Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Batavia for 2026. The Batavia Park District hosts Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Shannon Hall on Saturday, December 12, and Batavia MainStreet brings Santa to the Boardwalk Shops for free visits on Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Batavia
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Batavia
- Breakfast with Santa: Saturday, December 12, 8:30 to 11 am, Shannon Hall
- Sundays With Santa: December 6, 13 and 20, noon to 2 pm, free
- Every child gets a small gift at the breakfast
- Every date checked on bataviaparks.org and downtownbatavia.com on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Batavia
Free downtown Santa visitsFree
Sundays With Santa
- When: Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20, 2026, noon to 2 pm
- Where: Batavia Boardwalk Shops, 114 E. Wilson Street, Batavia, IL 60510 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Batavia MainStreet brings Santa and Mrs. Claus to the Boardwalk Shops on East Wilson Street for free visits on three Sunday afternoons in December.
It is a relaxed way to see Santa downtown, then browse the small shops along the river.
Parent tip: With three Sundays to choose from, pick the one that fits your weekend, and bring your own camera for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
- Host
- Batavia MainStreet (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Batavia Boardwalk Shops, 114 E. Wilson Street, Batavia, IL 60510 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Batavia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Batavia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Batavia.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Batavia 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 Batavia.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Batavia 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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Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Batavia every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Batavia
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Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Breakfast with Santa
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 8:30 to 11 am
- Where: Shannon Hall, Batavia, IL 60510 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Registration required; see the Batavia Park District listing
- Ages: Kids and families
Expand to see the parent tip
The Batavia Park District serves a festive breakfast at Shannon Hall with Santa and Mrs. Claus as the guests of honor.
Santa takes time to talk with every child and hands each one a small gift before they head back to their pancakes.
Parent tip: Sign up in advance through the park district, since walk-ins are not part of the plan. Bring a camera for the moment with Santa.
- Host
- Batavia Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Shannon Hall, Batavia, IL 60510 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Batavia events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Batavia daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Batavia.
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 Illinois Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Batavia Christmas event for kids happens
Register early for Breakfast with Santa on December 12. If you would rather skip the meal, Sundays With Santa downtown is free and runs three weekends, so pick whichever Sunday fits.
- Sundays With SantaBatavia · Dec 6 to Dec 20
- Breakfast with SantaBatavia · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for St. Charles, Aurora, West Chicago and Naperville. 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 Batavia
Since at least 2007, Batavia has counted down "six, five, four, three, two, one, Merry Christmas!" on its Riverwalk while Santa, welcomed by Mayor Jeff Schielke, switched on the community tree. In 2007 Santa pulled up on a Batavia Fire Department engine, and hundreds of people cheered.
Santa on a fire engine and a Riverwalk countdown in November 2007
The Daily Herald's report from the Celebration of Lights in late November 2007 reads like a holiday card. Santa arrived on a Batavia Fire Department engine and climbed onto the stage at the Peg Bond Center, where Mayor Jeff Schielke welcomed him. The crowd counted down and Santa lit the community Christmas tree, then went into the warming house to hear wishes. Firefighters sold baked goods made by their wives and mothers, a tractor pulled hayrides along the Riverwalk, and the library held a story hour in the Gustafson Research Center at the Depot Museum, across Depot Pond.
Families told the paper the evening had already become their tradition. Scott and Janet Wulbert had come for years with their three children, and nine-year-old Olivia asked Santa for a Littlest Pet Shop playset. Batavia MainStreet director Britta McKenna, who helped organize the volunteer-built Riverwalk more than a decade before, was there too, and chamber director Roger Breisch handed out gift bags.
35 decorated trees on Christmas Tree Lane and Santa's Warming House on November 30, 2025
The Batavia Park District held the 2025 Celebration of Lights on Sunday, November 30, at the Peg Bond Center, with T-Fiber as presenting partner. From 5 to 7 pm, families rode hayrides, met live reindeer, heard the Batavia Community Band and walked Christmas Tree Lane, a stretch of Riverwalk path lined with trees decorated by 35 community organizations and businesses, up from 25 in 2023. The trees competed for Most Original Theme, Best Holiday Spirit and People's Choice, with the public voting on Facebook.
