Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Ankeny, Iowa for 2026. Uptown Wonderlights lights up SW 3rd Street every evening from November 13 to December 31, and Miracle On 3rd Street brings Santa, his reindeer and a show tree snowfall to Uptown Ankeny on Friday, December 11. We check every date on the host’s own website or an official tourism calendar and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Ankeny
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Ankeny
- Miracle On 3rd Street: Friday, December 11, 5 to 7:30 pm, Uptown Ankeny
- Santa, reindeer, crafts, bouncy house and a 7:30 pm snowfall
- Uptown Wonderlights: nightly November 13 to December 31, free
- Every date checked on Travel Iowa’s official calendar on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Ankeny
Holiday street festivalFree
Miracle On 3rd Street
- When: Friday, December 11, 2026, 5 to 7:30 pm
- Where: Uptown Ankeny, SW 3rd Street, 601 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to attend
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Uptown Ankeny fills SW 3rd Street and the blocks of Walnut, Maple and Cherry with a Friday evening holiday festival, all set among the animated Uptown Wonderlights displays.
Kids can sit on Santa’s lap, visit his reindeer, make a craft with the Ankeny Art Center in Santa’s Workshop, ride the Uptown Express through the lights and bounce in a gingerbread bouncy house, and the night ends with a snowfall around the 25-foot show tree at 7:30 pm.
Parent tip: Stay until 7:30 pm for the snowfall at the show tree, and grab cocoa at the warming stops along the route between activities.
- Host
- Uptown Ankeny Association (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Uptown Ankeny, SW 3rd Street, 601 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ankeny events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ankeny daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ankeny.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Ankeny 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 Ankeny.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Ankeny 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.
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Holiday lights displayFree
Uptown Wonderlights
- When: Every evening, Friday, November 13 to Thursday, December 31, 2026
- Where: Uptown Ankeny, SW 3rd Street and Ankeny Market and Pavilion, 601 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
More than 50 animated light displays, a light tunnel and a 25-foot show tree glow across six blocks of SW 3rd Street, the Ankeny Market and Pavilion park and along the High Trestle Trail.
The Uptown Ankeny Association runs it with the City of Ankeny, and it is built to enjoy on foot, by bike or from the car, so families can make it a quick drive-by or a full evening walk.
Parent tip: Walk the light tunnel first, then follow the High Trestle Trail section for a quieter stroll away from the street traffic.
- Host
- Uptown Ankeny Association and the City of Ankeny (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Uptown Ankeny, SW 3rd Street and Ankeny Market and Pavilion, 601 SW 3rd Street, Ankeny, IA 50023 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ankeny events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ankeny daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ankeny.
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 Ankeny Christmas event for kids happens
Walk Uptown Wonderlights any evening of the season, then come back on December 11 for Miracle On 3rd Street and stay for the show tree snowfall.
- Uptown WonderlightsAnkeny · Nov 13 to Dec 31
- Miracle On 3rd StreetAnkeny · Dec 11
Looking further afield? Our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Altoona, Des Moines, Ames and Waterloo. 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 AmazonThe story of Christmas in Ankeny
Every 30 minutes on winter evenings, a 25-foot show tree in Uptown Ankeny bursts into a light show set to music, and once a year it even gets its own snowfall. It sits at the heart of more than 50 animated light displays that turn Ankeny's original neighborhood into a free holiday walk from mid-November to New Year's Eve.
Fifty animated displays, a 25-foot singing show tree and a light tunnel over the High Trestle Trail
Uptown Ankeny's holiday lights started out under the name Winter Wonderlights. By 2024, the Uptown Ankeny Association described 50 animated light displays along SW 3rd Street from SW Logan to SW Scott and down SW Maple through the Ankeny Market and Pavilion park, built with the City of Ankeny and many volunteers. Each display is sponsored by a local business, which is how a small downtown pays for a show this big while keeping it free.
