Christmas Events for Kids in Alliston (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 4 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Alliston for 2026, all run by the Town of New Tecumseth. Santa settles into the Museum on the Boyne for Santa’s Cozy Cabin on Saturday, November 28, the Holiday Off! festive crafts and baking programs fill the winter break in nearby Beeton, and the museum counts down to 2027 at a kid-friendly Noon Year’s Eve party on December 31. We check every date on the town’s own pages and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Alliston

  • 3 Christmas season events for kids in and around Alliston
  • Santa’s Cozy Cabin: Saturday, November 28, 10 am to 2 pm, $15
  • Holiday Off! crafts and baking: December 21 to 23 and 28 to 30
  • Noon Year’s Eve: Thursday, December 31, $5
  • Book ahead: all three need registration

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Alliston

Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.

Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free

Santa visit and photo

Santa’s Cozy Cabin at the Museum on the Boyne

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Alliston’s town museum turns into Santa’s Cozy Cabin for one Saturday, with half-hour time slots so families are not stuck in a long line.

Each visit includes a printed photo with Santa to take home, plus a festive scavenger hunt through the museum, holiday crafts and an elf story time, all in an old-fashioned heritage setting by the Boyne River.

Parent tip: Book your time slot early on the town’s events page, and dress kids for the weather since part of the visit is outdoors.

Host
Town of New Tecumseth, Museum on the Boyne (opens in a new tab)
Address
Museum on the Boyne, 250 Fletcher Crescent, Alliston, ON L9R 1N8 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Town of New Tecumseth, Museum on the Boyne (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 2 more Alliston events researched for you.

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Holiday break programs

Holiday Off! Festive Crafts and Bake and Take

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The town’s Holiday Off! programs fill the winter break with festive drop-off sessions: Make n Take Festive Crafts for 4 to 6 year olds and Bake and Take for 7 to 12 year olds.

Each baking day has its own recipe, from Candy Cane Donuts on December 21 and Gingersnap Cookies on December 22 to Jam Star Cookies on December 29, and kids bring their treats home; it runs at the Beeton Memorial Arena, a short drive south of Alliston.

Parent tip: Send a container for the baked goods, and note any allergies in the registration questionnaire; the program is nut-aware.

Host
Town of New Tecumseth Recreation (opens in a new tab)
Address
Beeton Memorial Arena, 22 2nd Street, Beeton, Alliston, ON L0G 1A0 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Town of New Tecumseth Recreation (opens in a new tab)

New Alliston events every week

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

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Kids New Year party

Noon Year’s Eve Party at the Museum on the Boyne

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If midnight is out of the question, the Museum on the Boyne rings in 2027 at noon instead, with a countdown built for little ones.

Families get holiday crafts and hands-on activities designed for kids, which makes it an easy last outing of the Christmas break for about the price of a hot chocolate.

Parent tip: Register ahead and check the start time on the town page before you go, since the listings show both 11 am and noon.

Host
Town of New Tecumseth, Museum on the Boyne (opens in a new tab)
Address
Museum on the Boyne, 250 Fletcher Crescent, Alliston, ON L9R 1N8 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Town of New Tecumseth, Museum on the Boyne (opens in a new tab)

New Alliston events every week

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

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? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists Santa trains and holiday rides across the country.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Alliston Christmas event for kids happens

Book a Santa time slot at the Museum on the Boyne for November 28, sign kids up for a Holiday Off! session over the break, then finish the season at the museum’s Noon Year’s Eve party.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Barrie, Toronto, Mississauga and Whitby. 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)

The story of Christmas in Alliston

Alliston's Santa Claus Parade has run after dark since 2007, when the Rotary Club of Alliston launched its Night Lit parade, and it has missed only one year since. Thousands of people still line Victoria Street each November to watch lit floats carry Santa to the far west side of town.

The Rotary Club's Night Lit Santa Claus Parade, started in 2007 and missed only in 2020

The Rotary Club of Alliston Night Lit Santa Claus Parade began in 2007 and has been cancelled only once, in 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local businesses build the floats, and a panel of volunteer judges hands out awards in four categories: WOW Factor, Best Overall, Most Unique and Best Use of Traditional.

