12th January 2026
Over the 2025 festive season we worked hard to campaign against the use of live animals as props. Many events took place to celebrate the Christmas season and, sadly, even in 2025 people chose to involve animals in the festivities. Animals that suffer particularly during this time are reindeers, they are displayed in all manner of events from parades to displays to petting zoos. Reindeers health and wellbeing are impacted as suppliers transport them long distances and force them into stressful, scary and inappropriate situations that put them at risk.
We started our Festive Campaign back in 2018, and 2025 was the fourth year that we took part in a coalition with our colleagues at Animal Aid, Born Free Foundation and One Kind. Together we monitor, research and oppose exploitative events that display reindeers. Event organisers were contacted with our joint letter showing the inherent ethical and welfare issues associated with displaying reindeers at these events. This letter was signed by an incredible 35 signatories, including the RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports, Dr Tayla Hammond, and many more amazing and powerful voices.
And our campaign was a great success! 47 of the 146 events that used live animals in 2024 and received our joint letter, hosted animal-free events in 2025! Including Lapland UK who market themselves as the most authentic and highly produced Christmas experience in the UK!
However, sadly, despite our efforts, 180 events went ahead with their plans and chose to exploit reindeers. These event organisers ignored the evidence presented to them showing the detrimental effect this would have on reindeer, and chose to prioritise their profits and personal preferences instead.
Working with North East Animal Rights (NEAR), we opposed the use of live reindeers in a Christmas Parade held by Middlesbrough Council. Sadly, the council chose to go ahead with the exploitation of the reindeers, despite initially being open to going animal-free. Both our amazing supporters stepped up and took action with over 1100 people contacting Middlesbrough Council urging that they exclude live reindeers from their 2026 event.
Although the event sadly went ahead, with sensitive reindeers being paraded through the busy streets (see above image) we continued to support NEAR with their dedicated work to see this type of exploitation rejected by the council in the future for good, so we continued the action with a new ask – that Middlesbrough Council commit to not including live reindeer in their Christmas event next year, and that they also commit to stop using all animals in events like this.
And, in a huge victory – they listened! Middlesbrough Council have now taken on concerns from the public and animal rights groups, and confirmed they will no longer use reindeer in their annual parade. Thank you to all who took action alongside us at FFA and NEAR, your dedication to see change for animals is powerful – and this proves it! And thank you to Middlesbrough Council for doing the right thing, and being open to change.
A triumph following on from our 2024 Festive Campaign was that the annual Reindeer Day event in Lancaster did not go ahead! This victory came about following extensive campaigning alongside the incredible Lancaster Animal Protection, with support from the force for animals that is NEAR.
With the help of almost 1000 of you, we urged the National Trust to make it a policy that live reindeers are excluded from their festive events nationwide. Their response, so far, is promising and we hope that, in the face of growing pressure and undeniable evidence, they will decide to make the compassionate decision and leave reindeers out of festive events going forward. You can take action to help this HERE, and we will keep you updated on this important campaign.
Every year our Festive Campaign grows in size and influence, and in 2025 our campaign work alongside the coalition was even featured on the BBC! We could not do it without all the support and effort of our amazing supporters! We will continue the fight for reindeers with our partners at Born Free Foundation, Animal Aid and One Kind again in 2026, until Christmas is a more compassionate and peaceful time for reindeers, and all animals.
We enter the New Year full of gratitude, pride and determination thanks to all of the amazing people who lent their voices to this cause. The whole Freedom for Animals team extends a huge thank you to everyone who took part in 2025! We could not do this work without our supporters by our side.
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