The star is the 25-foot show tree, which performs a light show set to music every 30 minutes, and a light tunnel that spans the High Trestle Trail. The display is meant to be enjoyed on foot, by bike or from the car. Now called Uptown Wonderlights, it is lit every evening from November 13 to December 31, 2026, with Mullets Uptown Ankeny as presenting sponsor.
Santa's reindeer, the Uptown Express and a 7 pm snowfall on December 12, 2025
The 2025 season's big night was Miracle On 3rd Street on Friday, December 12, 2025, from 5 to 7:30 pm, centered on the Uptown Ankeny Association's office at 601 SW 3rd Street. Families visited Santa's reindeer, sponsored by the City of Ankeny, sat on Santa's lap, rode through the lights on the Uptown Express, bounced in a gingerbread bouncy house and warmed up at hot cocoa stops along SW 3rd, Walnut, Maple and Cherry Streets. The listing promoted a new light tunnel, and the evening ended with a snowfall around the show tree. Lamberti, Murphy and Strong Law was the presenting sponsor.
Across town that season, the District at Prairie Trail held Dazzling in the District on Saturday, December 6, 2025, with a holiday tree lighting and fireworks at Town Square Park. The Uptown displays stayed on through Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and the Greater Des Moines Partnership suggested them as a free after-dinner detour on the last nights of the year. In 2026, Miracle On 3rd Street returns Friday, December 11.
Champagne and Mistletoe carriage rides and a gingerbread story told house by house on Richland Court
Uptown has a set rhythm each holiday season. The lights are switched on for the first time on the same night as Champagne and Mistletoe, the evening when Uptown shops stay open late and deck their halls to start holiday shopping. In 2024 that was Friday, November 8, and horse-drawn carriages picked riders up in the Ankeny Area Historical Society Museum parking lot from 5 to 7 pm to drive them through the newly lit displays. The season ends on a high note with Miracle On 3rd Street, the association's last event of the year.
Ankeny's neighborhoods have their own traditions. On SE Richland Court, off Southeast 8th Street, a cul-de-sac known as Gingerbread Lane tells the story of the gingerbread man house by house, with gingerbread figures, storyboards and a life-size gingerbread house. On weekends, neighbors dress as Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves and collect food donations for the Food Bank of Iowa. Driving through is free, and the lights stay up nightly through December 31. Nearby, the Buxton Family Lights at 1832 SE Hillside Drive also made a 2025 list of Iowa drive-up displays.
The Uptown Express through the lights and Boone's Santa Express over the Des Moines River valley
Ankeny's own Christmas train is a small one: during Miracle On 3rd Street, kids ride the Uptown Express through the Uptown displays. For a full-size holiday train, families drive about 40 miles northwest to Boone, where the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad runs its Santa Express over the Des Moines River valley. In 2026 the Santa Express runs November 27 to December 20, with fares from $29.68.
Iowa has no licensed Polar Express train, so Boone's Santa Express is the closest holiday rail ride to Ankeny. The same Boone operation includes the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum, so a December trip can pair the Santa ride with a look at railroad history.
- Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & James H. Andrew Railroad Museum: A volunteer-run heritage railroad in Boone with a railroad museum and the Santa Express Christmas train over the Des Moines River valley.
Traditions today
- Uptown Wonderlights: More than 50 animated displays, a light tunnel and a 25-foot show tree in Uptown Ankeny, lit every evening from November 13 to December 31, 2026.
- Champagne and Mistletoe: The late-shopping night when the Uptown lights are switched on for the first time, with horse-drawn carriage rides through the displays.
- Miracle On 3rd Street: Uptown's last event of the year, with Santa, his reindeer and a snowfall around the show tree. In 2026 it is Friday, December 11.
- Gingerbread Lane: A cul-de-sac on SE Richland Court where homes tell the gingerbread man's story and neighbors in Santa suits collect food for the Food Bank of Iowa.
- Dazzling in the District: A holiday tree lighting with fireworks at Town Square Park in the District at Prairie Trail, held December 6, 2025.
