The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. The region north of this circle is known as the Arctic. The Arctic Circle marks the southern extremity of the polar day (24 hour sunlit day, often referred to as the "midnight sun") and polar night (24 hour sunless night). North of the Arctic Circle, the sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year, and below the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year. On the Arctic Circle these events occur, in principle, exactly once per year, at the June and December solstices respectively.
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed, but varies in a complex manner over time.
Although the yearly amount of the light is approximately same as elsewhere in Finland, the overnight sun in summer and darkness of winter bring their own qualities to northern life. In summertime days are long and lively at Arctic Circle. The amount of light tempts to stay awake and some quest can have difficulties to sleep. Luckily, there is a lot to do around the clock in Rovaniemi in summertime.
The midnight sun, the beautiful blue wintry light and the ever changing shades between those are things that you must experience yourself to understand.
Santa Claus Village is situated right on the Arctic Circle about 15 min drive from the centre of Rovaniemi and is open daily.
The most famous inhabitant of Rovaniemi is Father Christmas aka Santa Claus. Thousands of children from around the world send letters to Santa. These all arrive at the post office at Santa’s Village where his elves work hard to get all letters and wishes to Santa. You can also meet Santa himself daily at Santa’s Village and have your picture taken with Mr. Christmas himself!
Santa Park is an exciting fantasy world built inside a series of underground caves with the cosy feeling of Christmas. The elves are doing their chores and the smell of gingerbread fills the air. Santa Park offers a wide variety of sights and activities for the whole family.