In 2018, the 12th parade went ahead on November 24 in a steady drizzle, and thousands of people still lined the main street. That year, instead of one big Christmas tree, miniature Fraser firs lined Victoria Street, the Alliston BIA invited families to stroll past decorated shop windows before the parade, and Rotarians David Green and Patricia Middlebrook called out each float as it passed. When the parade came back on November 20, 2021, for its 14th edition, 32 local businesses entered floats, and Rotarian Bill Wray called it "a great event for the parents and kids alike."

A 6 pm parade down Victoria and King streets on November 15, 2025

In 2025 the Alliston Santa Claus Parade rolled on Saturday, November 15, at 6 pm, travelling down Victoria Street and onto King Street and finishing in the Sport Chek parking lot on the west side of town. FM92 South Simcoe Today reported that float and participant applications were open for both Alliston and Tottenham, where Santa's own parade followed on Saturday, November 29, at 3 pm, starting at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School on Nolan Road.

In 2026, the Museum on the Boyne opens Santa's Cozy Cabin on Saturday, November 28, 2026, with half-hour photo slots from 10 am to 2 pm, a festive scavenger hunt through the museum, holiday crafts and an elvish story time.

Winning floats from the Circle Theatre and a 29-shop Christmas Crawl in 2019

Some float makers return year after year. The Circle Theatre won Best Overall in 2016 and again in 2021, when HD Towing and Recovery took the WOW Factor prize, Starlite Graphics and Signs was named Most Unique and Grant Thornton won Best Use of Traditional. The 2021 route ran from Banting Memorial High School along Victoria Street, south on King Street and west on Yonge Street to the store at the end.

Downtown shops have their own Christmas custom. On Thursday evening, December 5, 2019, the Alliston BIA held its annual RURBAN Christmas Crawl, a name that mixes rural and urban, with 29 businesses offering festive events and refreshments. Shoppers picked up a passport at the BIA office at 51 Victoria Street East with a ballot for a shopping prize pack, the Sugartones sang carols and Santa came too. In 2021 the crawl ran as Moonlit Madness, with stores open until 8 pm.

A 39th Sugar Plum Fair and a Santa Train on pause at the South Simcoe Railway

Some of the area's best-known holiday outings sit just outside Alliston. The Sugar Plum Fair at the Nottawasaga Inn and Resort is old enough that its organizers, after cancelling in 2021 because of gathering limits, planned the 39th annual fair for November 12 and 13, 2022. Murphy's Magical Christmas in November 2021 raised money for the OPP Nottawasaga Shop With A Cop program and the Alliston Lions Club Christmas Hamper program.

For train fans, the South Simcoe Railway in nearby Tottenham has its own Santa Train, and in 2021 the New Tecumseth Times listed it among the events still not running. Closer to home, the Christmas break now brings Holiday Off! baking classes for kids 7 to 12, with recipes like Candy Cane Donuts on December 21 and Jam Star Cookies on December 29, and the Museum on the Boyne rings in the new year at noon with a Noon Year's Eve Party.

Traditions today

  • Night Lit Santa Claus Parade: The Rotary Club of Alliston's evening parade of lit floats along Victoria Street, held each November since 2007.
  • Float awards: Volunteer judges name winners for WOW Factor, Best Overall, Most Unique and Best Use of Traditional.
  • RURBAN Christmas Crawl: An evening when downtown Alliston shops stay open late with festive treats, carols and a passport prize draw from the Alliston BIA.
  • Santa's Cozy Cabin at the Museum on the Boyne: Families book a half-hour slot for a printed photo with Santa, a museum scavenger hunt and an elf story time. In 2026 it is November 28.
  • Food and toy drives: Stuff a Bus, Stuff a Cruiser with the Alliston Lions Club and Nottawasaga OPP, and the Lion Jim Kenn Memorial Food Drive collect for local families each December.

A fact for kids

In 2018 Alliston skipped the one big Christmas tree and lined Victoria Street with a whole row of little Fraser fir trees for the Santa parade instead.

Questions about Christmas in Alliston

When did the Alliston Santa Claus Parade start?

The Rotary Club of Alliston started its Night Lit Santa Claus Parade in 2007. It has run every November since then except 2020, when it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2018 parade was the 12th annual, and the 2021 return was the 14th. It is held after dark so the lit floats shine along Victoria Street.

When was the Alliston Santa Claus Parade in 2025?

