Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Aurora for 2026. The Christmas Market fills Aurora Town Square over two weekends, November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, with photos with Santa every evening, and the Deck the Halls Tour lights up decorated homes and businesses from December 6 to 23. We check every date on the Town of Aurora’s own website and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Aurora
- 2 free Christmas events for kids in Aurora
- Christmas Market: November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, 5 to 8:30 pm
- Photos with Santa: nightly at the market, 6 to 7:30 pm
- Deck the Halls Tour: December 6 to 23, 5 to 9 pm
- Where: Aurora Town Square, 50 Victoria Street
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Free Christmas events for kids in Aurora
Christmas marketFree
Aurora Christmas Market
- When: Two weekends, Friday to Sunday, November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, 2026, 5 to 8:30 pm nightly
- Where: Aurora Town Square, 50 Victoria Street, Aurora, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission, some shows ticketed
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Aurora Town Square hosts the town’s Christmas Market over two Friday-to-Sunday weekends, with different seasonal and food vendors each night plus hands-on workshops and festive activities.
Every evening from 6 to 7:30 pm kids can take photos with Santa in Brevik Hall on the second level, with Mrs. Claus joining him on the second weekend, and there is cookie decorating while supplies last.
Parent tip: Bring your own camera or phone for the Santa photos in Brevik Hall, and plan to arrive near 6 pm when the photo window opens.
- Host
- Town of Aurora Special Events (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Aurora Town Square, 50 Victoria Street, Aurora, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Aurora events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Aurora daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Aurora.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Aurora 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 Aurora.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Aurora 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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Drive-by lights tourFree
Deck the Halls Tour
- When: Evenings, December 6 to 23, 2026, 5 to 9 pm
- Where: Decorated homes and businesses across Aurora (map released in December), Aurora, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Aurora residents and businesses dress up their homes and storefronts for the town’s Deck the Halls Tour, a drive-by lights route that runs every evening from December 6 to 23.
The Town publishes a map in December, so families can load the kids into the car in pyjamas and vote with their eyes for the best-decorated house on the street.
Parent tip: Wait for the town map in early December, then plan a loop of five or six stops so younger kids stay interested.
- Host
- Town of Aurora Special Events (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Decorated homes and businesses across Aurora (map released in December), Aurora, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Aurora events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Aurora daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Aurora.
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? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists Santa trains and holiday rides across the country.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Aurora Christmas event for kids happens
Pick one market evening for Santa photos and cookie decorating, then use the Deck the Halls map for a drive-by lights night closer to Christmas.
- Aurora Christmas MarketAurora · Nov 27 to Dec 6
- Deck the Halls TourAurora · Dec 6 to Dec 23
Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Toronto, Whitby, Barrie and Mississauga. 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 Aurora
Aurora welcomes Santa after dark: its Santa Under the Stars Parade sends about 45 lit floats down Yonge Street in front of roughly 10,000 people, and Canada Post carriers collect children's letters to the North Pole before it starts. A week later the town lights its Christmas tree in Town Square and opens a Christmas Market named one of the Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario.
About 45 lit floats and letters to Santa on Yonge Street at the Santa Under the Stars Parade
Aurora's Santa Claus parade is a night parade, which is where its name, Santa Under the Stars, comes from. It travels southbound along Yonge Street from Orchard Heights Boulevard to Murray Drive between 6 and 8 pm, with beautifully decorated floats, marching bands, community walking groups and the jolly man in red himself. A local guide to the town's annual events counts about 45 floats and about 10,000 spectators each year.
Before the first float moves, Canada Post carriers walk the start of the route collecting letters to Santa, so children are told to bring theirs along. The town's rule is that rain or snow, the parade goes on. In 2026 the parade is Saturday, November 21, Yonge Street closes to through traffic from 3 to 8 pm, and families who need an accessible viewing spot can ask the Special Events Team ahead of time, since space is limited.
