Christmas Events for Kids in Bartlesville (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 Bartlesville for 2026. Fantasy Land of Lights opens its drive-through show in Johnstone Park on November 20, Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights adds wagon rides and Santa from November 27 to December 20, and Christmas in the Ville opens the Unity Square ice rink on December 4. We check every date on the host’s own website or an official tourism listing and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Oklahoma Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Bartlesville

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Bartlesville
  • Fantasy Land of Lights: nightly November 20 to December 30, 6 to 10 pm
  • Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights: November 27 to December 20, Santa in the museum
  • Christmas in the Ville: December 4 to January 3, ice rink and carriage rides
  • Dates checked on TravelOK, Oklahoma’s official tourism site, on Nov 11

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Bartlesville

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

Drive-through light show

Fantasy Land of Lights

Expand to see the parent tip

Fantasy Land of Lights is a drive-through Christmas light show in Johnstone Park, with a synchronized lighted tunnel, animated displays and thousands of lights set to music.

It runs every night from late November through the end of December, and candy canes are part of the tradition for kids in the back seat.

Parent tip: Tune the radio before you reach the lighted tunnel so the music and lights line up for the kids.

Host
Fantasy Land of Lights (opens in a new tab)
Address
Johnstone Park, 100 N Cherokee Ave, Bartlesville, OK 74003 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Fantasy Land of Lights (opens in a new tab)

New Bartlesville events every week

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

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 2 more Bartlesville 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 Bartlesville.
  • Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Bartlesville 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

  • 3 Lights
  • 2 Santa

Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Bartlesville every week.

Free. One email a week with new events in Bartlesville. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Lights, wagon rides and Santa

Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights

Expand to see the parent tip

Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights decorates the ranch grounds and buildings with more than 750,000 lights, and families can ride a wagon or stroll through the display.

There is live entertainment and holiday refreshments, and Santa Claus visits with kids inside the museum.

Parent tip: Dress warmly if you plan to ride the wagon, and save time for Santa inside the museum.

Host
Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve (opens in a new tab)
Address
Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, 1925 Woolaroc Ranch Rd, Bartlesville, OK 74003 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve (opens in a new tab)

New Bartlesville events every week

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

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

Ice rink and carriage rides

Christmas in the Ville

Expand to see the parent tip

Christmas in the Ville brings an ice rink to Unity Square in downtown Bartlesville, along with horse-drawn carriage rides and visits with Santa on select dates.

The season starts with an Opening Night Celebration featuring the tree and park lighting, food trucks and vendors.

Parent tip: Check the schedule for Santa’s dates before you go, then plan a skate session around his visit.

Host
Visit Bartlesville (opens in a new tab)
Address
Unity Square, downtown Bartlesville, Bartlesville, OK 74003 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Visit Bartlesville (opens in a new tab)

New Bartlesville events every week

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

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 Oklahoma Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Bartlesville Christmas event for kids happens

Drive through Fantasy Land of Lights on any weeknight, save a cold evening for Woolaroc and Santa, and skate at Unity Square once Christmas in the Ville opens on December 4.

Looking further afield? Our Oklahoma Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Tulsa, Enid, Midwest City and Oklahoma City. 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 Bartlesville

Christmas lights have glowed in Bartlesville's Johnstone Park every winter since 1991, and in 2001 every one of them was red, white and blue. Today Santa flies a biplane over the park, a 24-foot Bartles Mill turns its water wheel, and Frank Phillips's old ranch at Woolaroc shines with more than 750,000 lights.

Johnstone Park's 1991 lights and the red, white and blue Christmas of 2001

Fantasy Land of Lights began in Johnstone Park in 1991 as a tourism project, and the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce ran it at first. In 2001, after the September 11 attacks, the whole display was lit in red, white and blue. The next year, 2002, the Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary took over the show, and its members had to redo every light. Rotarian Randy Weatherly, known to the club as the Big Elf, was the person who made it a club project.

