On Christmas Eve 2025, NORAD and Google operate free online trackers that follow Santa's worldwide journey in real time. These services are available globally on the web, with additional access through mobile, phone, and social channels.
Track Santa on Christmas Eve 2025
NORAD's NORAD Tracks Santa program uses its website and contact center to report Santa's location across the globe. Google's Santa Tracker offers a browser-based village experience and Android app that follow Santa's route using animated maps.
Both trackers begin Santa's journey near the International Date Line in the Pacific before moving toward New Zealand and Australia. Coverage then progresses westward across Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America until Santa's deliveries conclude.
Google's tracker displays Santa's current position, next destination, distance from a chosen location, and estimated arrival times during the night. NORAD's service presents a similar live map and also shares updates through its call center and social channels.
Both NORAD and Google make their Santa tracking experiences free to access and support multiple languages.
Background and Key Details
The NORAD Santa Tracker began in 1955 after a Sears advertisement misprinted a telephone number for children seeking Santa. Calls reached the Continental Air Defense Command, where Colonel Harry Shoup's team started providing Santa location updates.
NORAD has continued this tradition annually, using volunteers to answer calls while also publishing updates online. For Christmas Eve 2025, NORAD has introduced an AI chatbot named Radar that supplies automated Santa tracking information.
Google's engineering teams use the Santa Tracker project to experiment with new web technologies and design approaches. Some features, including 3D viewing experiences, have later appeared in other Google services.
- The official NORAD Santa map is available on the NORAD Tracks Santa website, including a dedicated live tracking page.
- NORAD operates a Santa hotline at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723), where volunteers report Santa's current location.
- NORAD also shares Santa tracking messages on its official social media channels throughout Christmas Eve.
- Google's Santa Tracker website was first launched in 2004.
- During December, the Google site includes mini games, videos, creative tools, and simple coding activities themed around Santa's village.
- On Christmas Eve, the Google live tracker activates at midnight in the earliest time zone, equivalent to 10:00 a.m. UTC.
- Both NORAD and Google trackers show Santa's current location, recent stops, upcoming destinations, and an estimated arrival time.
- Google's tracker highlights more than 500 locations with photos and short information snippets drawn from Google's Local Guides and Wikipedia.
Source Citations
The following official resources describe the NORAD and Google Santa tracking programs and provide live access on Christmas Eve.
- NORAD Tracks Santa - official site - operated by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
- Google Santa Tracker - maintained by Google and featuring seasonal games and live tracking information.
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