More than 120 vendors and a Silent Dance Party at the 2025 Christmas Market
The 2025 season began with the Santa Under the Stars Parade on Saturday, November 22. The Aurora Christmas Market followed over two weekends, November 28 to 30 and December 5 to 7, from 5 to 8:30 pm in Aurora Town Square at 50 Victoria Street, with more than 120 vendors in all and about 21 different ones each night. It opened on Friday, November 28, with the official lighting of the town's Christmas tree.
New that year was a Silent Dance Party on both Saturdays, and Program Room A was turned into the North Pole. The Performance Hall showed Elf and Home Alone and hosted the Borealis Big Band's A Jazzy Christmas, a Motown Soul Christmas with George St. Kitts and the Aurora Community Band's A John Williams Christmas. "This isn't the type of Market that you visit once and you're done," special events coordinator Shelley Ware told The Auroran.
The Christmas Market's 2024 move from Town Park to Town Square and a Hot Cocoa and Canvas night
Before 2024, the Christmas Market was held in Town Park. That year it moved to the new Aurora Town Square, and The Auroran reported that the move let it grow, adding performing arts, outdoor skating, fire shows and holiday workshops. That first Town Square market ran November 29 to December 1 and December 6 to 8, 2024, from 5 to 9 pm, a week after the November 23 Santa parade.
One of the 2024 workshops was a Hot Cocoa and Canvas Paint Night on November 29, when $20 bought a seat, a cup of hot cocoa and an instructor to guide a holiday painting. Since then the market has kept its two-weekend shape, and the town's Deck the Halls Tour has carried the lights out into the neighbourhoods. In 2025 the tour's prizes went to Best Decorated, Best Holiday Spirit and Best Use of Space, and the first 30 homes to register received an Aurora Home Hardware gift card.
Fire eaters, a 50-hoop hula act and It's a Wonderful Life at 80 in Town Square for 2026
In 2026 the Aurora Christmas Market runs November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, and the annual tree lighting is at 5:15 pm on Friday, November 27. The town says it is the spirit of the community that helps light the tree. Fire is the outdoor theme this year: The Fire Guy, Zoe Stardust, Bex in Motion, who can spin up to 50 hula hoops at once, NorthFIRE Circus and Kiki Totally Outrageous each perform twice a night.
Indoors, Santa poses for photos in Brevik Hall on the second level from 6 to 7:30 pm every market night, with Mrs. Claus joining him on the second weekend, and kids can drop into North Pole activities in Program Room A from 5 to 8 pm. On Sunday, November 29, the Performance Hall marks the 80th anniversary of It's a Wonderful Life with a 3 pm screening. Families without a car can ride the GO Train to Aurora, which a travel guide recommended for reaching the market, and the Deck the Halls Tour lights up homes from December 6 to 23.
Traditions today
- Santa Under the Stars Parade: A November night parade of lit floats and marching bands heading south on Yonge Street, with Canada Post collecting letters to Santa at the start.
- Tree lighting in Town Square: The town's Christmas tree is lit at the opening of the Christmas Market. In 2026 it is lit at 5:15 pm on November 27.
- Aurora Christmas Market: Two Friday-to-Sunday weekends of vendors, workshops, shows and Santa photos in Aurora Town Square, named one of the Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario.
- Deck the Halls Tour: A drive-by route of decorated homes and businesses each December, with prizes for the best displays.
- Holiday shows in the Performance Hall: Christmas films and concerts during the market, from Elf and Home Alone screenings to big band and community band holiday concerts.
A fact for kids
Before Aurora's Santa Under the Stars Parade starts, real Canada Post letter carriers walk along Yonge Street collecting letters for Santa, so kids can mail their wish lists right at the curb.
Questions about Christmas in Aurora
Why is Aurora's parade called Santa Under the Stars?
Because it runs at night. Aurora's Santa Claus parade sets off at 6 pm and runs until about 8 pm, so the decorated and illuminated floats, marching bands and Santa himself travel down Yonge Street in the dark. The town encourages people to share photos using #SantaUnderTheStars, and the parade goes ahead in rain or snow.
When is the Santa Under the Stars Parade in Aurora in 2026?
