Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Amana for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events, 1 of them free. They are Tannenbaum Forest (from November 27) and Prelude to Christmas (from December 4). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Amana
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Amana
- 1 free event, including Prelude to Christmas
- Season: November 27 (Tannenbaum Forest) to December 6 (Prelude to Christmas)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Free Christmas events for kids in Amana
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Prelude to Christmas
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026 to Sunday, December 6, 2026 (Daily, Friday through Sunday, across the seven villages. The listing says a second weekend, called Amana Traditions Weekend, follows.), 9 am to 7 pm
- Where: Amana Colonies (all seven villages), 622 46th Ave, Amana, IA 52203 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Prelude to Christmas spreads the holiday across all seven villages of the Amana Colonies, with a German-American flavor. Families can shop for handcrafted gifts, join the Sampling Stroll, play games, hunt for the German pickle and take children to craft activities, and there is a performance at the theatre.
The listing shows Friday through Sunday, December 4 to 6, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with free admission. It adds that the second weekend is Amana Traditions Weekend, with the Amana Church Bazaar and Cookie Walk and the annual Holiday Haus Walk sponsored by the Amana Arts Guild. The contact number is (319) 622-7622.
Parent tip: Activities are scattered over seven villages, so choose two or three stops ahead of time and plan to drive between them. Start with the German Pickle Hunt and the kids' crafts while little ones are fresh, and save the shops for later.
- Host
- Amana Colonies (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Amana Colonies (all seven villages), 622 46th Ave, Amana, IA 52203 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Amana events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Amana daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Amana.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Amana 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 Amana.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Amana 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 Zoos and museums
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
- 1 Crafts
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Amana every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Amana
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday lights
Tannenbaum Forest
- When: Friday, November 27, 2026 to Sunday, November 29, 2026 (Daily, Friday through Sunday. The listing shows these three days only; ask the organizer about later weekends.), noon to 4 pm
- Where: Festhalle Barn, 4707 220th Trail, Amana, IA 52203 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Admission by donation
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
More than 80 Christmas trees, each decorated differently by people from the community, fill the old Festhalle Barn from wall to wall. A tall German Christmas pyramid turns slowly among them, and the barn smells of evergreen as families wander between the rows.
The listing shows Friday through Sunday, November 27 to 29, 2026, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at 4707 220th Trail in Amana. Admission is by donation and no ticket is mentioned. The phone number given is (319) 622-7622.
Parent tip: The forest is indoors inside the barn, so it works on a cold or wet day, but it is open only four hours each afternoon. Give children a job, such as finding the turning Christmas pyramid or picking a favorite tree, and bring a few dollars for the donation.
- Host
- Amana Colonies (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Festhalle Barn, 4707 220th Trail, Amana, IA 52203 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Amana events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Amana daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Amana.
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 Iowa Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Amana Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Tannenbaum Forest in Amana on November 27; the last runs to December 6. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Tannenbaum ForestAmana · Nov 27 to Nov 29
- Prelude to ChristmasAmana · Dec 4 to Dec 6
Looking further afield? Our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo and Davenport. 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 Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Amana
The settlers who built Amana meant to give their colony a German name meaning remain faithful, but it proved hard to say in English, so they chose Amana, a Biblical name with a similar meaning. That German heritage still shapes Christmas here, from a barn full of Tannenbaums to a pickle hunt.
How Amana celebrates
Christmas in the Amana Colonies opens Thanksgiving weekend with Tannenbaum Forest, an indoor display of more than 80 community-decorated trees in the Festhalle Barn in Amana that its listing calls a beloved Amana tradition. Prelude to Christmas then carries the celebration through all seven villages beginning the first weekend of December, with shopping, a theatre performance, a Sampling Stroll, games, the German Pickle Hunt and crafts for kids. The listing names the second weekend Amana Traditions Weekend, with the Amana Church Bazaar and Cookie Walk and the annual Holiday Haus Walk sponsored by the Amana Arts Guild.
Fun facts about Christmas in Amana
The Amana Colonies are seven villages on 26,000 acres in Iowa County, settled by German Pietists called the Community of True Inspiration, who laid out the first village in 1855 after leaving a settlement near Buffalo, New York. Members lived a communal life until 1932. In 1861 the community bought the whole village of Homestead to gain a railroad station. The colonies were listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
Traditions today
- Tannenbaum Forest: More than 80 Christmas trees decorated by community members fill the Festhalle Barn in Amana.
- The German Christmas pyramid: A towering German Christmas pyramid turns slowly among the trees inside the barn.
- Prelude to Christmas: Beginning the first weekend of December, the celebration spreads to all seven villages with shopping, music, treats and family activities.
- German Pickle Hunt: Families taking part in Prelude to Christmas can join games and a hunt for the German pickle.
