Christmas Events for Kids in Alsip (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 Alsip for 2026, both from the Alsip Park District. Santa arrives by helicopter at Sprayfari Aquatic Park for Winter Fest on Saturday, December 5, and he comes back for Breakfast with Santa at the Apollo Recreation Center on Saturday, December 19. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Alsip

  • 2 Christmas events for kids in Alsip
  • Winter Fest and Santa’s Landing: Saturday, December 5, noon to 3 pm, free
  • Breakfast with Santa: Saturday, December 19, 9 to 10:30 am
  • Breakfast registration closes December 5
  • Every date checked on the Alsip Park District website and Winter 2027 brochure on Nov 11

Free 1Ticketed and paid 1

Free Christmas events for kids in Alsip

Santa arrives by helicopterFree

Winter Fest and Santa’s Landing

Expand to see the parent tip

Santa skips the sleigh in Alsip and lands by helicopter at Sprayfari Aquatic Park, kicking off the park district’s Winter Fest.

Families stay for games, vendors and food trucks through the early afternoon, so it is an easy Saturday outing with a big wow moment for kids.

Parent tip: Get there close to noon so kids see the helicopter land, and check the park district’s Facebook page that morning for weather updates.

Host
Alsip Park District (opens in a new tab)
Address
Sprayfari Aquatic Park, 11930 S. Kostner Ave., Alsip, IL 60803 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Alsip Park District (opens in a new tab)

New Alsip events every week

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

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

Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Alsip 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 Alsip.
  • Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Alsip before they fill up.
  • Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
  • Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
  • One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.

Coming up on this page

  • 2 Santa
  • 1 Free

Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Alsip every week.

Free. One email a week with new events in Alsip. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Alsip

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

Breakfast buffet and Santa photo

Breakfast with Santa

Expand to see the parent tip

Santa takes a break from the workshop to share a catered breakfast buffet with Alsip families in the Apollo Recreation Center gym.

Between bites, kids can visit the game and craft corner and line up for a photo with Santa.

Parent tip: The registration deadline is December 5, two weeks before the breakfast, so sign up early.

Host
Alsip Park District (opens in a new tab)
Address
Apollo Recreation Center, Main Gym, 12521 S. Kostner Ave., Alsip, IL 60803 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Alsip Park District (opens in a new tab)

New Alsip events every week

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

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 Illinois Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Alsip Christmas event for kids happens

Watch Santa’s helicopter land on December 5, and register for Breakfast with Santa that same week, since the deadline is December 5.

Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, La Grange and Lemont. 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 Alsip

In Alsip, Santa skips the rooftops and lands in a helicopter, a park district tradition that brings families out to watch the sky every December. In 2018 he even touched down at the Apollo Recreation Center, a building named for the Apollo moon missions, for an event called Santa In Space.

Santa In Space at the Apollo Recreation Center and a helicopter landing since at least 2018

The Alsip Park District has made Santa's helicopter arrival its signature Christmas moment. In 2018, Patch called it Santa's "annual holiday visit" when he landed at noon on December 1 at the Apollo Recreation Center for Santa In Space, a fitting name for a field house the park district named after the Apollo missions. Children picked up free tickets at a booth on the north end of the building, then headed indoors to meet Santa one by one and explore themed rooms.

Later the landing moved to the parking lot of Sprayfari Aquatic Park on Kostner Avenue and grew into Winter Fest and Santa's Landing. In 2022, Winter Fest on December 3 added live reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides and ice skating. In 2023 the December 2 festival had sleigh rides, Victorian carolers, a cookie and cocoa station, Christmas cookie decorating, a magic show, a toy soldier and a Letters to Santa station, all free.

A Village Hall tree lighting on December 1 and Santa's chopper at Sprayfari on December 6, 2025

The 2025 season opened at Village Hall, 4500 W. 123rd Street, where the Village of Alsip held its Tree Lighting on Monday, December 1, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Five days later, on Saturday, December 6, 2025, Santa made his grand entrance by helicopter at Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park, which ran from noon to 3 pm. Patch reported visits with Santa, Victorian carolers, crafts and food vendors, including Peppos Subs, Cousin's Maine Lobster, Travelin' Tom's Coffee and Cocoa, El Coyote and Fat Tommy's Hot Dogs. Sponsors included Astound Broadband, Swap-O-Rama and Mary Porema.

