares, run by Cherry Hill Programs with Autism Speaks since 2015. In 2026, Santa Cares events fall on Sunday, December 6, at select malls. Simon malls call it Caring Santa, and Washington Prime malls call it Sensitive Santa. Woodfield Mall near Chicago runs two, on November 29 and December 6, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Each session has dimmer lights and softer music, a Santa and staff trained to follow a child's lead, and a capped guest list so the wait stays short. Booking is free and required, and buying photos is optional. Macy's says it will post sensory-friendly days for its Santalands.
Can't make a special session? Cherry Hill says its sets are usually quietest Monday to Thursday before 4 p.m.
Start with the mall finder, then your local community calendar. Cherry Hill Programs offers Black Santa Magic photo experiences at select US malls and lists them at santaexperiences.whereissanta.com. It also has English and Spanish speaking Santas at Dolphin Mall and Miami International Mall in Florida and at The Mall of San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Many Santas of color appear at community venues rather than malls. A December 2025 roundup in Black Enterprise found them at the Cincinnati Art Museum, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin, and at a free Black Santa Extravaganza in Indianapolis. Local parenting sites often publish a city list each season.
Mall Santas of color have a history, too. In December 2016 the Mall of America in Minnesota welcomed its first Black Santa, Larry Jefferson, an Army veteran from Texas, and his four days were fully booked.
In the finder above, choose Black Santa to search the map near your ZIP code.
In 2026, a picture with Santa runs from free to $44.99 for a starter package at the big malls and Macy's, and up to $250 for a VIP group visit. Those are the prices posted on the official pages on October 16, 2026.
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's give a 4x6 print and a short video for free. JCPenney Portraits charges a $14.99 session fee per person, free with its Perks Club, and its Santa offer prices standard prints at $6.99 each. Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey charges $20 to hold a time slot, with no package required. Packages start at $44.99 at both Macy's Santalands and at Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey. The Macy's New York VIP ticket is $250 for up to 8 guests and includes 8 prints and all the digital images.
Cherry Hill says its packages vary by location, so check your own mall's Santa page before you go.
Book a time slot, go on a weekday before 4 p.m., and arrive at the start of your window. Cherry Hill, which runs Santa at hundreds of malls, says its sets are usually quietest Monday to Thursday before 4 p.m. Its reservations come in 15-minute windows shared by up to five families, so being first in your window helps.
For Macy's, set an alarm. Reservations open at 6:30 a.m. local time, seven days ahead, and the New York Santaland adds a virtual queue this year, so families can shop while they wait. Bass Pro slots also opened seven days ahead in 2025.
On the day itself:
Sold-out slots, a sick kid, a snowstorm or a long drive don't have to cancel the visit. Santa also takes live video calls. He is an AI video character, and the call runs right in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is no app, and you need a microphone, not a camera. Kids call with a grown-up, and grown-ups can call for themselves.
Santa listens and answers out loud, so your child can tell him the one big wish, and you can ask for something too. After the call, each wish comes back as a list with real store prices, lowest first, with links. It costs $1 a minute, for as many minutes as you like, with no subscription.
Start a live video call with Santa, or read how calling Santa works first. Planning the season? The Christmas countdown shows how many sleeps are left, the wish list maker keeps every wish in one place, and the North Pole map shows where Santa lives.
At many sets, yes. Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's and Cherry Hill Mall all list Santa through December 24, 2026. Hours on Christmas Eve can differ from other days, so check your mall's page that week.
It depends on the place. Macy's Santaland requires one. Bass Pro required them in 2025. Cherry Hill's mall sets strongly encourage them but welcome walk-ups when there is room.
Not at every set. Cherry Hill's mall sets have professional photographers and do not allow personal photography. Some town events, like Henrico County's Santa Paws, use your own phone. Ask before you raise the camera.
Cherry Hill's FAQ says yes, and that its Santas are gentle and focused on safety for the tiniest visitors. It runs special Baby's First photo sessions too.
Cherry Hill lists English and Spanish speaking Santas at Dolphin Mall and Miami International Mall in Florida and at The Mall of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Elsewhere, search the map for "Santa en español" plus your town.
No. The finder runs in your own browser, builds a Google Maps link and opens it. Frugal Santa never receives what you type, and nothing is stored.
Macy's Chicago opens bookings on October 31, 2026, and Macy's New York on November 20, with VIP tickets from October 22. Cherry Hill's mall sets already take bookings. Bass Pro opened its slots seven days ahead in 2025.
Live videoSanta answers a live video call from your sofa. Tell him the big wish, then get it back as a list with store prices, lowest first. $1 a minute.
Call Santa
Christmas countdownDays, weeks and sleeps until Christmas, live in your time zone.
Christmas wish listMake, print and share your list, with gift ideas for every age.
Letter to SantaFill in a letter on festive paper, print it and mail it north.
Call SantaEvery way to reach Santa, and a planner for your live video call.