The World’s Largest Santa Claus is the size of a seven-storey building
Credit: Shutterstock:Luis Pedro Fonseca
There are definitely worse things to be known for than holding the world record for both the largest and the smallest Santa Claus.
It is certainly a great way to put a town on the map as one of THE Christmas destinations to visit. Undoubtedly, kids and adults alike would love to see a Santa Claus the size of a seven-storey building!
Not only is the giant Santa Claus an impressive 21 metres tall (yes, really!), but it is adorned with over 250,000 vibrant LED lights that twinkle and shine, creating quite the Christmas spectacle. It is no wonder then that it has become known as an iconic symbol of the town, Águeda where it can be found.
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Águeda displays the world’s largest Santa Claus from November 18 to January 7
While the town may have quite a small population, reportedly less than 50,000 residents, it has taken the phrase ‘go big or go home’ to a whole new level. Between November 18 and January 7, this colossal Santa Claus can be seen from, well, just about anywhere in the town, I would imagine! In reality, it is situated at Largo 1 de Malo, right along the banks of the Agueda River.
At the other end of the spectrum, Águeda, not content with one Santa Claus-related world record, also holds another one. This time, for the world’s smallest Santa Claus, thanks to the help of British artist Willard Wigan. This truly tiny Santa Claus, known as a nanostructure, cannot be seen by the naked eye. In fact, it is so small that it has been created to fit in the eye of a needle, so it must be viewed through a microscope.
British artist Willard Wigan created the world’s smallest Santa Claus
As well as a mini-sculpture of the ‘big’ man himself, the intricate design also features a decorated Christmas tree, complete with Santa appearing to be climbing down the inside edge of the needle to leave a gift taken from the sack he carries over his shoulder.
Speaking about his creation, which took six intense weeks to create, Mr Wigan said: “At Christmas, we expect gifts and receive gifts, so I thought I would make a gift to the world of the world’s smallest Father Christmas.”
For those wishing to view this mini-marvel, it is housed in the Tourist Centre. It is open Tuesday through Friday between 10.00am and 1.00pm, then again from 2.30pm to 8.00pm, and on weekends between 10.00am and 8.00pm.