The season had a giving side too. In November 2025, Worth Township, which includes Alsip, said its Christmas Care Program had already received a record number of families asking for help, and it collected new toys for children up to age 14 at Worth Town Center on Pulaski Road. For 2026 the park district follows Santa's December 5 landing with Breakfast with Santa on December 19 at the Apollo Recreation Center.

Holiday on Pulaski, a 2013 street party with an ice rink, carriage rides and Woody and Forky

For several years Alsip turned a stretch of Pulaski Road into one big Christmas block party. Holiday on Pulaski reached its 7th annual edition on December 6, 2019, which puts the first one in 2013. From 5:30 to 9 pm, businesses between 115th and 120th streets handed out treats like hot chocolate, cannoli, bunuelos and cookies, a free park district bus looped between stops, and the Worth Township gym held an ice skating rink, a craft fair, Santa's Room and a reptile show.

The 2019 program, created by Janet Simmonds, opened with a Christmas tree lighting at Veterans Plaza at 118th and Pulaski with the Prairie Junior High band and choir, honoring veterans and first responders. There were carriage rides from the Alsip library, an ice sculpture, Mrs. Claus, crafts and a violinist at the library, Letters to Santa with Buzz Lightyear, and Woody and Forky posing for photos. In 2018 the village also lit its Village Hall tree on December 3, with Mayor Ryan turning on the lights.

The Alsip Police Train on Pulaski and Christmas Around the World in Hyde Park

Kids who love trains have had their own Christmas ride in Alsip. At Holiday on Pulaski in 2019, the Alsip Police Train gave rides from 5:30 to 9 pm outside Alsip Lawn Mower at 11550 S. Pulaski, while the fire department showed off mini fire trucks and a safety house farther down Pulaski.

For a bigger train day in December, families drive about 15 miles north to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park. It has a 3,500-square-foot model railroad, and each holiday season the museum brings back its Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light exhibits.

Traditions today

  • Santa's helicopter landing: Santa arrives by helicopter for the park district's Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park, free for families. In 2026 he lands on Saturday, December 5, at noon.
  • Village Hall tree lighting: The Village of Alsip lights its Christmas tree at Village Hall, 4500 W. 123rd Street, in early December, held on December 1 in 2025.
  • Breakfast with Santa: A catered breakfast buffet with Santa, crafts and a photo in the Apollo Recreation Center gym. In 2026 it is December 19.
  • Holiday on Pulaski: A village street party on Pulaski Road that began in 2013, with business treat stops, a free shuttle, carriage rides and an ice rink.
  • Christmas Care Program: Worth Township collects new toys and gifts at Worth Town Center on Pulaski Road for Alsip-area children up to age 14.

A fact for kids

Santa does not need his reindeer to get to Alsip. He flies in on a helicopter, and in 2018 he landed at a building named after the Apollo rockets that went to the Moon.

Questions about Christmas in Alsip

Why does Santa arrive by helicopter in Alsip?

It is the Alsip Park District's way of giving kids a big entrance to watch. Santa has landed by helicopter for years, and Patch called it his annual holiday visit with Alsip kids as far back as 2018. Families gather to see him touch down, then visit with him. Today the landing kicks off the park district's free Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park.

What was Santa In Space in Alsip?

Santa In Space was the Alsip Park District's free 2018 holiday event at the Apollo Recreation Center, 12521 S. Kostner Avenue. Santa landed by helicopter at noon on December 1, 2018, then went inside to visit each child, who needed a free ticket from the booth on the north end of the building. Themed rooms and entertainment filled the afternoon.

Why is it called the Apollo Recreation Center?