The 2026 Santa Under the Stars Parade is Saturday, November 21, from 6 to 8 pm. It travels southbound along Yonge Street from Orchard Heights Boulevard to Murray Drive. Floats and walking groups had to apply by November 6, and marching bands can email the town's Special Events Team for an application.
When was Aurora's Santa parade in 2025?
In 2025 the Santa Under the Stars Parade was Saturday, November 22, from 6 to 8 pm on Yonge Street. The town promised illuminated floats, walking groups and live entertainment, and said the parade would go ahead rain or snow. It came a week before the Christmas Market opened in Town Square on November 28.
How many people watch the Aurora Santa Claus parade?
A local guide to Aurora's annual events says the Santa Under the Stars Parade draws about 10,000 spectators each year and features about 45 festive floats, several local marching bands and community groups. Santa appears on one of the floats. Families can walk in from the downtown core or park on side streets.
Can kids mail letters to Santa at the Aurora parade?
Yes. The Town of Aurora reminds families to bring letters for Santa, because Canada Post is out collecting them before the parade begins. Carriers wait at the start of the route on Yonge Street and make sure the letters are delivered to the North Pole.
Which roads close for the Aurora Santa parade?
In 2026 Yonge Street closes to through traffic from St. John's Side Road to Henderson Drive from 3 to 8 pm, and northbound Yonge closes from Industrial Parkway South to Henderson Drive. Wellington Street at Yonge stays open until 5 pm. Batson Drive, Edward Street and Allaura Boulevard near Yonge also close, so plan to walk the last stretch.
Is there accessible viewing at the Aurora Santa Claus parade?
Yes, but spaces are limited. The town asks anyone who needs accommodations to watch the Santa Under the Stars Parade, or who wants an accessible viewing location, to email the Special Events Team in advance. Information about accommodations is handled confidentially. For questions, call 905-726-4762.
When did the Aurora Christmas Market move to Town Square?
The Christmas Market moved from Town Park to the new Aurora Town Square at 50 Victoria Street in 2024. The Auroran reported that the move allowed it to grow its performing arts, outdoor skating, fire shows and holiday workshops. The first Town Square market ran November 29 to December 1 and December 6 to 8, 2024.
When is the Aurora Christmas Market in 2026?
The 2026 Aurora Christmas Market runs over two weekends, Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29, and Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 6, from 5 to 8:30 pm in Aurora Town Square. Admission is free, and different vendors set up each night, so many families come more than once.
When is the Aurora Christmas tree lighting in 2026?
Aurora lights its Christmas tree at 5:15 pm on Friday, November 27, 2026, at the opening of the Christmas Market in Town Square. The town describes it as the annual tree lighting ceremony and says it is the spirit of the community that helps to light the tree. Fire dancer The Fire Guy performs right after.
How many vendors were at the Aurora Christmas Market in 2025?
The town promised more than 120 unique vendors across the two weekends in 2025, November 28 to 30 and December 5 to 7. The Auroran reported about 21 vendors each night, including artisans and buskers, which is why organizers say the market is not one you visit once and are done with.
What was new at the Aurora Christmas Market in 2025?
In 2025 the market added a Silent Dance Party on both Saturdays, November 29 and December 6, and turned Program Room A into the North Pole for Santa's visit. The Performance Hall offered ticketed shows: Elf and Home Alone screenings, the Borealis Big Band's A Jazzy Christmas, a Motown Soul Christmas and A John Williams Christmas by the Aurora Community Band.
Where are the Santa photos at the Aurora Christmas Market?
Santa poses for photos in Brevik Hall on the second level of the Town Square building from 6 to 7:30 pm every market night in 2026. Mrs. Claus joins him on the second weekend, December 4 to 6. Photos are taken on your own camera, so bring a charged phone. Cookie decorating runs nearby on both Sundays.
What fire shows are at the Aurora Christmas Market in 2026?