At 5:15 pm, Craig Foltos of Foltos Tonsorial Parlor led the crowd in Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph. Santa arrived at 5:30 pm for the ceremonial lighting, and at 5:45 pm the Peg Bond Center became Santa's Warming House. Across the pond, guest readers took turns with holiday stories every five minutes: the fire chief, a police officer, library and museum staff, the park district director, and finally Mayor Schielke with his wife, Linda, at 6:20 pm.
A madrigal sing-along in 2010 and Peace on Earth letters lit for the first time in 2023
Craig Foltos has been part of Batavia's Christmas for a long time. In 2010 he served as master of ceremonies while the Batavia High School Madrigal Choir led a community sing-along until Santa arrived at 6 pm. Children up to age 10 who visited Santa that year got a special gift, hayride riders gave food or cash to the Batavia Food Pantry, and the Batavia Teen Center sold hot dogs and hot chocolate. Christmas Tree Lane was already there, with trees from Scout troops, businesses and civic groups.
In 2023, the Celebration of Lights added something permanent: the Peace on Earth letters at the Peace Bridge, beside the Jeffery D. Schielke Government Center, were lit for the first time around 5:30 pm, after new LED lettering went in that October so the message glows all year. Later in December, downtown keeps the cheer going with Sundays With Santa at the Boardwalk Shops.
Holiday exhibits at the Batavia Depot Museum and the Happy Holiday Railway in Union
The Batavia Depot Museum is part of Celebration of Lights night. In 2023 it opened an exhibit called Hometown Holidays about local holiday traditions, and in 2025 the exhibit was Holiday Cheer, with library story time downstairs in the Gustafson Research Center, reached through the lower-level doors off Depot Pond. Museum staffer Kate Garrett read a holiday tale of her own in 2025.
Train-loving families have two easy December outings up the Fox River. The Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin runs historic electric cars along the river, and farther north in Union, the Illinois Railway Museum hosts its Happy Holiday Railway, a special holiday train event on December 20, 2026, ticketed separately from its regular season.
- Fox River Trolley Museum: Old electric trolleys and railroad cars on a line that runs from South Elgin into a forest preserve, extended by volunteers in 2003.
- Illinois Railway Museum: A 100-acre museum in Union with more than 450 pieces of rolling stock and a December Happy Holiday Railway train day.
Traditions today
- Celebration of Lights: The Batavia Park District's free Sunday evening on the Riverwalk at the end of November, when Santa arrives and lights the community tree.
- Christmas Tree Lane: A stretch of Riverwalk path lined with trees decorated by local groups and businesses, judged in three categories, with 35 trees in 2025.
- Santa's Warming House: After the lighting, the Peg Bond Center becomes Santa's Warming House for visits and photos.
- Story time across Depot Pond: Holiday stories in the Gustafson Research Center at the Depot Museum, read in recent years by guests from the mayor to the fire chief.
- Sundays With Santa: Free December Sunday visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, hosted by Batavia MainStreet.
A fact for kids
In Batavia, the whole crowd counts down out loud before Santa lights the big Christmas tree, and the last number is not "one," it is "Merry Christmas!"
Questions about Christmas in Batavia
When is Batavia's Celebration of Lights?
Celebration of Lights is held on a Sunday evening at the end of November or start of December, kicking off the season on the Batavia Riverwalk. It fell on November 26 in 2023, December 1 in 2024 and November 30 in 2025, from 5 to 7 pm. Watch the Batavia Park District's special events page in November for the 2026 date.
How long has Batavia held the Celebration of Lights?