The Alsip Park District built the field house in 1971 and named it for the Apollo missions of the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially Apollo 13. That space theme made the 2018 Christmas event, Santa In Space, a perfect fit, with Santa dropping in by helicopter. The center also hosts the park district's Breakfast with Santa.

Where does Santa land in Alsip?

In recent years Santa has landed in the parking lot of Sprayfari Aquatic Park, 11930 S. Kostner Avenue, for the Alsip Park District's Winter Fest. In 2018 he landed at the Apollo Recreation Center, a little farther south on Kostner Avenue. For 2026, Santa's Landing and Winter Fest are Saturday, December 5, from noon to 3 pm.

What happened at Alsip Winter Fest in 2025?

On Saturday, December 6, 2025, Santa landed by helicopter at Sprayfari Aquatic Park for Winter Fest, which ran from noon to 3 pm. Patch listed visits with Santa, Victorian carolers, crafts and food vendors such as Peppos Subs, Cousin's Maine Lobster, El Coyote and Fat Tommy's Hot Dogs. The event was free, with children accompanied by an adult.

Were there live reindeer at Alsip Winter Fest?

Yes, in past years. Patch reported live reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides and ice skating at the December 3, 2022 Winter Fest, and live reindeer photos, sleigh rides and Victorian carolers at the December 2, 2023 festival. The 2023 lineup also had cookie decorating, a balloon twister, a DJ, a magic show and a toy soldier.

Is there a Letters to Santa station in Alsip?

There has been. The 2023 Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park included a Letters to Santa station, and at Holiday on Pulaski in 2019, kids could drop off letters to Santa at Title Max on Pulaski Road, where Buzz Lightyear was also greeting families. Check the park district's Winter Fest details for the 2026 lineup.

When is the Alsip Village Hall tree lighting?

The Village of Alsip held its 2025 tree lighting on Monday, December 1, from 6 to 7:30 pm at Village Hall, 4500 W. 123rd Street. Earlier lightings were on December 3, 2018, when Mayor Ryan turned on the lights, and December 6, 2021. Watch the village website in late November for the 2026 date.

What was Holiday on Pulaski in Alsip?

Holiday on Pulaski was a village Christmas street party along Pulaski Road between 115th and 120th streets. The 7th annual edition ran December 6, 2019, from 5:30 to 9 pm, with a tree lighting at Veterans Plaza, carriage rides, an ice rink, Santa's Room, kids' crafts, a free shuttle bus and treats from dozens of businesses.

When did Holiday on Pulaski start?

The village's 2019 program called that year's event the 7th Annual Holiday on Pulaski, and the 2018 edition was the 6th, so the first one was held in 2013. Sponsors over the years included the Alsip Chamber of Commerce, the Alsip Park District, Coca Cola, ComEd and Swap-O-Rama, and Janet Simmonds created the printed program.

What did Holiday on Pulaski have for kids?

Plenty. In 2019 kids could pose with Woody and Forky at a photo booth by First Midwest Bank, make crafts in a tent at 11710 S. Pulaski, visit Santa's Room at Worth Township from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, watch Those Funny Little People perform at 7 pm, and catch a reptile show in the Worth Township gym.

Was there a Christmas tree at Veterans Plaza in Alsip?

Yes. Holiday on Pulaski in 2019 opened from 5:30 to 6 pm with a Christmas tree lighting at Veterans Plaza, at 118th Street and Pulaski Road, honoring veterans and police and fire personnel. The Prairie Junior High band and choir performed, and an ice sculpture was carved there later in the evening.

Is there a train ride for kids at Christmas in Alsip?

At Holiday on Pulaski in 2019, the Alsip Police Train gave rides from 5:30 to 9 pm at Alsip Lawn Mower, 11550 S. Pulaski. For a bigger train outing, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park, about 15 miles north, has a 3,500-square-foot model railroad and seasonal Christmas Around the World.

What treats did businesses give out at Holiday on Pulaski?

