Real reindeer, animated reindeer, sleighs
Reindeer Hire
A reindeer is the one Christmas booking that makes people drive to you. It is the thing that goes on the poster, the thing that gets shared, and the reason a family picks your event over the one down the road. We supply both kinds — the real ones, and the animated ones that work every day for six weeks.
Real or animated?
These are two completely different bookings and people often ring asking for one when they want the other.
Real reindeer are an event. They come for a day or a weekend, they draw a crowd, and they are the headline on your advertising. We have run them at the drive-thru grotto at Heskin Hall, where four real reindeer sit on the route families pass on the way to Santa’s office.
Animated reindeer are a season. They work every opening hour from November to January, they do not need handling, and they turn a quiet corner of a shop or a centre into somewhere children stop. For most retailers this is the booking that actually earns its money.
Plenty of venues take both: the animated herd for the whole season, and the real ones for the weekend they are advertising hardest.
Reindeer & sleighs
The real thing, the animated herd, and the sleighs that go with them.
Where reindeer work hardest
Reindeer reward venues that can hold a crowd and charge for it.
Garden centres
The classic. Real reindeer for an advertised weekend, animated ones through the restaurant and the plant aisles for the season.
Attractions & estates
Reindeer on a route, as part of a ticketed experience — which is exactly how the Heskin Hall drive-thru works.
Shopping centres
Animated, in a sightline, somewhere a pushchair can stop without blocking the mall.
Farm shops & markets
Reindeer give a market day a headline. The sleigh gives people somewhere to take the photograph.
Switch-ons & community events
A sleigh and a reindeer is the whole photo opportunity, and it travels.
Build the scene, not just the animal
A reindeer on its own in an open space is strangely underwhelming — people photograph it once and move on. Give it somewhere to be: a sleigh behind it, a signpost, a fence line, snow underfoot and light on it after dark.
Our sleighs are built for people to photograph with, and the Santa who goes in them can be booked at the same time. If you want the whole route rather than one scene, the grotto guide covers how we lay those out.
Common questions
Can you supply real reindeer?
Yes. Real reindeer can be booked for Christmas events — tell us the venue, the dates and how the public will see them, and we will talk it through with you.
What is the difference between real and animated reindeer?
Real reindeer are a day or a weekend and they are your headline attraction. Animated reindeer run for the whole season without handling, which usually makes them the better value for a shop or a centre.
Do the animated reindeer move?
Yes — they are animated figures. Several of them list a power requirement on their own product page, so check there or ask us.
Can we hire a sleigh with the reindeer?
Yes. We have several sleighs, including one supplied with two reindeer, and they are the piece people actually queue to photograph.
How far in advance should we book reindeer?
As early as you can. Real reindeer have a fixed number of December weekends and they are commonly booked nine to twelve months ahead.
Where we work
We deliver and install anywhere in the UK. We are based in Wigan, so everywhere below is within about a hundred miles of the warehouse — the places we can get to fastest, and where a same-week site visit is straightforward.
- Wigan
- Bolton
- Warrington
- St Helens
- Manchester
- Salford
- Liverpool
- Preston
- Blackburn
- Blackpool
- Chorley
- Southport
- Chester
- Wrexham
- Lancaster
- Kendal & the Lakes
- Leeds
- Bradford
- Huddersfield
- Sheffield
- York
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Crewe
- Shrewsbury
- Derby
- Nottingham
- Birmingham
- Carlisle
- North Wales
Tell us about your Christmas
Add anything you like to My List and send it over — we come back with one quote for the lot, delivered, installed and collected. Or just ring and talk it through.