Santa in the City: A Facebook Campaign That Brought Christmas Magic to Porirua During COVID

When COVID-19 restrictions disrupted our usual festive plans, we faced a challenge: how could we still create a magical Christmas experience for tamariki and their whānau — while keeping everyone safe?

Enter the Santa in the City Facebook campaign — a creative, community-led digital alternative that turned Porirua into a playful, interactive holiday experience without the need for large gatherings or in-person events.

From 1–24 December, we launched a virtual city tour on Facebook, where Father Christmas and his friends "visited" different Porirua locations. Each day, we posted a festive photo or clue featuring Santa in a local spot, and invited tamariki to guess the location and share their own photos in the comments.

The goal was simple: keep the magic of Christmas alive in a fun, COVID-safe way. The result was far more impactful than we imagined.

The campaign helped solve several challenges:

• Engagement during restrictions: With families spending more time at home, this daily online activity gave them something positive and playful to look forward to.

• Promoting local pride: Featuring familiar Porirua landmarks helped reconnect people with their city, sparking nostalgia and community pride.

• Encouraging safe outdoor exploration: Families used the clues to go on real-life mini adventures — all outdoors and socially distanced.

• Reaching our community digitally: Facebook became our virtual event platform, enabling us to engage with hundreds of families without the risks of physical events.

And of course — there were prizes!We wanted to reward participation and add a little extra cheer, so we offered fun, family-friendly prizes including:

• 🚂 Train tickets for the miniature railway at Aotea Lagoon

• 🏊‍♀️ Family swim passes to Arena Aquatics

• 📚 Book prize packs from Gecko Press

• 🍫 Sweet treats from Whittaker’s Chocolate

• 🧸 A Toi Store gift pack

• 🤸‍♀️ A 10-trip pass to the Kindy Gym

• 🌿 A Porirua Nursery voucher

This campaign reminded us that community connection doesn’t always require a physical space. With a little creativity and the right platform, we were able to deliver joy, keep the spirit of the season alive, and bring people together — even while staying apart.