Christmas Celebration is Here! Make the Most of Your Merry Moments at SeaWorld

SeaWorld’s fan-favorite Christmas Celebration is back this year with an ocean of holiday cheer across more than 100 acres of outdoor space with sparkling lights, decorations, and new holiday festivities to make the season bright! From sea lions to Santa, there’s something for everyone at SeaWorld’s premier Christmas event, on select dates now through Jan. 4.

Here’s how to make the most of your merry moments at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration:

• Plan ahead! In order to manage capacity, reservations are required for all visitors.
• We've gone digital! Bookmark this link on your mobile device for the park map, presentations times, and more important information on the day of your visit. Or simply visit SeaWorldSanDiego.com/today
• Arrive in the afternoon to experience the park illuminated in a sea of holiday lights as the sun sets!
• Christmas Celebration is included with park admission and is free for Pass Members and Fun Card holders.
• It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Big Guy himself, so make sure to catch the jolliest old elf at the all-new Santa Presents: Christmas Animals Around the World. This outdoor presentation features live animals (including camels, reindeer, and even a porcupine!), representing how the holidays are celebrated in different parts of the world.

• Rudolph’s Movie Experience is a shortened retelling of the ultimate holiday classic shown after dark on SeaWorld’s spectacular 150-foot outdoor screen, with physical distancing measures in place. Stay until the end, when Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer himself makes a live appearance!

• Want to be the envy of everyone on Instagram? Capture tons of Insta-worthy photos at all the beautifully decorated holiday vignettes and light displays throughout the park, including the Tunnel of Lights, Santa’s sleigh, a towering sea-themed Christmas tree, and more. #SeaWorldChristmasCelebration

• SeaWorld’s classic dolphin and sea lion shows have a special holiday twist and aren’t to be missed! (Stadiums are outdoors with physically distanced seating in place.)

• Younger guests (12 and under) are invited to embark on the all-new Stocking Stuffer Christmas Trail and collect sweet treats, small toys, and other fun surprises that drop magically through a chute into their holiday bags (bags are available for purchase for just $2.49 at all gift shops). Stocking Stuffer Christmas Trail takes place on Saturdays and Sundays only.
• During an all-new premium upgrade experience, Cookies and Photos with Santa, you can join your closest friends and family at a single-party table in an outdoor setting to enjoy Santa’s favorite snack while he tells a Christmas story and the kids have fun with activity sheets. A physically distanced photo with Santa commemorates the fun! Buy Cookies and Photos with Santa Experience »

• Wishing for some of your familiar favorites? Have no fear! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is back this year, along with his friends Bumble, Yukon, and Clarice, for physically distanced photos.

• Speaking of familiar faces…the Sesame Street Christmas Village is where families can meet their favorite furry friends and enjoy physically-distanced photo opportunities with Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, Zoe and Oscar the Grouch dressed in their finest holiday attire.

• Santa has hidden gifts for his eight world-famous reindeer throughout the park, and it’s your job to find them! After you mark each location on your Christmas Treasure Hunt map with the correct reindeer sticker, bring the completed map back to collect a special gift (treasure maps are available for purchase at the SeaWorld Store at the front of the park).
• It's lunch time – for the animals! Watch our dedicated animal care specialists feed Magellanic Penguins and Sea Turtles in their outdoor exhibits while they answer some of your questions about these amazing animals. Check the park schedule for feeding times.

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• Get yourself a cup of SeaWorld’s famous hot chocolate! Back by popular demand, the delicious hot drink can be topped with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, peppermint sprinkles, and other sweets!

• Looking for something more … grown-up? Check out the park’s new winter drink options. These colorful Christmas Cocktails – such as the Prancer’s Piña Colada with Flor de Cana rum and a crushed peppermint rim – will surely put you in a festive spirit (as always, Pass Members get a discount of up to 20 percent on all food and beverages). (as always, Pass Members get a discount of up to 20 percent on all food and beverages). See holiday cocktails and other beverages »

• Be sure to try some of the culinary team’s new holiday creations, such as tomato soup and garlic bread (yes, please!), glazed ham sliders, a delicious winter kale and pear salad and delectable desserts including cinnamon rolls and peppermint cheesecake. See the menu »

• In addition to all the yuletide cheer, all of SeaWorld’s outdoor animal exhibits are open. Don’t forget to say hello to your favorite animals, including dolphins, otters, killer whales, flamingos, bamboo sharks, sea lions, seals, bat rays, and more!

• SeaWorld is open as an accredited zoo with limited capacity and enhanced health and safety measures. Please visit our website for more information about how to have a safe and wonderful visit.