The drive-through has grown display by display. In 2003 the club added a Rotary wheel near the park entrance, built by the father and uncle of Rotarian Gretchen Winger. Today families drive past a tunnel of lights synced to Christmas music, a nativity scene at Bartles Mill and Santa flying a biplane. Rotary volunteers sit in the Gingerbread House at the gate every night from November 20 to December 30, handing out candy canes, and even dog biscuits for passengers with tails.

A 9th Christmas in the Ville, 110 parade entries and a first Christkindl Market at Woolaroc in 2025

Bartlesville Radio reported that Christmas in the Ville opened its ninth season at the end of November 2025 at the Santa Fe Depot, with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra's string quartet and a countdown to the lights, despite freezing temperatures and a brisk north wind. The opening plan listed the tree and park lighting, the outdoor ice rink, carriage rides, tot train rides, a live nativity, movies in the park and pictures with Santa. Chamber president Tressa Cruse called it a rousing success.

On Saturday evening, December 6, 2025, the annual Bartlesville Kiwanis Christmas Parade rolled through the lit streets of town with 110 entries, and Sutterfield Financial won the overall prize. Woolaroc hosted OKM Music's Christkindl Market for the first time that season, alongside its Wonderland of Lights. In Johnstone Park, the 24-foot Bartles Mill display, with a moving water wheel and running stream, glowed until the season ended on December 30, 2025.

Fantasy Land on Foot, a memorial elf and wildcat, and 400 hot dogs in 2020

Randy Weatherly, the Big Elf, died unexpectedly during the 2019 season. That year club president Pam Crawford started Fantasy Land on Foot on November 19, the one night families can walk the park road instead of driving it, with strollers and dogs welcome. A ribbon was cut on a new display in Randy's memory, an elf and a wildcat, because he was a K-State alum, paid for by his memorial gifts, club money and a Rotary district grant. In 2020 the walkers ate all 400 hot dogs donated by Truity Credit Union.

The lights are free, but drivers can drop a donation at the Gingerbread House. After expenses, the money buys and repairs displays and pays for college and vocational scholarships for Washington County students. Every January the Rotary members take it all down so the city can reopen the park.

Tot train rides by the Santa Fe Depot and 750,000 lights at Frank Phillips's 1925 ranch

Christmas in the Ville began in 2016 as a gift from the Chamber of Commerce to Bartlesville, with a plain goal of bringing holiday shoppers downtown. The 2025 season opened at the old Santa Fe Depot downtown, and the plan for opening night included tot train rides for little ones along with the ice rink, carriage rides and thousands of lights in Frank Phillips Park. The rink's posted hours even warn that they may change because of weather or North Pole Emergencies.

Near Bartlesville, oilman Frank Phillips created Woolaroc in 1925, and each December his ranch becomes the Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights. Visitors ride a wagon or stroll past more than 750,000 lights, hear live entertainment and visit Santa inside the museum. Rail fans heading to Tulsa can add a stop at an open-air rail museum on Route 66.

  • Route 66 Historical Village: A free open-air museum in Tulsa where kids can see the Frisco 4500 Meteor steam locomotive, a bright red caboose and a 1929 Pullman car.

Traditions today

  • Fantasy Land of Lights: A free drive-through light show in Johnstone Park, lit since 1991 and run by the Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary since 2002, open nightly November 20 to December 30.
  • Fantasy Land on Foot: Since 2019, the one night each November when families can walk the park road through the lights, with strollers and dogs invited.
  • Christmas in the Ville: The Chamber's downtown celebration since 2016, with an ice rink, carriage rides, tot train rides, movies in the park and Santa.
  • Kiwanis Christmas Parade: An evening parade through the lit streets of town on the first Saturday of December. In 2025 it had 110 entries.
  • Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights: Wagon rides and walks past more than 750,000 lights at Frank Phillips's ranch, with Santa inside the museum.

A fact for kids

At Bartlesville's Fantasy Land of Lights, Santa does not fly a sleigh. He flies a biplane made of lights, and the helpers at the Gingerbread House hand out dog biscuits to the dogs riding in the car.

Questions about Christmas in Bartlesville

When did Fantasy Land of Lights in Bartlesville start?

