Norad Santa tracker – live: Follow Father Christmas and his reindeer around the globe

Father Christmas is currently flying around the globe to deliver presents to children around the world.

Every year Norad – the North American Aerospace Defense Command – tracks Santa’s journey as he travels the planet in his sleigh.

The tradition began in 1955 when a child mistakenly rang a Colorado military command asking to speak to Father Christmas – after a local newspaper ran an advert by a department store containing a misprinted phone number.

Air Force Commander Harry Shoup, who was manning the phones that Christmas Eve, quickly realised the mistake and assured the child that he was in fact Santa Claus.

As more calls came in that night, Commander Shoup assigned a duty officer to continue answering the phone, birthing a tradition that passed over to Norad when it was formed in 1958.

Every year since, the agency – which ordinarily defends and monitors the skies over North America – has fielded children’s questions about the red-and-white-clad chimney intruder and his unrivalled delivery schedule.

Stick with us as we follow his route around the world.

Key Points

• Norad tracking begins

• How do Norad track Santa?

We are pausing our live coverage – Merry Christmas!

11:20 , Tara Cobham

We are now pausing our live coverage.

You can follow The Independent’s homepage for all the latest updates.

In the meantime, we wish you a very merry Christmas!

Santa finishes epic journey having delivered almost eight million gifts

10:55 , Tara Cobham

Santa has finished his epic journey around the world, having delivered almost eight million gifts.

He stopped off at every home to drop 7,883,693,263 presents over the course of Christmas Eve.

Father Christmas heads home to North Pole

10:10 , Tara Cobham

Father Christmas is heading to his home of the North Pole.

He has just stopped in Midway Atoll, US Minor Outlying Islands.

For those waking up in the UK

09:22 , Tara Cobham

People will be waking up across the UK to stockings filled with presents at the ends of their beds.

Santa has stopped off at every house in the country throughout the night of Christmas Eve – and he continues to do so over in the US.

Call Norad to find out where Santa is as they continue to track him

09:18 , Tara Cobham

Norad continues to track Santa on his magical journey around the globe.

People can call its call centre volunteers on 1-877-Hi-NORAD to ask where he is.

Santa is making his way through the United States

08:33 , Tara Cobham

Santa is making his way through the United States.

He is currently flying through Alaska, having just made a stop in Juneau and heading towards Fairbanks.

A glimpse inside Norad's Santa tracker

08:00 , Namita Singh

Where is Santa?

07:00 , Namita Singh

Santa Claus and his eight tiny reindeer can be seen live during their annual trek from the North Pole using Norad’s live Santa tracker.

You can also track when he will be in your area, using Facebook and X.

How did the Santa tracking tradition begin?

06:00 , Namita Singh

In 1955, Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup — the commander on duty at the Norad’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command — fielded a call from a child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a newspaper department store ad, thinking she was calling Santa.

A fast-thinking Shoup quickly told his caller he was Santa, and as more calls came in, he assigned a duty officer to keep answering. And the Santa-tracking tradition began.

Norad expects some 1,100 volunteers to help answer calls this year in a dedicated operations center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, ranging from command staff to people around the world.“It’s a bit of a bucket list item for some folks,” says Mathias, calling the operations center “definitely the most festive place to be on December 24th.

”The operations center is open Christmas Eve until midnight. Anyone can call 1-877 HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to talk directly to Norad staff members who will provide updates on Santa’s exact location.

‘Santa is on his way’

05:00 , Namita Singh

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden participated in Norad Santa tracking calls on Sunday evening with children and families across the country, said the White House in a statement.

A post from Jill Biden on the social media platform now known as X showed a picture of her and the president, sitting on a couch with a Christmas tree behind them, and said that Norad had “confirmed the good news: Santa is on his way!”

The military is tracking Santa with “the same technology we use every single day to keep North America safe,” said US Air Force Colonel Elizabeth Mathias, Norad’s chief spokesperson. “We’re able to follow the light from Rudolph’s red nose.”

Ms Mathias says that while Norad has a good intelligence assessment of his sleigh’s capabilities, Santa does not file a flight plan and may have some high-tech secrets up his red sleeve this year to help guide his travels — maybe even artificial intelligence.“I don’t know yet if he’s using AI,” said Ms Mathias. “I’ll be curious to see if our assessment of his flight this year shows us some advanced capabilities.”

Santa departs from Bangkok after delivering gifts to 2 billion children

04:00 , Namita Singh

As children around the world eagerly await Santa’s arrival on Christmas, the military is closely tracking his every move.

