Christmas Events for Kids in Auburn (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 Auburn for 2026. Gingerbread houses go on display from December 1, the Lighted Santa Parade and tree lighting fill Main Street on Saturday, December 5, and Breakfast with Santa follows on Saturday, December 12. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Washington Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Auburn

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Auburn
  • Lighted Santa Parade: Saturday, December 5, 4:30 pm, free
  • Tree lighting and Santa at City Hall after the parade
  • Breakfast with Santa: Saturday, December 12, register ahead
  • Every date checked on the City of Auburn site on Nov 11

Free 2Ticketed and paid 1

Free Christmas events for kids in Auburn

Gingerbread displayFree

Gingerbread Contest Display

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Gingerbread houses built by Auburn families and groups go on display at the Auburn Community and Event Center during the first two weeks of December.

Visitors vote for their favorite through December 12 and the city names the winner on December 14, so kids can come back and see if their pick won.

Parent tip: Pair a look at the gingerbread with Breakfast with Santa on December 12, since both are in the same building.

Host
Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
Address
Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 Ninth St SE, Auburn, WA 98002 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)

New Auburn events every week

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 2 more Auburn 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 Auburn.
  • Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Auburn 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 Lights
  • 1 Parades
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Santa paradeFree

Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting

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Auburn’s lighted Santa Parade travels down Main Street from Auburn High School to City Hall as the December evening gets dark.

When the parade arrives, the city lights its tree, Santa stops to visit with kids, and live music carries on at City Hall.

Parent tip: Live music at City Hall starts at 4 pm, so stake out a spot near the end of the route to see both the parade and the tree lighting.

Host
Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
Address
Main Street, Auburn High School to City Hall, Auburn, WA 98002 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)

New Auburn events every week

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

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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Auburn

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 with Santa

Breakfast with Santa

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Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation serves breakfast with Santa in two seatings at the Auburn Community and Event Center.

Space is limited and every guest must register in advance, with youth and adult tickets booked separately.

Parent tip: Remember to register the grown-ups as well as the kids, since adults need their own ticket.

Host
Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
Address
Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 9th St SE, Auburn, WA 98002 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation (opens in a new tab)

New Auburn events every week

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

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 Washington Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Auburn Christmas event for kids happens

Register for Breakfast with Santa now, line Main Street for the lighted parade on December 5, and vote for a favorite gingerbread house when you come back for breakfast.

Looking further afield? Our Washington Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Puyallup, Tacoma, Bonney Lake and Seattle. 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 Auburn

Every entry in Auburn's Santa Parade has to glow: since 2019 the city has asked that every float, car and walking group be completely lighted as it rolls down Main Street in the December dusk. At the end of the route, an official tree lighter picked by the city helps Santa flip the switch on the giant tree in the City Hall Plaza, and in 2024 that was a 7-year-old boy.

A Santa House in B Street Plaza in 2009 and a parade that went fully lighted in 2019

Auburn's Santa parade down Main Street was already called traditional back in 2009, when Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation followed it with the Christmas tree lighting in the City Hall Plaza. That year the Auburn Optimist Club opened a Santa House in the B Street Plaza for photos before and after the parade, and kept it open through December 23. A week later, Santa's elves served Breakfast with Santa at the Auburn Senior Activity Center for $5 a child.

By 2017 and 2018 the evening included community caroling and a synchronized light show at City Hall, and in 2017 there was even snow in the City Hall Plaza. Families warmed up first at Washington Elementary, making gingerbread houses and ornaments at the Holiday Snack and Craft. In 2019 the city opened the parade to floats, vehicles and walking units, with one rule: every entry had to be completely lighted. That year also added Cookies with Mrs. Claus before the parade.

Santa Claus is comin' to town on December 6, 2025, and the mayor serves pancakes a week later

On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the free Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting filled downtown. Entertainment began at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 25 West Main Street, and at 4:30 p.m. the parade left Auburn High School and headed down Main Street with lighted floats, school groups, dance teams, costumed characters and community clubs. At City Hall Plaza, Santa and that year's official tree lighter flipped the switch on Auburn's holiday tree. Mayor Nancy Backus opened her newsletter that week with the words of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and called the parade one of her very favorite traditions of the season.

A week later, on December 13, Breakfast with Santa filled two seatings at the Auburn Community and Events Center, with elves serving a hot breakfast, live entertainment, vegan and gluten-free options on request, and the mayor helping serve the 8:30 a.m. seating. Down the hall, the Gingerbread Contest let anyone walk in during open hours and vote for a favorite.

A 7-year-old tree lighter in 2024 and cookie decorating at the Postmark Center

Auburn hands the honor of lighting its tree to an official tree lighter, and sometimes that is a child. In 2024 the city's tree lighter was 7-year-old Elijah Olvera, chosen for the leadership and kindness he showed at school, from helping classmates with hard assignments to befriending kids on the playground. He joined Santa and Mayor Backus at City Hall on December 7, 2024, to light the giant tree in the plaza. Before that parade, families decorated cookies at the Postmark Center for the Arts, and the parade's coordinator, Amanda Valdez, previewed the night on the city's Auburn on Main podcast.

