Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Arlington for 2026. Santa and Mrs. Claus visit the Rosslyn Holiday Market on Saturday, November 21, the Clarendon Alliance lights up Clarendon Metro Park with Santa and carolers on Wednesday, December 2, and the Rosslyn BID lights its 24-foot tree the next evening, December 3. All three are free and each sits a short walk from a Metro stop. We check every date on the host’s own website or the official tourism calendar and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Arlington
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Arlington, all free
- Rosslyn Holiday Market: Saturday, November 21, Santa 2 to 4 pm
- Light Up Clarendon: Wednesday, December 2, 4 to 7 pm
- Light the Plaza: Thursday, December 3, 5 to 7 pm
- Getting there: Rosslyn and Clarendon Metro stations
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Free Christmas events for kids in Arlington
Market and SantaFree
Rosslyn Holiday Market with Santa
- When: Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10 am to 4 pm (Santa 2 to 4 pm)
- Where: Central Place Plaza, 1800 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to attend, vendors sell gifts and drinks
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Rosslyn Cheer opens with a Saturday market of local DMV makers on Central Place Plaza, with Stories with Mrs. Claus from 12:30 to 2:30 pm and holiday card making from 1 to 3 pm.
Santa drops in from 2 to 4 pm with a free keepsake photo, so a mid-afternoon arrival lets kids hear a story, make a card and then get in line.
Parent tip: Get there by 1:30 pm so the kids can finish a card with Mrs. Claus before Santa arrives at 2 pm, and ride Metro to Rosslyn station, which is steps from the plaza.
- Host
- Rosslyn Business Improvement District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Central Place Plaza, 1800 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Arlington events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Arlington daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Arlington.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Arlington events 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 Arlington.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Arlington 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
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Lights and SantaFree
Light Up Clarendon
- When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 4 to 7 pm
- Where: Clarendon Metro Park, Arlington, VA 22201 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, food and treats for purchase
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Clarendon Alliance switches on the holiday lights in the little park over the Clarendon Metro station, with the Arlington Chorale caroling and a small market of local makers.
Santa is on hand to hear wish lists, and the Alliance collects nonperishable food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center, so pack a can for the kids to drop off.
Parent tip: It starts at 4 pm on a school night, so come right after pickup for a shorter Santa line and let the kids carry the food donation for AFAC.
- Host
- Clarendon Alliance (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Clarendon Metro Park, Arlington, VA 22201 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Arlington events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Arlington daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Arlington.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Tree lightingFree
Light the Plaza
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 5 to 7 pm
- Where: Central Place Plaza, 1800 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, registration requested, cash bar for adults
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Rosslyn BID lights its 24-foot holiday tree on Central Place Plaza with festive music and raffles, the signature night of the month-long Rosslyn Cheer series.
After the lighting, kids can start hunting for Cheerio, the Rosslyn holiday mascot who pops up around the neighborhood on Tuesdays and Thursdays through December 17.
Parent tip: Register on the Rosslyn BID page before you go, and follow @RosslynVA so you catch the Find Cheerio clues that start the same week.
- Host
- Rosslyn Business Improvement District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Central Place Plaza, 1800 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Arlington events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Arlington daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Arlington.
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 Virginia Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Arlington Christmas event for kids happens
Start with Santa at the Rosslyn market on November 21, then make December 2 and 3 a back-to-back lights week: Clarendon one night, the Rosslyn tree the next, both on the Orange and Silver lines.
- Rosslyn Holiday Market with SantaArlington · Nov 21
- Light Up ClarendonArlington · Dec 2
- Light the PlazaArlington · Dec 3
Looking further afield? Our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for McLean, Fairfax, Centreville and Chantilly. 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 Virginia city.
Arlington Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Arlington this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 free Christmas events for kids in Arlington for 2026: the Rosslyn Holiday Market with Santa on November 21, Light Up Clarendon on December 2 and the Rosslyn Light the Plaza tree lighting on December 3.
When can kids see Santa in Arlington in 2026?
Santa visits the Rosslyn Holiday Market at Central Place Plaza on Saturday, November 21, from 2 to 4 pm with a free keepsake photo, and he is at Light Up Clarendon on Wednesday, December 2, from 4 to 7 pm.
When is the Rosslyn tree lighting in 2026?
Light the Plaza is Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 5 to 7 pm at Central Place Plaza, 1800 N Lynn St. The Rosslyn BID asks guests to register online.
Are Arlington holiday events free?
Yes. All three events are free to attend. Food, drinks and market gifts cost extra.
Who do I contact about Arlington holiday events?
For Rosslyn Cheer events, the Rosslyn BID event planner at ccarlston@rosslynva.org. For Light Up Clarendon, the Clarendon Alliance at alliance@clarendon.org or 703-812-8881.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Virginia?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Virginia 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 Arlington 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.