Armed with radar, sensors, aircraft and Christmas spirit, the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado is reporting on the movements of Santa’s sleigh since his takeoff from the North Pole for parts of the globe where Christmas comes first. Once again it is sharing those details so kids can follow along.

By late Christmas Eve in Thailand, late morning Sunday in the eastern US, the tracker reported that Santa had departed Bangkok and moved on to Burma, Tibet, China and Russia, distributing nearly 2 billion gifts so far in his travels.

Santa makes a round of England

01:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa made it to England as midnight struck.

How much does Santa’s sleigh weigh? (Too many mince pies)

00:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa heading for England

Sunday 24 December 2023 23:44 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa is now in the UK as he just left Cardiff and is on his way now to Durham.

On the nice list in Italy?

Sunday 24 December 2023 23:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa arrives in Hallstatt

Sunday 24 December 2023 22:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The charming town of Hallstatt in Austria will be sprinkled with some extra magic as Santa touches down in time to deliver Christmas gifts.

Santa is in Europe

Sunday 24 December 2023 21:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa is well and truly in Europe as he delivers presents to Copenhagen.

You know what means- the man in red will soon touch down to UK. Stay tuned!

What’s Santa’s progress?

Sunday 24 December 2023 21:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Over 3,407,301,279 presents now delivered as Santa’s reindeers race to complete the Christmas mission before the big day.

Santa glides over Athens in latest stop

Sunday 24 December 2023 20:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Turkey and Greece graced with Santa’s sleigh

Sunday 24 December 2023 19:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Antalya in Turkey is Santa’s next stop on the long list. The next stop after that will be Santorini- hopefully Santa and his reindeers don’t crash into any blue domes!

Santa delivers presents to Kyiv in Ukraine

Sunday 24 December 2023 19:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa is now delivering presents to Kyiv in Ukraine, where Christmas will be celebrated for the first time on 25 December, after the country’s president Volodymr Zelensky chose to break from the tradition of following the Julian calendar.

All the chimneys Santa has squeezed through so far...

Sunday 24 December 2023 18:44 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The night is still young but Santa has been working hard this Christmas Eve. Here are all the places he has delivered presents to:

A balmy 13C in Bangladesh for Father Christmas

Sunday 24 December 2023 18:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa flies over the Arabian Peninsula

Sunday 24 December 2023 18:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Santa heading to Russia

Sunday 24 December 2023 17:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The man of the moment was last seen in Karsakpay, Kazakhstan and will be touching down in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2 minutes.

Over 2.1 million presents have so far been delivered... and counting!

Santa soars towards Sri lanka

Sunday 24 December 2023 16:57 , Lydia Patrick

Santa and his reindeer crew are about to land in Colombo.

The sleigh is heading towards the vibrant Sri Lankan capital which lies on the country’s west coast.

Father Christmas arrives in Nepal

Sunday 24 December 2023 16:46 , Lydia Patrick

Santa’s next stop on his worldwide tour is Nepal.

He made a brief stop in Dhaka, Bangladesh before heading to Kolkata, India.

Now he is about to land in Kathmandu, where Santa is sure to fly over some incredible temples.

Santa touches down in Mongolia

Sunday 24 December 2023 16:21 , Lydia Patrick

Santa has been all over South East Asian and his next stop is Mongolia.

He is set to land in the capital Ulaanbaatar- the coldest capital city in the world.

Interesting fact- there are almost as many horses as people in Mongolia, according to a Czech humanitarian aid charity. Jingle all the neigh!

Watch - Inside Santa tracking HQ

Sunday 24 December 2023 16:11 , Lydia Patrick

Santa on way to Vietnam

Sunday 24 December 2023 16:06 , Lydia Patrick

After millions of succesful deliveries around Asia, Santa has zipped over to Hanoi.

Hanoi is a cultural mixing pot of Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences.

Last seen in Malaysia, next stop Thailand

Sunday 24 December 2023 15:51 , Tara Cobham

Santa was last spotted in Terengganu, Malaysia.

His next stop is Hat Yai in Thailand.

Father Christmas heads to Christmas Island

Sunday 24 December 2023 15:29 , Tara Cobham

Father Christmas is heading to his namesake island.

He has just left Geraldton, Australia and is now making his way to The Settlement, Christmas Island.

Sleigh moves from Indonesia onwards to Australia

Sunday 24 December 2023 15:17 , Tara Cobham

Santa’s sleigh has made a stop in Indonesia and is now moving onwards to Australia.

It is 11.15pm in Broome, the first place to receive presents in the country.