Lights have glowed in Johnstone Park since 1991. Fantasy Land of Lights began as a tourism project managed by the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce, and the Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary took it over in 2002. The club's Big Elf, Randy Weatherly, was the member who made it a Rotary project, and the display has added new pieces most years since.

Why were the Johnstone Park lights red, white and blue?

In 2001, Fantasy Land of Lights was lit entirely in red, white and blue in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks. When the Daybreak Rotary took over in 2002, members had to redo all of the lights to return the display to its Christmas colors, which the club remembers as a tough first year.

Who runs Fantasy Land of Lights in Johnstone Park?

The Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary runs it as its premier project. Members spend the weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving putting up the displays, volunteers staff the Gingerbread House every night of the season, and the club takes everything down in January so the City of Bartlesville can reopen Johnstone Park.

Is Fantasy Land of Lights free, and where do donations go?

There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome at the Gingerbread House. After the season's expenses are paid, the Rotary club sets money aside to buy or repair displays and puts a budgeted amount into its foundation for university and vocational scholarships for students in the Washington County area.

What is Fantasy Land on Foot?

Fantasy Land on Foot is a walking night at Fantasy Land of Lights, held on November 19 and started in 2019 under club president Pam Crawford. It is the only time visitors can walk the road through Johnstone Park instead of driving it. Strollers and dogs are welcome, and local businesses help feed the walkers. In 2020 they ran out of 400 hot dogs.

Why is there an elf and a wildcat at Fantasy Land of Lights?

The elf and wildcat display honors Randy Weatherly, the Rotary's Big Elf, who died unexpectedly during the 2019 season. He was a K-State alum, so the memorial greets visitors with an elf and a wildcat. It was paid for with his memorial gifts, club money and a Rotary District 6110 grant, and its ribbon cutting opened the first Fantasy Land on Foot.

What is the Bartles Mill display at Johnstone Park?

Bartles Mill is one of the largest scenes at Fantasy Land of Lights, a 24-foot-tall tribute to an original Bartlesville landmark, with a moving water wheel and a running stream. It also frames a nativity scene. Other favorites include a tunnel of lights synced to Christmas music and Santa flying a biplane.

When does Fantasy Land of Lights close for the season?

The Rotary staffs the display from November 20 to December 30 every year, from 6 to 10 pm. The 2025 season wrapped up on December 30, 2025, and guests could drive through as many times as they liked on the final night. Displays come down in January, weather permitting.

When did Christmas in the Ville start in Bartlesville?

Christmas in the Ville began in 2016 as a gift from the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce to the city and surrounding communities. Its mission is to bring shoppers downtown, which Chamber president Tressa Cruse called the driving force behind it. Bartlesville Radio reported that the 2025 celebration opened its ninth season.

What happened at the 2025 Christmas in the Ville opening night?

The ninth season opened at the end of November 2025 at the Santa Fe Depot with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra's string quartet and a traditional countdown. A sizable crowd came despite freezing temperatures and a brisk north breeze. The opening plan included the annual tree and park lighting, food trucks, carriage rides, tot train rides, a live nativity and pictures with Santa.

When does Christmas in the Ville open in 2026?

Christmas in the Ville runs from December 4, 2026, to January 3, 2027, at Unity Square in downtown Bartlesville, with daily ice rink hours on the Chamber's official schedule. Activities are free except food, carriage rides and ice skating. Family skate times are reserved for kids 12 and under with an adult.

Are there train rides at Christmas in the Ville?

Yes, small ones. The 2025 opening plan for Christmas in the Ville listed tot train rides along with carriage rides, ice skating and movies in the park. The 2025 season opened at the Santa Fe Depot downtown, so the little train rides fit right in. Check the Chamber's schedule for which nights the tot train runs.

When is the Bartlesville Christmas parade?

The Bartlesville Kiwanis Christmas Parade is an evening parade held on a Saturday in early December. In 2025 it rolled on Saturday, December 6, through streets lined with spectators and lights. Bartlesville Radio and KWON TV carried the whole parade on demand afterward, so families who missed it could still watch.