The 2025 Alliston Santa Claus Parade was Saturday, November 15, starting at 6 pm. It travelled down Victoria Street, turned onto King Street and ended in the Sport Chek parking lot. Applications for floats and parade participants opened in early October, according to FM92 South Simcoe Today, which also announced the Tottenham parade for November 29.

What route does the Alliston Santa Claus Parade take?

In 2021 the Night Lit parade started at Banting Memorial High School, ran along Victoria Street, went south on King Street and west on Yonge Street, and ended at the sporting goods store on the far west side of town. The 2025 route followed the same idea, down Victoria Street onto King Street to the Sport Chek parking lot.

Who organizes the Santa Claus Parade in Alliston?

The Rotary Club of Alliston runs the Night Lit Santa Claus Parade with help from the Nottawasaga OPP, New Tecumseth Fire and Rescue, the town's Public Works department and town staff, whom Rotarian Bill Wray thanked after the 2021 parade. Rotarians also emcee the parade, as David Green and Patricia Middlebrook did in 2018.

What awards do floats win in the Alliston Santa parade?

A panel of three volunteer judges picks winners in four categories: WOW Factor, Best Overall, Most Unique and Best Use of Traditional. In 2021 the Circle Theatre won Best Overall, repeating its 2016 win, HD Towing and Recovery won WOW Factor, Starlite Graphics and Signs was Most Unique and Grant Thornton won Best Use of Traditional.

How many floats are in the Alliston Night Lit parade?

In 2021, 32 local businesses entered floats, giving about an hour of entertainment along the route. In 2018 the local paper described dozens of floats from community businesses. Floats compete for four awards, so many businesses decorate their trucks and trailers with lights to stand out on Victoria Street after dark.

Did the Alliston Santa Claus Parade go ahead in the rain?

Yes. On November 24, 2018, the 12th Night Lit Santa Claus Parade ran in a steady drizzle, and thousands of people still lined the main street of Alliston to watch. Families came early to stroll past downtown store windows decorated for the Alliston BIA's window display before the floats arrived.

Why were there little Christmas trees on Victoria Street in Alliston?

For the 2018 Santa Claus Parade, Alliston decorated with miniature Fraser firs lining Victoria Street instead of putting up one big Christmas tree. The little trees made the parade route festive from end to end, and the Alliston BIA also invited families to look at the decorated store windows downtown that night.

When is the Tottenham Santa Claus Parade?

In 2025 the Tottenham Santa Claus Parade was Saturday, November 29, at 3 pm, two weeks after Alliston's. It started at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School on Nolan Road, went west on Nolan to Queen Street, south to Rogers Road, east to Dillane Street East and north on Keogh Street, finishing at Richmond Street East.

What is the RURBAN Christmas Crawl in Alliston?

It is the Alliston BIA's annual holiday shopping night downtown. RURBAN mixes rural and urban. In 2019 it ran on the evening of December 5 with 29 businesses offering festive events and refreshments, a passport with a prize ballot from the BIA office at 51 Victoria Street East, carols by the Sugartones and a visit from Santa.

What is Santa's Cozy Cabin at the Museum on the Boyne?

It is the Alliston museum's Santa visit. In 2026 it runs Saturday, November 28, from 10 am to 2 pm in half-hour time slots that families book ahead. Each visit includes a photo with Santa printed to take home, a festive scavenger hunt through the museum, holiday crafts and an elvish story time. Some of it is outdoors.

What Christmas baking classes are there for kids in New Tecumseth?

During the 2026 winter break, the town's Holiday Off! Bake and Take program for ages 7 to 12 runs at the Beeton Memorial Arena. The recipes are Candy Cane Donuts on December 21, Gingersnap Cookies on December 22, Mini Orange Cranberry Loaves on December 23, Millionaire Shortbread Bars on December 28, Jam Star Cookies on December 29 and Funfetti Surprise Cupcakes on December 30.

Is there a Noon Year's Eve party in Alliston?

Yes. The Museum on the Boyne at 250 Fletcher Crescent holds a Noon Year's Eve party for young children on December 31, 2026, from 11 am to 1 pm, with holiday crafts and hands-on activities to welcome 2027 at lunchtime instead of midnight. Registration is through the Town of New Tecumseth events page.

Is there a Santa Train near Alliston?

The South Simcoe Railway in nearby Tottenham has offered a Santa Train, and in its 2021 holiday guide the New Tecumseth Times listed the Santa Train among events that were still not running. Check the railway directly before planning a trip, since we could not confirm a current Santa Train schedule.