A fact for kids
Ankeny's 25-foot Christmas tree in Uptown puts on its own light show to music every 30 minutes, and on Miracle On 3rd Street night it even gets snow falling all around it.
Questions about Christmas in Ankeny
How tall is the Uptown Ankeny show tree?
The Uptown Ankeny show tree is 25 feet tall. During the holiday season it performs a Christmas light show set to music every 30 minutes, and on Miracle On 3rd Street night it is the spot for a snowfall at about 7 pm. It stands among the more than 50 animated Uptown Wonderlights displays.
What was Winter Wonderlights in Ankeny?
Winter Wonderlights was the earlier name of Uptown Ankeny's holiday light attraction. In 2024 it included 50 animated displays along SW 3rd Street and through the Ankeny Market and Pavilion park, a 25-foot show tree and a light tunnel. Today the same holiday display is called Uptown Wonderlights.
Who pays for the Uptown Ankeny Christmas lights?
Each animated holiday display is sponsored by an Ankeny business or organization, and the Uptown Ankeny Association runs the attraction with the City of Ankeny and many volunteers. That support keeps it free for families. Mullets Uptown Ankeny is the 2026 presenting sponsor.
Is there a light tunnel at the Ankeny Christmas lights?
Yes. A light tunnel spans the High Trestle Trail as part of Uptown Ankeny's holiday displays. It was already part of the show in 2024, and the 2025 Miracle On 3rd Street listing promoted a new light tunnel. Walk through it first, then follow the trail for a quieter stroll.
Can you drive through the Uptown Ankeny holiday lights?
Yes. The Uptown Ankeny Association says the holiday lights are meant to be enjoyed on foot, by bicycle or from your vehicle. The displays run along six blocks of SW 3rd Street and through the Ankeny Market and Pavilion park, so you can cruise past or park and walk.
What happened at Miracle On 3rd Street in 2025?
On Friday, December 12, 2025, from 5 to 7:30 pm, families visited Santa's reindeer, sat on Santa's lap, rode the Uptown Express through the lights, jumped in a gingerbread bouncy house and warmed up at hot cocoa stops. The holiday night ended with a snowfall around the Uptown show tree.
Does Santa bring real reindeer to Ankeny?
Yes. Visits with Santa's reindeer are part of Miracle On 3rd Street, and in 2025 the reindeer were sponsored by the City of Ankeny. Santa himself is there too for lap visits. In 2026 the event is Friday, December 11, from 5 to 7:30 pm in Uptown.
What is the Uptown Express in Ankeny?
The Uptown Express is a ride that carries kids through the Uptown holiday light displays during Miracle On 3rd Street. It was one of the featured activities at the December 12, 2025, event, alongside Santa, his reindeer and a gingerbread bouncy house.
When do the Uptown Ankeny Christmas lights turn on each year?
The lights are switched on for the first time on the night of Champagne and Mistletoe, when Uptown shops stay open late to kick off holiday shopping. In 2024 that was November 8. In 2026, Uptown Wonderlights are lit every evening from November 13 through December 31.
What is Champagne and Mistletoe in Uptown Ankeny?
It is the holiday shopping kickoff night in Uptown, when businesses stay open late and the light displays are lit for the first time. In 2024 it ran from 5 to 8 pm on November 8, and horse-drawn carriages picked up riders at the Ankeny Area Historical Society Museum parking lot.
Are there horse-drawn carriage rides at Christmas in Ankeny?
Yes. On Champagne and Mistletoe night, horse-drawn carriages have picked up riders in the Ankeny Area Historical Society Museum parking lot and driven them through the newly lit holiday displays. In 2024 the rides ran from 5 to 7 pm. Check the Uptown Ankeny Association for this year's date.
What is Gingerbread Lane in Ankeny?
Gingerbread Lane is SE Richland Court, off Southeast 8th Street, where neighbors decorate for Christmas with gingerbread men, storyboards and a life-size gingerbread house that together tell the gingerbread man's story. Signs at each home move the story along. Driving through is free, and the lights stay on nightly through December 31.
