Christmas Events for Kids in Alexandria (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 3 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Alexandria for 2026, and both of them land on one big Saturday in Old Town. The Scottish Walk Holiday Parade brings bagpipes and drums through Old Town on the morning of December 5, and the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights cruises the Potomac waterfront that evening. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Alexandria

  • 2 Christmas events for kids in Alexandria
  • Both are free and both are Saturday, December 5
  • Scottish Walk Parade: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in Old Town
  • Boat Parade of Lights: that evening on the Potomac waterfront
  • Every date checked on the City of Alexandria’s site on Nov 11

Free Christmas events for kids in Alexandria

ParadeFree

Alexandria Scottish Walk Holiday Parade

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The Scottish Walk is Alexandria’s oldest holiday parade, honoring the city’s Scottish roots and its namesake, the merchant John Alexander. It has had a Scottish theme since the early 1970s and is one of the events the Library of Congress recorded in its Local Legacies project.

Kids love the bagpipes, drums and kilts as the parade winds through Old Town’s brick streets from St. Asaph and Wolfe to Pitt and Duke. From 2026 the City of Alexandria leads the parade, with help from the Campagna Center and Visit Alexandria.

Parent tip: Roads close from early morning, so take Metro to King Street and walk down. A late-morning start means you can be home for lunch and naps.

Host
City of Alexandria (opens in a new tab)
Address
Old Town Alexandria, St. Asaph and Wolfe streets to Pitt and Duke streets, Alexandria, VA 22314 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom City of Alexandria (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Alexandria event researched for you.

  • New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Alexandria.
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  • Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
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Coming up on this page

  • 2 Parades
  • 1 Lights
  • 2 Free

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Boat paradeFree

Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights

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On the same Saturday as the Scottish Walk, boats decked out in holiday lights, decorations and music cruise past Old Town on the Potomac River. Boat owners apply to join, and the city says spots fill before the deadline every year.

It is an easy add-on to parade day: spend the morning watching bagpipes in Old Town, then come back to the waterfront after dark to watch the lighted boats go by.

Parent tip: Dress warmly for the river breeze and find a spot along the waterfront promenade early, since the best railings go first.

Host
City of Alexandria (opens in a new tab)
Address
Old Town Alexandria waterfront, Potomac River waterfront, Old Town, Alexandria, VA 22314 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom City of Alexandria (opens in a new tab)

New Alexandria events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Alexandria daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Alexandria.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Virginia Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Alexandria Christmas event for kids happens

Both parades are on Saturday, December 5. The Scottish Walk runs through Old Town in the late morning, and the boat parade follows on the waterfront in the evening, so you can make a full day of it or pick one.

Looking further afield? Our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for McLean, Fairfax, Dale City and Centreville. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.

A story for the drive home

A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Keep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Virginia city.

Alexandria Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Alexandria this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Alexandria for 2026: the Alexandria Scottish Walk Holiday Parade and the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights, both on Saturday, December 5, in Old Town. Both are free.

When is the Scottish Walk parade in 2026?

Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The parade starts at St. Asaph and Wolfe streets and ends at Pitt and Duke streets in Old Town Alexandria.

When is the Alexandria boat parade?

The Holiday Boat Parade of Lights is Saturday, December 5, 2026, on the Potomac River along the Old Town waterfront. Check the City of Alexandria page for the start time.

Who runs the Alexandria holiday parades?

From 2026 the City of Alexandria produces both parades, with support from the Campagna Center and Visit Alexandria. Contact specialevents@alexandriava.gov.

How do you get to the parades?

Roads in Old Town close early on parade day, so the easiest way in is Metro to King Street, then a walk down King Street toward the river.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Virginia?

Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Virginia Christmas train rides page.

How do you confirm these events?

We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked Alexandria on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms and bad-weather plans.

Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.

Kelsey Cecil
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