- Amana Church Bazaar and Cookie Walk: The second weekend, called Amana Traditions Weekend, features the church bazaar and cookie walk.
- Holiday Haus Walk: The Amana Arts Guild sponsors the annual Holiday Haus Walk during Amana Traditions Weekend.
A fact for kids
For many years nobody in Amana cooked at home. Everyone ate together in 55 big shared kitchens, and each kitchen had its own garden.
Questions about Christmas in Amana
When were the Amana Colonies founded?
The first village in what became the Amana Colonies was laid out in 1855, and by 1862 there were seven villages. The Amana Society was founded as the governing body in 1859. The last settlers from New York arrived in 1864.
How did Amana get its name?
The colony was first going to have a German name meaning remain faithful. Residents found the word difficult to pronounce in English, so the Inspirationalists settled on Amana instead, a Biblical name with a similar meaning.
Who settled the Amana Colonies?
German Radical Pietists known as the Community of True Inspiration built the villages. Persecuted in Germany, they first settled near Buffalo, New York, in a community called Ebenezer, then moved to Iowa in search of more land and more isolated surroundings.
What are the seven villages?
They are Amana, also called Main Amana, plus East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana and Homestead. Together they cover 26,000 acres, mostly in Iowa County. The colonies have been a National Historic Landmark since 1965.
Did Amana have a railroad?
At first the nearest station was 20 miles away in Iowa City. In 1861 the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad built a station in nearby Homestead, and the community bought the entire village so that it would have a rail connection.
How long did communal life last in Amana?
Members lived communally until 1932. During the Great Depression the community voted to form a for-profit organization, the Amana Society. Before that, residents shared land and buildings, worked at crafts and farming and ate in communal kitchens.
What happens at Christmas in Amana?
Tannenbaum Forest fills the Festhalle Barn with more than 80 decorated trees on November 27 to 29, 2026. Prelude to Christmas follows on December 4 to 6 in all seven villages, with crafts for kids, games, a German Pickle Hunt, a Sampling Stroll and shopping.
Where are Amana's Christmas events held?
Tannenbaum Forest is in the Festhalle Barn at 4707 220th Trail in Amana. Prelude to Christmas takes place throughout the seven villages of the Amana Colonies, and its listing gives 622 46th Avenue in Amana as the address.
Who is behind the Christmas events?
The listings are published by Cedar Rapids Tourism and carry an Amana Colonies contact. Community members decorate the trees at Tannenbaum Forest, and the Amana Arts Guild sponsors the annual Holiday Haus Walk during Amana Traditions Weekend.
What is free at Christmas in Amana?
Prelude to Christmas on December 4 to 6, 2026, is listed with free admission. Tannenbaum Forest on November 27 to 29 asks for a donation in place of a set ticket price. Neither listing mentions advance registration.
Sources
- Amana Colonies, Wikipedia
- Tannenbaum Forest | Cedar Rapids Tourism, Cedar Rapids Tourism
- Prelude to Christmas | Cedar Rapids Tourism, Cedar Rapids Tourism
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 Iowa city.
Amana Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Amana?
Begin with Tannenbaum Forest at the Festhalle Barn, open November 27 to 29, 2026, where more than 80 decorated trees stand indoors. Then come back for Prelude to Christmas on December 4 to 6, which adds kids' crafts, games and a German Pickle Hunt across the seven villages.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Amana?
Yes. Prelude to Christmas, held December 4 to 6, 2026, across the Amana Colonies, is listed with free admission. Tannenbaum Forest at the Festhalle Barn on November 27 to 29 is not ticketed either, though the listing says admission is by donation.
Where can kids see Christmas trees and lights in Amana?
Tannenbaum Forest is the place. From noon to 4:00 p.m. on November 27, 28 and 29, 2026, the Festhalle Barn at 4707 220th Trail holds more than 80 glowing trees decorated by community members, plus a tall German Christmas pyramid that slowly turns.
Where can kids meet Santa in Amana?
The two listings gathered here, Tannenbaum Forest on November 27 to 29 and Prelude to Christmas on December 4 to 6, 2026, do not mention a Santa visit. Call the number on both listings, (319) 622-7622, to ask whether Santa is scheduled anywhere in the villages.
Do Amana's holiday events need tickets?
Neither listing mentions tickets or registration. Tannenbaum Forest asks for a donation at the Festhalle Barn, and Prelude to Christmas on December 4 to 6, 2026, has free admission. Individual pieces of Prelude, such as the theatre performance, may have their own arrangements, so ask ahead.
What is the German Pickle Hunt in Amana?
It is one of the family activities named in the Prelude to Christmas listing for December 4 to 6, 2026, alongside games, kids' craft opportunities and the Sampling Stroll. The listing does not explain the rules, but it fits the German-American heritage the weekend celebrates.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Amana?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Iowa Christmas train rides guide. This Amana guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
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 every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
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.