Who won the 2025 Bartlesville Kiwanis Christmas Parade?

The 2025 parade had 110 entries. Sutterfield Financial won the overall prize, STC Service and Technology won the business category, Eastern Hills Baptist Church won the nonprofit category, and Musselman Abstract won the corporate category. The parade theme award went to the City of Compassion entry.

How many lights are at Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights?

Woolaroc decorates its grounds and buildings with more than 750,000 lights. Visitors can ride a wagon or stroll the grounds, enjoy live entertainment and holiday refreshments, and visit Santa Claus inside the museum. In 2026 the Wonderland of Lights runs on select dates from November 27 to December 20.

Who was Frank Phillips, and why does his ranch light up for Christmas?

Frank Phillips was a banker and oilman who founded Phillips Petroleum and created Woolaroc in 1925. The ranch, museum and wildlife preserve near Bartlesville is now a nonprofit, and each December it becomes the Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights, with Santa taking wish lists inside the museum. Woolaroc says more than 10 million visitors have passed its front gate.

Is there a Christkindl holiday market at Woolaroc?

Yes. OKM Music brought its Christkindl Market to Woolaroc for the first time in 2025, and Woolaroc says it is hosting the market for the second year in a row in 2026. It adds a Christkindl-style holiday market to an evening at Woolaroc.

Where can kids see Santa fly a biplane?

At Fantasy Land of Lights in Johnstone Park, one of the best-loved displays shows Santa flying a biplane instead of a sleigh. Other displays include an Indian chief, the Bartles Mill water wheel and a tunnel of lights.

Does the Christmas in the Ville ice rink close on Christmas Day?

Yes. Bartlesville Radio reported that the Christmas in the Ville ice rink closes on Christmas Day, and in 2025 skating ran daily through January 4. The rink's posted hours note they may change because of weather or North Pole Emergencies, and some weekday blocks are reserved for private parties, so check the schedule first.

What is the best order for a Bartlesville Christmas night with kids?

Start with a skate and a carriage ride at Christmas in the Ville, then drive to Johnstone Park for Fantasy Land of Lights, which stays open until 10 pm. Save a separate cold evening for Woolaroc, where the wagon ride and Santa in the museum take longer.

Sources

  1. Fantasy Land of Lights, Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary
  2. Last Night For Fantasy Land of Lights, Bartlesville Radio
  3. Christmas In The Ville Opens For 9th Season, Bartlesville Radio
  4. Christmas In The Ville Holiday Kickoff Scheduled For Nov. 29, Bartlesville Radio
  5. Bartlesville Kiwanis Christmas Parade Boasts 110 Entries, Bartlesville Radio
  6. Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights, TravelOK
  7. Woolaroc, Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve
  8. Christmas in the Ville, Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
  9. Green Country's Top Christmas Light Displays, Green Country Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma city.

Bartlesville Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Bartlesville for 2026: Fantasy Land of Lights from November 20, Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights from November 27 to December 20, and Christmas in the Ville from December 4 to January 3.

When is Fantasy Land of Lights open?

Nightly from November 20 to December 30, 2026, 6 to 10 pm, at Johnstone Park, 100 N. Cherokee Avenue.

Can kids see Santa at Woolaroc?

Yes. Santa Claus visits in the museum during Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights, which runs November 27 to December 20, 2026.

Is there ice skating in Bartlesville for Christmas?

Yes. Christmas in the Ville sets up an ice rink at Unity Square from December 4, 2026, to January 3, 2027, with carriage rides and Santa on select dates.

Who do I contact about Bartlesville holiday events?

Visit Bartlesville at reception@bartlesville.com for Christmas in the Ville, Woolaroc at pblackwell@frankphillips.org and Fantasy Land of Lights at bill@fantasylandoflights.com.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Oklahoma?

Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Oklahoma 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 Bartlesville 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
Previous

Christmas Events for Kids in Bartlett (2026)
Next

Christmas Events for Kids in Barnstable (2026)