The Daily Herald covered the Riverwalk Celebration of Lights in 2007 and 2010, and families told the paper in 2007 they had come for many years. The paper did not give a founding year. The Riverwalk itself was built by volunteers more than a decade before 2007, with Batavia MainStreet's Britta McKenna among the organizers.
How does Santa arrive at the Batavia tree lighting?
In 2007, Santa arrived on a Batavia Fire Department engine and went to the stage at the Peg Bond Center, where Mayor Jeff Schielke welcomed him before the countdown. In recent years Santa arrives at 5:30 pm, just in time for the ceremonial tree lighting, after a community sing-along warms up the crowd.
What is Christmas Tree Lane on the Batavia Riverwalk?
Christmas Tree Lane is a stretch of Riverwalk path lined with trees decorated by community organizations and businesses. Every tree enters a contest for Most Original Theme, Best Holiday Spirit or People's Choice, and anyone can vote for People's Choice on the Batavia Park District's Facebook page. There were 25 trees in 2023 and 35 in 2025.
Who leads the sing-along at Batavia's Celebration of Lights?
Craig Foltos of Foltos Tonsorial Parlor leads the community sing-along at 5:15 pm, with songs like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, just before Santa arrives. He has been part of the event for years: in 2010 he was master of ceremonies while the Batavia High School Madrigal Choir led the singing.
What is Santa's Warming House in Batavia?
Santa's Warming House is the Peg Bond Center on Celebration of Lights night. Right after the tree lighting, around 5:45 pm, Santa moves inside for visits and photos. In 2010, children up to age 10 who visited Santa received a special gift while supplies lasted, and in 2007 Santa headed straight there to hear wishes after lighting the tree.
Who read stories at Batavia's 2025 Celebration of Lights?
In 2025 the Batavia Public Library's story time ran from 5:45 to 6:30 pm in the Gustafson Research Center. Readers were Megan Newman of the Batavia Mothers' Club, Fire Chief Craig Hanson, Kathryn Hubbard of the library, Officer John Kahl, Kate Garrett of the Depot Museum, Allison Niemela of the park district, and Mayor Jeff Schielke and his wife Linda.
What holiday exhibit does the Batavia Depot Museum show in December?
The Batavia Depot Museum opens a seasonal exhibit about local holiday traditions on Celebration of Lights night. In 2023 it was called Hometown Holidays, and in 2025 it was Holiday Cheer. The museum sits across Depot Pond from the Peg Bond Center, so families can walk over between Santa and the tree lighting.
What are the lighted Peace on Earth letters in Batavia?
The Peace on Earth letters, first lit at a Christmas tree lighting, are a permanent lighted sign at the Peace Bridge next to the Jeffery D. Schielke Government Center. New LED lettering was installed in October 2023, a ribbon cutting was held that afternoon at the south Riverwalk Plaza, and the letters were lit for the first time around 5:30 pm during the November 26, 2023, Celebration of Lights.
What happened at Batavia's Celebration of Lights in 2007?
On a Sunday in late November 2007, hundreds gathered on the Riverwalk for caroling, treats and hayrides. Santa arrived on a fire engine, Mayor Jeff Schielke welcomed him at the Peg Bond Center, and the crowd counted down to the lighting. The Batavia Firefighters Association and the Batavia Teen Center sold treats, and sisters Kaley and Riley Kavanaugh sang carols.
Who presented the 2025 Batavia Celebration of Lights?
The Batavia Park District presented the 2025 festival with T-Fiber. Sponsors included Bree's Beverage Bar, Elite Remodeling Group, Garrett Popcorn, Goldfish Swim School, the City of Batavia, New Adventures PlayLab and the Batavia Depot Museum. In 2010, the partners were the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, Batavia MainStreet, the City of Batavia and the Batavia Police Department.
Are there live reindeer in Batavia at Christmas?
Yes. In 2025, the Celebration of Lights included a peek at live reindeer along with hayrides, a family photo spot and the Batavia Community Band. Park District Executive Director Allison Niemela listed visiting Santa and his reindeer among the simple moments that bring Batavia together.