In 2019 the stops along Pulaski Road were a feast: breadsticks and homemade cannoli at Nancy's Pizza, bunuelos at El Coyote, cookies and apple cider from the Alsip Chamber, free apple pies at Checkers, cookies at Navarro's Bakery, coffee, milk and cookies at McDonald's, and hot chocolate at several shops.

Where can kids ice skate at Christmas in Alsip?

Ice skating has turned up at Alsip's holiday events. Holiday on Pulaski in 2019 set up an ice skating rink in the large gym at Worth Township, 11601 S. Pulaski, from 5:30 to 9 pm, and the park district's 2022 Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park also listed ice skating among its activities.

When is Breakfast with Santa in Alsip in 2026?

The Alsip Park District's Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 19, 2026, from 9 to 10:30 am in the Apollo Recreation Center gym, with a catered breakfast buffet, crafts and a photo with Santa. It costs $15, and the registration deadline is December 5, the same day Santa lands by helicopter at Winter Fest.

How can Alsip families get help with Christmas gifts?

Worth Township, which includes Alsip, runs a Christmas Care Program that gives families who are struggling financially help filling stockings for children from infancy to age 14. In November 2025 it reported a record number of requests. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off weekdays at Worth Town Center, 11601 S. Pulaski Road.

Who sponsors Alsip Winter Fest?

The Alsip Park District runs Winter Fest with help from local sponsors. For the December 6, 2025 festival, Patch named Astound Broadband, Swap-O-Rama and Mary Porema as proud sponsors. Food vendors that year included Pasta La Vista, Los Majos and Travelin' Tom's Coffee and Cocoa, which served hot drinks for the outdoor crowd.

What is Christmas Around the World at the Griffin Museum?

Christmas Around the World is a holiday exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park, about 15 miles from Alsip, that returns every season along with Holidays of Light. Train fans can pair it with the museum's 3,500-square-foot model railroad and the Pioneer Zephyr train on display inside.

What can kids do in Alsip at Christmas?

Watch Santa land in a helicopter at Winter Fest at Sprayfari Aquatic Park, see the Village Hall tree lit on 123rd Street, eat Breakfast with Santa at the Apollo Recreation Center, drop off a toy for the Worth Township Christmas Care Program, and visit Christmas Around the World at the Griffin Museum in Hyde Park.

Sources

  1. Santa Arrives By Chopper Saturday At Sprayfari Park For Alsip Winterfest, Patch
  2. Santa Choppers Into Alsip Park District's Winter Fest This Saturday, Patch
  3. Santa Lands In A Helicopter Saturday For Alsip Winter Fest, Patch
  4. Santa Plans Big Entrance In Helicopter This Saturday In Alsip, Patch
  5. Alsip Village Hall Tree Lighting Dec 1st, Village of Alsip
  6. Holiday On Pulaski 2019 Info and Map, Village of Alsip
  7. 2018 Holiday On Pulaski December 7th, Village of Alsip
  8. History of the Alsip Park District, Alsip Park District
  9. Winter Fest and Santa's Landing, Alsip Park District
  10. Worth Township Seeks New Toy Donations For Kids Up To Age 14 For Christmas Care Program, Patch

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 Illinois city.

Alsip Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Alsip for 2026, both from the Alsip Park District: Winter Fest and Santa’s Landing, and Breakfast with Santa.

When does Santa land in Alsip in 2026?

Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Sprayfari Aquatic Park, 11930 S. Kostner Ave., during Winter Fest from noon to 3 pm. Santa arrives by helicopter.

When is Breakfast with Santa in Alsip?

Saturday, December 19, 2026, from 9 to 10:30 am in the Apollo Recreation Center main gym, 12521 S. Kostner Ave.

How much is Alsip’s Breakfast with Santa?

$15 for residents and $20 for nonresidents, with kids 2 and under free. Register by December 5.

Who do I contact about Alsip holiday events?

The Alsip Park District at mainoffice@alsipparks.org or 708-389-1003.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Illinois?

Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois 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 Alsip 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
Previous

Christmas Events for Kids in Ankeny (2026)
Next

Christmas Events for Kids in Yukon (2026)