Every market night has a fire act outdoors. The Fire Guy performs on November 27, Zoe Stardust on November 28, Bex in Motion on November 29, NorthFIRE Circus on December 4, NorthFIRE Circus with an aerialist on December 5 and Kiki Totally Outrageous on December 6. Most shows run at 6 pm with an encore at 7:30 pm.
What holiday shows are in the Aurora Performance Hall during the 2026 market?
The 2026 lineup includes The Borealis Big Band's A Jazzy Christmas on November 28, an 80th anniversary screening of It's a Wonderful Life on November 29 at 3 pm, and the Aurora Community Band's A Hans Zimmer Christmas on December 5 at 3 and 7 pm. Tickets are sold online through the town until each show sells out.
What can young kids do at the Aurora Christmas Market?
Besides Santa photos, kids can drop into North Pole Kids Activities in Program Room A on the lower level every market night from 5 to 8 pm. There is cookie decorating in Brevik Hall on Sundays, November 29 and December 6, while supplies last, and the fire shows outside are timed early in the evening.
What was the Hot Cocoa and Canvas night at the Aurora Christmas Market?
At the first Town Square market in 2024, one of the holiday workshops was a Hot Cocoa and Canvas Paint Night on November 29. For $20 a person, guests sipped hot cocoa while an instructor led them through a painting. The market still offers hands-on holiday workshops each year, and some have a registration fee.
What is the Deck the Halls Tour in Aurora?
It is the town's drive-by tour of homes and businesses decorated for the holidays. In 2026 it runs every evening from December 6 to 23, 5 to 9 pm, and the town publishes a route map in December. Prizes are local gift cards for 1st Place and Honourable Mentions, and in 2025 awards went to Best Decorated, Best Holiday Spirit and Best Use of Space.
How do I enter my house in Aurora's Deck the Halls holiday lights tour?
Homes and businesses in Aurora fill out the Deck the Halls application form on the town website and send it to the Special Events Team. In 2025 registration closed on November 21, and the first 30 registrants received an Aurora Home Hardware gift card after sending a photo of their holiday display. Winners get local gift cards.
Can you take the GO Train to the Aurora Christmas Market?
Yes. Aurora is about an hour north of Toronto, and a 2024 travel guide to the market pointed out that families without a car can reach Aurora by GO Train. Aurora Town Square is at 50 Victoria Street, and the market is free to enter.
Sources
- Santa Under the Stars Parade, Town of Aurora
- Aurora's Santa Under the Stars Parade Returns for a Sparkling Night of Holiday Magic, Town of Aurora
- Experience the magic of the season at Aurora's Christmas Market, Town of Aurora
- Christmas Market, Town of Aurora
- Deck the Halls Tour, Town of Aurora
- Christmas Market set for Town Square return next Friday, The Auroran
- 5 Best Annual Events in Aurora: What to Know Before You Go, Greater Toronto Home Pros
- There's a night time Santa Claus parade and festive Christmas market in a vibrant Ontario town, Curiocity
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 Canada city.
Aurora Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Aurora this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 free Christmas events for kids in Aurora for 2026, both run by the Town of Aurora: the Aurora Christmas Market (November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6) and the Deck the Halls Tour (December 6 to 23).
When is the Aurora Christmas Market in 2026?
Friday to Sunday, November 27 to 29, and Friday to Sunday, December 4 to 6, 2026, from 5 to 8:30 pm each night at Aurora Town Square, 50 Victoria Street. Admission is free.
Where can kids see Santa in Aurora?
In Brevik Hall on the second level of Aurora Town Square during the Christmas Market, from 6 to 7:30 pm each market night. Mrs. Claus joins Santa on December 4 to 6.
How does the Aurora Deck the Halls Tour work?
It is a free drive-by tour of decorated homes and businesses, running evenings from 5 to 9 pm, December 6 to 23, 2026. The Town releases the map in December.
Who do I contact about Aurora holiday events?
The Town of Aurora Special Events Team at sware@aurora.ca or 905-726-4762.
Are there more Christmas events near Aurora?
Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events across the country, and the national search sorts events by distance from your town.
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 municipal or tourism calendar. We last checked Aurora on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms 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.