Is there a Christmas craft for kids at the Batavia tree lighting?
Yes. In 2025, Callahan Community Center hosted holiday crafts and games on Celebration of Lights night. Kids made and took home a snowman magnet and a Christmas tree ornament and played a candy cane ring toss and a ball toss. In 2023 the craft table was at city hall.
Does the Batavia Community Band play at Christmas?
Yes. The Batavia Community Band, made up of volunteers from Batavia and nearby towns, performs Christmas carols on the Riverwalk during Celebration of Lights. Shaw Local photographed band member Laurie Lundborg playing carols at the December 1, 2024, festival, and the band was on the program again in 2025.
Where can kids visit Santa for free in downtown Batavia?
Batavia MainStreet hosts Sundays With Santa at the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, where Santa and Mrs. Claus visit with children for free. In 2026 the visits are on Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20, from noon to 2 pm. Bring your own camera for photos.
Where is Breakfast with Santa in Batavia, Illinois?
The Batavia Park District hosts Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Shannon Hall. In 2026 it is Saturday, December 12, from 8:30 to 11 am, with a small gift for each child. Registration is in advance through the park district, so plan ahead rather than walking in.
Did Batavia's Celebration of Lights collect for the food pantry?
Yes. In 2010, the tractor-pulled hayrides were free, and riders were asked to give a food or cash donation to the Batavia Food Pantry. That same year the Batavia Teen Center sold hot dogs and hot chocolate and merchants handed out holiday gift bags while supplies lasted.
Is there a Christmas train near Batavia, Illinois?
The nearest holiday train day is the Illinois Railway Museum's Happy Holiday Railway in Union, set for December 20, 2026. It is a special event outside the museum's regular April to October season, with its own tickets. Closer to Batavia, the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin keeps historic electric cars by the river.
Why do families call Celebration of Lights a Batavia tradition?
Because many have come for years. In 2007 Janet Wulbert told the Daily Herald it was the tradition that kicked off her family's holiday season, and in 2025 Jen DeCarlo called it her family's official, cherished annual tradition, with her family's AGS Pack 103 Cub Scout tree on Christmas Tree Lane.
Where should we park for Batavia's Celebration of Lights?
The event centers on the Peg Bond Center and the Riverwalk, with the Depot Museum across Depot Pond and crafts at Callahan Community Center, so the evening is spread around Depot Pond downtown. Arrive before 5 pm to find a spot, and walk over in time for the 5:15 pm sing-along and Santa's 5:30 pm arrival.
Sources
- Hark! Batavia Riverwalk brings cheer, Daily Herald
- Batavia's Celebration of Lights Festival, Daily Herald
- Celebration of Lights and Peace on Earth letters, 2023, Daily Herald
- Celebration of Lights kicks off Batavia's holiday season Nov. 30, Daily Herald
- Celebration of Lights kicks off Batavia's holiday season Sunday, Shaw Local
- Sunday, November 26: Batavia Celebration of Lights, Fox Valley Magazine
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 Illinois city.
Batavia Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Batavia this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Batavia for 2026: Breakfast with Santa from the Batavia Park District and Sundays With Santa from Batavia MainStreet.
When is Breakfast with Santa in Batavia in 2026?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 8:30 to 11 am at Shannon Hall. Santa and Mrs. Claus visit every child, and each child gets a small gift. Sign-up is required.
When can kids see Santa in downtown Batavia?
Sundays, December 6, 13 and 20, 2026, from noon to 2 pm at the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, 114 E. Wilson Street. Visits are free.
Is Sundays With Santa free?
Yes. Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus are free.
Who do I contact about Batavia holiday events?
The Batavia Park District at registrations@bataviaparks.org for the breakfast, and Batavia MainStreet at info@downtownbatavia.com for Sundays With Santa.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Illinois?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois 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 Batavia 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.