Santa Tracker live: Where is Santa Claus right now? Know location

Santa Claus is set to depart from the North Pole, according to Flightradar24, as the festive flight R3DN053 makes its Christmas Eve journey.

Published on: Dec 24, 2025, 06:03:45 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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Santa Claus is set to depart from the North Pole to make the journey around the world on Christmas Eve. FlightRadar24 confirm that Santa’s sleigh is currently being followed in real time.

North American Aerospace Defense Command, responsible for monitoring and defending the skies above North America, shows NORAD's Santa Tracker. (NORAD via AP, File) (AP)

The sleigh is visible on Flightradar24’s interactive map under the flight identifier R3DN053.

Flightrada24 sleigh data

Users can watch Santa's flight travel around the world, his path showing a sleigh icon headed by reindeer and Santa on the back. The sleigh is designed to mimic Santa's Christmas journey for the kids.

Ahead of an anticipated hectic Christmas Eve shift, he is apparently conducting peaceful flying checks above the North Pole.

Flightradar24 has confirmed radar contact with the reindeer-driven sleigh bearing the call sign "SANTA1."

NORAD Santa Tracking tradition

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been keeping up the tradition of tracking Santa for 70 years now, offering live updates through the NORAD Tracks Santa portal.

NORAD’s tracker typically goes live early on Christmas Eve, with satellites and defense radar systems enabling minute-by-minute updates.

Families can use mobile apps, the official NORADSanta.org website, or the toll-free phone to follow Santa. On Christmas Eve, from 4 a.m. until midnight Mountain Standard Time, over a thousand volunteers will answer calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD.

Parents and children can follow Santa's voyage on the website in nine languages, including Japanese and English.

The custom began in 1955 when the Continental Air Defense Command, the forerunner of NORAD, remained alert for any indication that the then-Soviet Union might launch a nuclear assault.

A child accidentally called the battle operations center and requested to talk with Santa Claus, according to NORAD. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the then commander on duty, then instructed staff members to begin tracking Santa and answering calls from kids because he didn't want to let the kids down.

Since then, flight radar websites have also joined in on this tradition of showing St. Nick's journey around the world in a day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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