Águeda, in Portugal’s Aveiro district, is home to the world’s most extreme Santas — it hosts both the World’s Largest Santa Claus, measuring around 20 metres and illuminated with over 250,000 LEDs and a microscopic version to be seen only under a microscope.
The big statue, conceived from Águeda’s desire to stand out as a unique Christmas destination in Portugal, has held the Guinness World Record title for biggest Santa since 2016, taking the title from one 2/3 its size that was built for the Seattle World’s Fair and now resides in… wait for it… North Pole, Alaska.
The Santa Claus in Águeda is truly colossal. With a height of 20 meters, equivalent to a 7-story building, this structure is approximately 10 metres wide and weighs several tons. Its scale is so impressive that it is visible from many points in the city.
Which is not the case for the microscopic Santa, a nanostructure by artist Willard Wigan. It’s on display, under a microscope, at the Tourism Department, at varying hours, from Tuesday through Sunday.
