02 December 2023 , 11:43
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The magical festive season is almost here and many people will be hoping to meet Father Christmas before the big day to prove if they’ve been nice and not naughty.
While heading to a merry market may be fun for those keen to start buying gifts or who enjoy a glass of mulled wine, it is unlikely to be of much interest to a child, with young Santa fans keen to meet the man himself. There are lots of fascinating places hosting Father Christmas this year and booking visits can be a great excuse to visit a new place and get the kids out of the house.
A new study by CasinoTop3.com has shown the top city to meet Santa is Oxford (DAILY MIRROR)To aid in the quest, a new study by has shown the top city to meet Santa is Oxford where there are 1,222 opportunities to meet him throughout December. Opportunities include seeing him at Oxford Christmas Lights Festival, Broad Street Christmas Market, Christmas Lights at Blenheim Palace.
On Christmas Eve there will also be no problems spotting his reindeer-pulled sleigh flying as named Oxford as having a low level of light pollution. Winchester claimed the second top spot to meet Father Christmas this year, with 902 opportunities to meet him around the city including at the Christmas market, Star of Wonder and Festive Lights Trail at Marwell’s.
Although the Hampshire city is one of the least likely places to capture a white Christmas, with just a 0.10% chance of snow, the city is a winner when it comes to social media. Winchester whips up an impressive 322,675 TikTok views of the winter wonderland, as well as 9,576 Instagram hashtags to testify to its holiday spirit.
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Cambridge is third with 902 opportunities to meet Santa throughout the month, as well as an impressive 1,034 Christmas Carol Events. It also has snowfall predicted in December. In fourth sits Gloucester, which provides 792 chances to get on the nice list and request gifts.
With 2,838 Instagram hashtags, Gloucester boasts a 31% increase in Christmas lights, coming second only to Cardiff and Bristol for festive night time lighting in the UK. Rounding off the top five with a respectable 704 opportunities to meet Santa is Worcester which also has a 15% increase in night time lighting from October through December, giving the city an extra shine during the holiday season.
On the opposite end of the scale, Plymouth has been crowned the UK’s scroogiest city owing to the port city’s meagre one percent increase of Christmas lights and just 0.2 average snow days in the month of December. Additionally, the city also boasts just 962 Christmas hashtags on instagram, and just 31,041 TikTok Christmas views. It means the south-west port town secured a total festive score of just 4.51 out of a possible 10 - the lowest score out of the 31 towns and cities compared in the rankings.
Top 5 UK cities to meet Santa
- Oxford
- Winchester
- Cambridge
- Gloucester
- Worcester