Rosedale Center does away with Santa visits, ushers in augmented reality experience

Santa’s out and his new augmented reality sleigh is in. That’s the plan at Rosedale Center as it adjusts during the pandemic to keep families safe this holiday season.

It’s called E.L.F.S, the Experimental Long-range Flight Simulator. It’s $10 per ride, and an appointment is needed so kids can still make it to the North Pole, just in a different way.

“You’ll walk up, they’ll scan it [on your phone] so there’s no touch, there’s social distancing in line [and] your kids go up and they get to test drive Santa’s super-fast new sleigh,” said Sarah Fossen, director of marketing and experience at Rosedale.

“It’s just a fun escape, with all these kids distance learning and just trying to find some holiday cheer in all this, we’re excited to have this new, fresh experience,” Fossen added.

She said other "pandemic-safe" holiday events, such as during Halloween, have gone well. Fossen expects the spots to fill up fast.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, but you can use the promo code SHOPLIVE to get early access to tickets.