3 days ago
I visited Christmassy Lapland in the middle of summer – with reindeer rides & Santa meet-and-greets in 27C temperatures
IT may sound jolly odd, but Santa is a hot attraction for the summer.
'Welcome to Lapland,' says the Uber driver as he flashes a smile.
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It's mid-July, and I've arrived at 'the official home of Santa Claus'.
I'd heard whispers about Rovaniemi's summer scene, but I hadn't quite realised how passionately the city upholds its year-round festivities.
My first stop is the Santa Claus Village — an immersive Christmassy epicentre north of the Finnish city centre. If it sounds bizarre, it certainly feels it.
On the drive to the village, I watch bikini-clad crowds weaving through Rovaniemi's streets towards the Rovaniemen Uimaranta — a sandy beach on the banks of the River Kemijoki.
It's 27C and summer is underway. Yet the signs of the city's festive subculture are unmissable.
Free-roaming reindeer sunbathe next to roadsides, and we whizz past a barbershop named 'Santa Hair'.
I'm basked in sunshine as I step into Santa Claus Village, a collection of red-painted alpine buildings amid fir and pine trees.
Aside from Santa meet-and-greets, there's the functioning Main Post Office, Santa's Pets and Arctic Circle Husky Park. With free entrance, you can explore at your own pace.
It's not the lack of snow that strikes me first, but the absence of crowds.
Rather than hordes of thermal-clad tourists, there's a summery serenity in the air.
In the main square, residents casually cross the white line that marks the official Arctic Circle boundary — accompanied by plodding dogs on leads.
Last December, there was a three-hour waitlist to begin queuing to see Santa Claus, now I watch a young family walk straight in.
Ignorance is bliss and I've decided I'm too anxious to discover if I'm on the 'naughty or nice' list.
Instead, I'm focused on meeting some of the four-legged helpers. I dash towards the reindeer, where visitors are promised intimate hand-feeding encounters.
Elves serve ice cream
Summer is a special season for the reindeer. Their antlers are at their largest and most of the females have calves at foot.
Adjoining the reindeer pen is the home of another Christmas celebrity: Mrs Claus.
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Her lodge is set back from the main walkway and if everyone else is aware that it's July, the elves in charge of decor have not got the memo.
A floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree glistens in the corner, while beaming elves serve ice cream and pastries. 'When people visit in winter, I always tell them to visit in summer,' says Mrs Claus, in a lilting voice with a twinkle in her eye.
She spins a rhythmical tale: Summers spent swimming, fishing for salmon ('Santa's favourite') and picking blueberries to incorporate into her baking.
The thawing of the forest shapes the activities that Santa Claus Village has on offer, though not as dramatically as you might expect.
Inside the Post Office, the elves still stamp and mail letters, sorting selected letters into a designated post box marked 'December 2025'.
The Husky Park welcomes tourists to play with puppies or take rides on wheeled sledges adapted for snowless conditions.
While trainers replace clunky snowshoes for walks along forest trails.
Christmas isn't a season, but a mindset.
