Santa tickets: ‘Christmas Eve sold out in 10 minutes’

With more than two months still to go until Christmas, tickets to see Santa have already sold out at some venues.

Parents who have had to buy tickets as early as September have compared it to getting a ticket to Glastonbury.

Pugh's Garden Village in Radyr, Cardiff, sold out all weekends in December after being on sale for just over an hour.

Its senior manager Kara Pugh, said: "Our tickets for Christmas Eve were gone in 10 minutes."

She added: "Sales seem to be getting quicker each year, especially within the last five years."

Cathryn Scott, who runs Cardiff Mummy Says, a lifestyle blog for parents, said: "I know friends who keep four browsers open at the same time to make sure they're getting tickets.

"They'll put phone reminders on and make sure they're available on the day of release. It's a bit like getting a ticket to Glastonbury."

Jacksons Boutique Garden Centre in Rhyl, Denbighshire, has also sold out all their tickets for tea with Santa.

Fran Porter, who works at the shop, said: "When the tickets went on sale, I had to unplug the phone at one point during lunch hour because we were having so many calls.

"It's becoming more and more popular and tickets are being sold earlier every year because people are asking for them earlier."

Bluestone National Park Resort in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, said it had sold out many of its festive activities for guests during Christmas week, with most accommodation booked up through December.

Tickets for Brecon Mountain Railway have also sold out for the two days before Christmas for its Santa train and Newport's Celtic Manor Resort has sold out its Santa's Family Afternoon Tea on all Saturdays in December.

The National Trust's tickets to see Santa at Dyffryn Gardens went on sale on 17 September and all 300 tickets for this Christmas have been sold.

Hannah Sweetapple, who works at the store, said: "We put it on social media early this year because people were asking when we would be going on sale.

We're still getting people calling up looking for tickets so we had to put on two extra days for our party with the elves experience."

Rhug organic farm in Denbighshire have added more slots to their breakfast and lunch experience with Santa because it was so popular last year.

Nigel Higgins, who also blogs about his experience as a parent, said: "This is the world we live in today.

"You want your kids to have these experiences but the only way to do that is to make sure you're planning ahead, and that means added pressure.

"It's definitely getting worse every year."