Is Santa at Gingerbread Lane in Ankeny?
On weekends, neighbors on Gingerbread Lane dress up as Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves and collect donations for the Food Bank of Iowa. Visitors can drive through for free and drop off nonperishable food. It is an easy holiday stop to pair with the Uptown lights.
What was Dazzling in the District in Ankeny?
Dazzling in the District was a holiday celebration on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Town Square Park in the District at Prairie Trail. It included a holiday tree lighting and fireworks, according to the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Check the District's events page for 2026 plans.
Where can I see a family Christmas light show in Ankeny?
Besides the Uptown displays and Gingerbread Lane, the Buxton Family Lights at 1832 SE Hillside Drive in Ankeny appeared on a 2025 list of Iowa drive-up holiday light displays. Family displays change from year to year, so check before you go and be kind to neighbors while you look.
Is there a Christmas train near Ankeny?
Yes. The Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone, about 40 miles northwest of Ankeny, runs the Santa Express over the Des Moines River valley. In 2026 it runs from November 27 to December 20, with fares from $29.68. Iowa has no licensed Polar Express train.
Is there a Polar Express train ride in Iowa?
No licensed Polar Express runs in Iowa in 2026. Instead, Iowa families ride the Santa Express in Boone, the North Pole Express in Mount Pleasant from December 5 to 20, or the one-weekend Hawarden Holiday Express in the state's northwest corner.
How late are the Ankeny Christmas lights on New Year's Eve?
The Uptown displays stay lit every evening through December 31, so New Year's Eve is the last night of the season. In 2025, the Greater Des Moines Partnership suggested a stroll, drive or bike ride through the six-block stretch as a low-key New Year's Eve outing. Gingerbread Lane also stays lit through December 31.
Where do I park for Miracle On 3rd Street in Ankeny?
The organizers say free public parking is available in Uptown Ankeny and on nearby residential streets. The holiday event centers on 601 SW 3rd Street, at the corner of 3rd and Cherry, and spreads along SW 3rd, Walnut, Maple and Cherry Streets, so plan to walk a few blocks.
Who sponsors Miracle On 3rd Street in Ankeny?
Lamberti, Murphy and Strong Law has been the presenting sponsor of Miracle On 3rd Street, the Uptown Ankeny Association's last holiday event of each year. The event is held in partnership with the City of Ankeny, which sponsored Santa's reindeer visit in 2025.
Sources
- Uptown Ankeny Events: Celebrate the Holidays, Hometown-Style, Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce
- Miracle On 3rd Street (December 12, 2025), Uptown Ankeny Association on Eventeny
- Ankeny Holiday Guide, Greater Des Moines Partnership
- Finish 2025 strong with these 5 can't-miss DSM events, Greater Des Moines Partnership
- Uptown Wonderlights, Travel Iowa
- The 9 most dazzling holiday light displays in Des Moines, Iowa Starting Line
- Holiday Christmas light displays Iowa 2025, 1440 WROK
- Christmas Train Rides in Iowa (2026), Rally Takes the Train
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.
Ankeny Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Ankeny this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Ankeny for 2026: Uptown Wonderlights from November 13 to December 31 and Miracle On 3rd Street on December 11.
When is Miracle On 3rd Street in 2026?
Friday, December 11, 2026, from 5 to 7:30 pm along SW 3rd Street, Walnut, Maple and Cherry Streets in Uptown Ankeny.
Is Santa at Miracle On 3rd Street?
Yes. Kids can sit on Santa’s lap, visit Santa’s reindeer and make crafts in Santa’s Workshop with the Ankeny Art Center.
When are the Uptown Wonderlights on?
Every evening from November 13 through December 31, 2026. The more than 50 animated displays are free and can be enjoyed on foot, by bike or from your car.
Who do I contact about Uptown Ankeny holiday events?
The Uptown Ankeny Association at alexa.m@uptownankeny.org.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Iowa?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Iowa 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 Ankeny 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.