How old is the Sugar Plum Fair holiday market near Alliston?

The Sugar Plum Fair at the Nottawasaga Inn and Resort has a long history. Organizers cancelled the 2021 fair because of gathering limits and vaccine passport rules, and planned the 39th annual Sugar Plum Fair for November 12 and 13, 2022, with vendor applications on the resort's website.

What is Murphy's Magical Christmas?

Murphy's Magical Christmas was a two-day holiday event on November 20 and 21, 2021, from 9 am to 4 pm, with admission of $5 plus HST for ages 2 and up. It supported the OPP Nottawasaga Shop With A Cop initiative and the Alliston Lions Club Christmas Hamper program, which collects money, non-perishable food and unwrapped toys.

How can families help others at Christmas in Alliston?

Alliston has several holiday drives. Stuff a Bus with Landmark and FM 92 collects at local stores, the Alliston Lions Club and Nottawasaga OPP run Stuff a Cruiser, and the Everett Firefighters Association and Lions Club hold the Lion Jim Kenn Memorial Food Drive with red barrels around town. All were part of the 2021 season.

Where can kids get photos with Santa in Alliston besides the parade?

The Museum on the Boyne's Santa's Cozy Cabin gives each family a printed photo with Santa on November 28, 2026. In 2021 The Gibson Centre also hosted contactless photos with Santa on December 11, and its seasonal market ran through the fall. The Beeton and Tottenham BIAs have held their own Santa Claus Christmas events too.

What is the Antique Winter Workshop at the Museum on the Boyne?

It is a series of historical craft workshops at the Museum on the Boyne, where families warm up indoors and make old-fashioned winter crafts. One session falls on December 12, 2026, from 1:30 to 3 pm. It pairs well with the museum's other holiday programs, Santa's Cozy Cabin in November and the Noon Year's Eve party on December 31.

What did Alliston do after the 2021 Christmas parade?

After the 14th Night Lit parade on November 20, 2021, the Rotary Club of Alliston said it was hoping to hold an early January Twelfth Night bonfire at the Rotary Pool, pending approval from the town and the local health unit. Rotarian Bill Wray said the big parade turnout reflected people's need for a return to normal.

Sources

  1. Thousands gather for Alliston Rotary Night Lit Parade, New Tecumseth Times
  2. Rotary Santa Claus Parade wows with millions of lights, New Tecumseth Times
  3. What's on for Christmas and the holidays this season, New Tecumseth Times
  4. Alliston BIA hosts annual Christmas Crawl, and even Santa attends, New Tecumseth Times
  5. Santa Claus returning to Alliston and Tottenham in November, FM92 South Simcoe Today
  6. Santa's Cozy Cabin, Town of New Tecumseth
  7. Holiday Off! Bake and Take, Festive Fun!, Town of New Tecumseth
  8. Noon Year's Eve, Town of New Tecumseth

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 Canada city.

Alliston Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 holiday events for kids from the Town of New Tecumseth for 2026: Santa’s Cozy Cabin at the Museum on the Boyne on November 28, the Holiday Off! festive crafts and baking programs over the winter break, and the Noon Year’s Eve party on December 31.

Where can kids meet Santa in Alliston?

At Santa’s Cozy Cabin, Museum on the Boyne, 250 Fletcher Crescent, on Saturday, November 28, 2026, in timed slots between 10 am and 2 pm. It costs $15 and includes a printed photo, a scavenger hunt, crafts and a story time.

What are the Holiday Off! programs?

Town of New Tecumseth winter break programs at the Beeton Memorial Arena, 22 2nd Street in Beeton: Make n Take Festive Crafts for ages 4 to 6 and Bake and Take for ages 7 to 12, on December 21 to 23 and 28 to 30, 2026. Registration is required.

When is Noon Year’s Eve at the Museum on the Boyne?

Thursday, December 31, 2026. The event page lists 11 am to 1 pm and the town news release lists noon to 1 pm, so check before you go. It costs $5 and needs registration.

Who do I contact about Alliston holiday events?

The Town of New Tecumseth: communications@newtecumseth.ca or 705-435-3900.

Are there more Christmas events near Alliston?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events across Canada, including nearby Barrie, and the national search sorts events by distance from your town.

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 Alliston 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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