Elf Town, a spectacular Christmas experience, has officially opened its doors in both Galway and Dublin, and will run from now until Christmas Eve.
Taking place in Dublin's RDS for the second time, and returning to the Galway Racecourse for its tenth year, Elf Town is bringing an immersive journey that begins with a golden ticket and ends with an extra special visit to Santa.
"We want to be the best Christmas experience in Ireland," Elf Town co-founder Barry Battle told RTÉ Lifestyle. "To do that, year on year, we had to keep growing, changing and expanding - and that's pretty much what we did."
With a reported €3.7 million invested in 2025, the 90-minute experience will feature some incredible, hand-built sets and experiences.
First, kids will head to the Elf-ification Station, where they will receive their Elf passport and journey through a series of hand-built, film-set-quality rooms, including Jack Frost's Ice House (the only real-ice experience of its kind in Ireland).
Next, they will visit Santa’s Reindeer Stables (Comet & Cupid will be in Dublin, while Dasher and Dancer stay in Galway), followed by the Elf Post Office to see all of Santa's letters being sorted.
Then it's on to Mrs Claus’ Kitchen to decorate delicious cookies before taking a trip to Santa’s parlour, where children will meet the jolly man in red.
Santa will then send kids off with a golden coin that can be redeemed at Towering Toy Shop, where each child chooses their own gift.
Barry and his co-founder, Anthony Hourigan, say they started the seasonal project while living in Galway, as they found there were very few Christmas experiences in the West of Ireland.
"I have five children myself, and they're all under the age of 10," notes Barry, explaining that the festive events he brought his family often lacked that something special.
"We feel we have an obligation to every single family who comes through the door of Elf Town, to create lasting and magical memories for them all."
When we speak, the co-founder says he has a team of eight people organising rosters for the 800 staff members hired to bring magic to Elf Town, ranging from builders to performers.
Reflecting on the months of work and the variety of features being pulled together, he says that there are a few details he is particularly proud of.
"We've added golden tickets this year," he says. "Every family that books, the child will get - in the post - a lovely, shiny golden ticket. Before they even enter Elf Town, the magic has begun and you're building the excitement early on."
Other highlights include a private visit with Santa that will be extra special for little ones.
"Santa, as you know, has elves watching all the time, so they know lots of secrets about all the children! Every child, Santa will already know, he'll know who their best friend is, who their teacher is, what they're good at in school or something they've achieved or something along those lines.
"The jaw will drop on the children," he promises.
Prices for Elf Town start from €19.95 for adults and €29.95 for children, and new payment plans have been introduced to help families spread the cost in the run-up to Christmas.
Additionally, Barry says that he and his team work all year round to create something spectacular that will make every second and cent count.
"Jack Frost's ice house is literally minus 25 degrees," he laughs. "There's ice walls, ice thrones to sit on for a picture, there's photo opportunities, and there's a Jack Frost bed in there. It's another element to Elf Town that nowhere else has."
"It's about imagination," he adds. "You have to say that nothing is impossible.
For more information on Elf Town, visit the Elf Town website.