The 2026 Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting is Saturday, December 5, and Breakfast with Santa follows on December 12 in the same community center where the gingerbread houses are on display.

Santa in a chapel car on the North Pole Limited and a 30-year model train festival in Tacoma

For a Christmas train, Auburn families head to Snoqualmie Valley. The Northwest Railway Museum runs the North Pole Limited, a two-hour holiday trip from North Bend Depot with cookies, hot chocolate and crafts. Santa greets children inside Chapel Car 5, the Messenger of Peace, in the museum's Train Shed, and on both of the museum's Christmas trains every child gets a gift from Santa. In 2026 the North Pole Limited runs Saturdays and Sundays from November 28 to December 20.

Closer to home, the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma holds a holiday Model Train Festival around the largest model railroad on permanent display in Washington, built and run by Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers. The festival reaches its 30th year in 2026.

  • Northwest Railway Museum: The 1890 Snoqualmie Depot, a big Train Shed of restored cars and the North Pole Limited, where Santa waits in a chapel car.
  • Washington State History Museum: The largest permanent model railroad in Washington on the fifth floor, with a holiday Model Train Festival each season.

Traditions today

  • The Lighted Santa Parade: Fully lighted floats, cars and walkers travel Main Street from Auburn High School to City Hall at dusk. In 2026 it is December 5.
  • A kid lights the tree: Each year the city names an official tree lighter who joins Santa to light the giant tree in the City Hall Plaza.
  • Breakfast with Santa: Santa's elves serve a hot breakfast in two seatings, with live entertainment and a visit from Santa. In 2026 it is December 12.
  • The Gingerbread Contest: Gingerbread creations go on display at the Auburn Community and Events Center, and visitors vote for a winner.
  • Pre-parade crafts: Before the parade, families have made gingerbread houses at Washington Elementary, cookies with Mrs. Claus and decorated cookies at the Postmark Center.

A fact for kids

In 2024, a 7-year-old Auburn boy named Elijah got to help Santa light the giant Christmas tree at City Hall, picked for being a kind friend and helper at school.

Questions about Christmas in Auburn

When is the Auburn WA Lighted Santa Parade in 2026?

The 2026 Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting is Saturday, December 5. Live music at City Hall starts at 4 p.m., and the parade steps off at 4:30 p.m. from Auburn High School, heading down Main Street to City Hall, where the tree is lit and Santa visits. It is free.

What time does the Santa Parade start in Auburn and where does it go?

The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. from Auburn High School and travels down Main Street toward City Hall at 25 West Main Street. In 2025 pre-parade entertainment began at 4 p.m. at City Hall. Parade entries line up near E Street Northeast and Main Street, so families often watch along Main between there and City Hall.

Why must every Auburn Santa Parade entry be lighted?

It is a lighted parade held as December dusk falls. In 2019 the city began accepting floats, vehicles and walking units, and required that all entries be completely lighted. That rule gave the event its name, the Lighted Santa Parade, and makes Main Street glow from end to end.

Who lights the Auburn WA Christmas tree?

Santa and an official tree lighter chosen by the city flip the switch together in the City Hall Plaza. In 2024 the tree lighter was 7-year-old Elijah Olvera, whom Mayor Nancy Backus praised for helping classmates and befriending kids on the playground. In 2025 the city again named an official tree lighter to join Santa.

What happened at the 2025 Auburn Santa Parade?

The 2025 Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting was Saturday, December 6. Entertainment began at 4 p.m. at City Hall, the parade rolled from Auburn High School at 4:30 p.m. with lighted floats, schools, dance groups and costumed characters, and the crowd then gathered at City Hall Plaza to watch Santa and the official tree lighter light the tree.

Can families join the Auburn Santa Parade?

Yes. The parade is open to families, community groups, nonprofits and businesses, with lighted vehicles, floats, cars and walking entries. Registration is required, entrants must follow the city's parade rules, and every entry must be fully lighted. In past years participants reported to the lineup at E Street Northeast and Main Street at 4 p.m.

Was there ever snow at the Auburn tree lighting?

Yes. At the 2017 Santa Parade and tree lighting, the Auburn Reporter photographed snow as part of the show in the City Hall Plaza. That night also had caroling, the Christmas tree lighting and a synchronized light show at City Hall, plus a Holiday Snack and Craft at Washington Elementary before the parade.

What was the Santa House in Auburn's B Street Plaza?

In 2009 the Auburn Optimist Club opened a Santa House in the B Street Plaza for photos with Santa before and after the parade. It stayed open through December 23, from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends, giving families weeks to visit Santa downtown.

How long has Auburn held Breakfast with Santa?

Breakfast with Santa goes back at least to 2009, when Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation held it at the Auburn Senior Activity Center at 808 Ninth Street SE with seatings at 8:30 and 11 a.m., for $5 a child for residents. It now takes place at the Auburn Community and Events Center, with the same two-seating format.

When is Breakfast with Santa in Auburn in 2026?

Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 12, 2026, at the Auburn Community and Events Center, 910 9th Street SE, with seatings from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Every guest needs to pre-register, and youth and adult tickets are booked separately.

Does the mayor serve Breakfast with Santa in Auburn?

In 2025 Mayor Nancy Backus said she would attend the 8:30 a.m. seating of Breakfast with Santa on December 13 to help serve breakfast. Santa's elves serve a hot breakfast with live entertainment, Santa visits with the kids, and vegan and gluten-free options are available by request.

How does the Auburn holiday Gingerbread Contest work?

Each December, holiday gingerbread structures built by locals are displayed at the Auburn Community and Events Center, and anyone can stop by during open hours to vote in person. It is free. In 2026 the Gingerbread Contest display runs December 1 to 12, and the winner is announced December 14.

What crafts are there before the Auburn Santa Parade?

Auburn has paired the parade with a family craft for years. In 2018 the Holiday Snack and Craft at Washington Elementary had kids building gingerbread houses and ornaments for $3 to $5. In 2019 Cookies with Mrs. Claus was new, and in 2024 families decorated cookies at the Postmark Center for the Arts.

What did Mayor Backus say about the 2025 Santa Parade?

In her December 5, 2025, newsletter, Mayor Nancy Backus quoted Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and called the Lighted Santa Parade one of her very favorite traditions of the season. She wrote that every year Main Street comes alive as families, community groups and businesses line up with lighted floats, cars and walking entries.

Who organizes the Auburn holiday parade?

The City of Auburn's Parks, Arts and Recreation department organizes the Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting, along with Breakfast with Santa and the Gingerbread Contest. In 2024 the parade event coordinator was Amanda Valdez, who talked about it on the city's Auburn on Main podcast. Questions go to events@auburnwa.gov.

Is there a Santa train near Auburn WA?

Yes. The Northwest Railway Museum in the Snoqualmie Valley runs the North Pole Limited, a two-hour trip from North Bend Depot with cookies, hot chocolate, crafts and Santa, on Saturdays and Sundays from November 28 to December 20, 2026. Every child gets a gift from Santa, and children 2 and up need a ticket.

Where does Santa sit on the North Pole Limited?

Santa greets children inside Chapel Car 5, the Messenger of Peace, a restored railroad chapel car kept in the Northwest Railway Museum's Train Shed in Snoqualmie. It is one of the museum's preserved cars, and during the North Pole Limited it becomes Santa's special visiting spot.

What is the Model Train Festival in Tacoma?

It is the Washington State History Museum's annual holiday celebration of its fifth-floor model railroad, the largest on permanent public display in Washington, built and run by Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers. The festival is a Tacoma tradition that reaches its 30th year in 2026, and it is a quick drive from Auburn.

What should families do for Christmas in Auburn WA in 2026?

Vote in the Gingerbread Contest starting December 1, watch the Lighted Santa Parade and tree lighting on December 5, then come back for Breakfast with Santa on December 12. Ride the North Pole Limited in the Snoqualmie Valley or visit Tacoma's Model Train Festival. See our Washington Christmas events guide for more.

Where should we park for the Auburn Santa Parade?

The parade runs along Main Street from Auburn High School to City Hall at 25 West Main Street, and the tree lighting is in the City Hall Plaza at the end. Arriving early for the 4 p.m. entertainment at City Hall lets you find parking downtown and claim a curb spot near the plaza, so kids see both the parade and the tree lighting.

Sources

  1. Don't miss Auburn's annual Santa parade and tree lighting, Auburn Reporter
  2. The Latest in Auburn from Mayor Nancy Backus: Dec. 5, 2025, City of Auburn
  3. The Latest in Auburn from Mayor Nancy Backus: Dec. 6, 2024, City of Auburn
  4. Santa Parade highlights busy holiday season in Auburn, Auburn Reporter
  5. Auburn lights up for the holidays, Auburn Reporter
  6. Auburn to ring in the holiday season, Auburn Reporter
  7. City ushers in the holiday season with parade, tree lighting, Auburn Reporter
  8. Auburn's Lighted Santa Parade And Tree Lighting, Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce

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 Washington city.

Auburn Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Auburn for 2026, all from Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation: the Gingerbread Contest display December 1 to 12, the Lighted Santa Parade and Tree Lighting on December 5 and Breakfast with Santa on December 12.

When is the Auburn Santa Parade in 2026?

Saturday, December 5, 2026. The parade starts at 4:30 pm and runs down Main Street from Auburn High School to City Hall, followed by the tree lighting and a visit from Santa.

When is Breakfast with Santa in Auburn?

Saturday, December 12, 2026, at the Auburn Community and Event Center, 910 9th St SE, with seatings from 8:30 to 10 am and 11 am to 12:30 pm. Pre-registration is required.

Can we vote in the Auburn gingerbread contest?

Yes. Gingerbread entries are displayed at the Auburn Community and Event Center and voting runs December 1 to 12, 2026. The winner is announced December 14.

Who do I contact about Auburn holiday events?

Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation special events at events@auburnwa.gov.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Washington?

Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Washington 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 Auburn 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
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