Santa makes his way through China

Sunday 24 December 2023 15:03 , Tara Cobham

Santa is currently making his way through China to drop off his gifts.

He was last seen in Kunming and is now heading for Haikou.

It is around 11pm local time there.

How did Norad’s Santa tracking mission begin?

Sunday 24 December 2023 15:00 , Lydia Patrick

In a search for answers, inquisitive children have been making calls to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) to establish the exact whereabouts of St Nicholas and his reindeer-led sleigh for close to 70 years.

The tradition began in 1955, when a child mistakenly rang a Colorado military command asking to speak to Father Christmas – after a local newspaper ran an advert by a department store containing a misprinted phone number.

Air Force Commander Harry Shoup, who was manning the phones that Christmas Eve, quickly realised the mistake and assured the child that he was in fact Santa Claus.

As more calls came in that night, Commander Shoup assigned a duty officer to continue answering the phone, birthing a tradition that passed over to Norad when it was formed in 1958.

Every year since, the agency – which defends and monitors the skies over North America – has fielded children’s questions about the red-and-white-clad chimney intruder and his unrivalled delivery schedule.

Sleigh arrives in Phillipines

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:50 , Lydia Patrick

It’s 10.43pm local time and Santa is swiftly making his way across Asia.

He is now hurtling towards towards the capital of Manila after a present drop in Davao City.

Watch - Follow Santa and his reindeer around the globe

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:45 , Lydia Patrick

Santa arrives in Taiwan

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:41 , Lydia Patrick

Father Christmas is currently dropping gifts in the capital of Taiwan, Taipei.

Taipei is a global city in the North of the country known for its tall skyscrapers and bustling night time market.

Next stop - China

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:32 , Lydia Patrick

So far Santa has gifted children across Russia, Australia, Japan, South Korea and he now is flying towards China.

Now Santa and his reindeer are visiting the iconic Great Wall in the capital of Beijing.

Santa heads to South Korea

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:25 , Lydia Patrick

The sleigh has soared over Japan and is now hurtling towards South Korea.

Santa has just left Jeju City, on Jejudo Island and is now heading towards Daejon,

Santa to land in Tokyo

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:12 , Lydia Patrick

After a whirlwind tour of Northern Japan, Santa is now heading to the bustling southern capital - Tokyo.

The southern metropolis is home to 13.96 million people, meaning Santa has a lot of presents to drop.

Santa reaches mainland Japan

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:05 , Lydia Patrick

Santa is fast approaching Sapporo, a city in northeastern Japan.

Due to it’s mountains, Sapporo is a skiing hotspot and is famous for its beer. Drink responsibly Santa!

Santa flying towards Japanese island

Sunday 24 December 2023 14:01 , Lydia Patrick

Santa is about to touch down in the island of Iwo Jima, Japan.

Known for a very bloody World War II battle, the island’s georgraphy is equally volatile since it is volcanic.

Santa arrives in Asia

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:55 , Lydia Patrick

Santa and his sleigh are zooming towards East Timor, another beautiful Island nation.

Interestingly, Timor derives from the Indonesian word Timur, which means East, so the full place name means ‘East East’.

Santa still down under

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:45 , Lydia Patrick

Santa is making his way across Australia and his next stop is Alice Springs.

Alice Springs is a remote town in central Australia, with a desert landscape which is known as the capital of the outback.

Santa stops in Sydney

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:34 , Lydia Patrick

Mr Claus is now making is way to arguablt the most famous city- in Australia.

Sydney is famous for its opera house, beautiful beaches and idyllic harbour backdrop.

The city is currently coping with flash floods- Rudolph could get very wet.

Santa goes down under

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:30 , Lydia Patrick

Good day Santa!

The sleigh is flying towards Australia and will touch down in Rockhampton after a quick stop in Queenstown.

Rockhampton lies in eastern Australia in Queensland.

The city is renowned for its good cattle and hosts a beef week every three years. Fingers crossed Santa gets time to stop for a steak.

Santa arrives in Kimbe, Papau New Guinea

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:20 , Lydia Patrick

Everyone’s favourite delivery man is now heading to Papau New Guinea.

Kimbe is a bustling town and the capital of the province West New Britain.

Due to it’s tropical rainforest environment, Kimbe is prone to heavy rainfall all year round. Let’s hope Santa remembered his umbrella!

Norad’s live tracker back

Sunday 24 December 2023 13:15 , Lydia Patrick

After some technical issues, Norad’s live tracker is back in business.

Next stop - Papau New Guinea.