Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Altoona for 2026. Holiday Lights on the Lake opens at Lakemont Park on Friday, November 13 for its 30th season, with Santa photos every night to December 23, and the Spirit of Christmas Parade rolls through downtown on Saturday, December 5 at 1 pm. We check every date on the host’s own website or the city calendar and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Altoona
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Altoona
- Holiday Lights on the Lake: nightly, November 13 to January 3, Lakemont Park
- Santa photos: nightly at Santa’s Village through December 23
- Spirit of Christmas Parade: Saturday, December 5, 1 pm, downtown
- Every date checked on official pages on Nov 11
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All 2 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Altoona event researched for you.
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Free Christmas events for kids in Altoona
Christmas paradeFree
Spirit of Christmas Parade
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, starting at 1 pm
- Where: Downtown Altoona parade route, Altoona, PA 16601 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to watch
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
7 Mountains Media and the City of Altoona send the Spirit of Christmas Parade through downtown, starting at 9th Avenue and 17th Street and finishing along 11th Avenue near 16th Street.
The city’s Downtown Holiday Market runs in Heritage Plaza before, during and after the parade, so families can catch Santa visits and kids activities on the same afternoon.
Parent tip: Stake out a curb spot on 11th Avenue near Heritage Plaza so you can walk straight into the holiday market once Santa passes.
- Host
- 7 Mountains Media and the City of Altoona (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Downtown Altoona parade route, Altoona, PA 16601 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Altoona events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Altoona daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Altoona.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Altoona 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 Altoona.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Altoona 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
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Altoona every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Altoona
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
Drive-through lights
Holiday Lights on the Lake
- When: Every night from Friday, November 13, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, holidays included. Last season the display ran 6 pm to 10 pm. Santa photos nightly through December 23
- Where: Lakemont Park, 700 Park Ave, Altoona, PA 16602 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $18 for a standard car. Santa photos are $15 for one or $25 for two
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Lakemont Park marks the 30th season of its drive-through display, with more than 200 scenes and about a million bulbs around the lake next to the Altoona Curve ballpark.
Kids can hop out at Santa’s Village for a photo with Santa every night through December 23, and last year the stop also had hot chocolate, cookies and a holiday model train layout from the local model railroad club.
Parent tip: Weeknights before mid December have the shortest car lines. Keep the kids in pajamas and plan the Santa stop for the end of the loop.
- Host
- Lakemont Park (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Lakemont Park, 700 Park Ave, Altoona, PA 16602 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Altoona events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Altoona daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Altoona.
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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 Pennsylvania Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Altoona Christmas event for kids happens
Watch the parade downtown on December 5 and loop through the Lakemont lights after dark the same night for a full Altoona Christmas day.
- Holiday Lights on the LakeAltoona · Nov 13 to Jan 3
- Spirit of Christmas ParadeAltoona · Dec 5
Looking further afield? Our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Latrobe, Shippensburg, Lock Haven and Mechanicsburg. 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.
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 AmazonKeep 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 Pennsylvania city.
Altoona Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Altoona this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Altoona for 2026: Holiday Lights on the Lake at Lakemont Park from November 13 to January 3, and the Spirit of Christmas Parade downtown on Saturday, December 5.
How much is Holiday Lights on the Lake?
$18 for a standard car. Santa photos in Santa’s Village are $15 for one photo or $25 for two.
When can kids see Santa at Lakemont Park?
Every night from November 13 to December 23, 2026, in Santa’s Village along the Holiday Lights on the Lake route.
Where does the Spirit of Christmas Parade go?
The route runs from 9th Avenue and 17th Street to 12th Avenue, then 12th Street, finishing on 11th Avenue at 16th Street. It steps off at 1 pm on Saturday, December 5.
Who do I contact about Altoona Christmas events?
Lakemont Park at frontoffice@lakemontparkfun.com for the lights, and 7 Mountains Media at spiritofchristmas@7mountainsmedia.com for the parade.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Pennsylvania 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 Altoona 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.