Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf for 2026. The Family Museum shows its nostalgic holiday windows and train mountain from November 27, live reindeer visit on Saturday, December 5, families sing in their pajamas on Friday, December 18, and Santa serves breakfast at The Landing Ice Rink on December 19 and 20. We check every date on the City of Bettendorf’s own Holiday Happenings list and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Bettendorf
- 4 Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf
- Holiday displays and train mountain: November 27 to December 24, Family Museum
- Reindeer Day: Saturday, December 5, 12 pm to 5 pm
- Holiday Jammie Jam: Friday, December 18, 6:30 pm, free
- Breakfast with Santa: December 19 and 20 at The Landing
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All 4 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Bettendorf events researched for you.
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Free Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf
Pajama sing-alongFree
Holiday Jammie Jam
- When: Friday, December 18, 2026, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, doors at 6 pm
- Where: Family Museum Great Hall, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: Families
Expand to see the parent tip
Kids show up in their holiday pajamas for an hour of Christmas sing-alongs in the decorated Great Hall of the Family Museum.
It is a free, low-key evening that fits right before bedtime, and the holiday windows are on display in the same building.
Parent tip: Doors open at 6 pm. Come in pajamas and a warm coat and the kids can go straight to bed on the drive home.
- Host
- Family Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Family Museum Great Hall, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Bettendorf events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Bettendorf daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Bettendorf.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Bettendorf 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 Bettendorf.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Bettendorf 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
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Bettendorf every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf
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
Holiday windows and trains
Nostalgic Holiday Displays and Train Mountain
- When: Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 24, 2026, during Family Museum hours (Monday to Thursday 9 am to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, closed Sundays)
- Where: Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Included with Family Museum admission
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Family Museum brings back the clockwork Von Maur holiday windows, a Quad Cities tradition that started in downtown Davenport in the 1950s, along with the old Duck Creek creatures from Animal Christmas.
Train fans should head straight for the dual train mountain scene, and the ornament drop is a hit with toddlers who like to watch things fall.
Parent tip: The museum is closed on Sundays, so plan a weekday after school or a Saturday morning visit.
- Host
- Family Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Bettendorf events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Bettendorf daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Bettendorf.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Live reindeer
Reindeer Day at the Family Museum
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 12 pm to 5 pm
- Where: Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Included with paid Family Museum admission
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Real live reindeer visit the Family Museum for an afternoon of reindeer games and a show from the Family Museum Dance Company.
From noon to 2 pm the Bettendorf Police and Fire Departments park in the lot to collect new, unwrapped toys, so kids can climb near a real fire truck and give at the same time.
Parent tip: Bring a new toy for the Pack a Police Car and Fire Truck drive outside before 2 pm, then head in to see the reindeer.
- Host
- Family Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Bettendorf events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Bettendorf daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Bettendorf.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Breakfast with Santa
Breakfast with Santa at The Landing
- When: Saturday, December 19 or Sunday, December 20, 2026, seatings 8 am to 9:15 am or 9:30 am to 10:45 am. Register by December 13
- Where: The Landing Ice Rink, 2255 Middle Rd, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Registration required by December 13, see Bettendorf Parks and Recreation
- Ages: Families
Expand to see the parent tip
Bettendorf Parks and Recreation serves breakfast with Santa at The Landing, the city’s outdoor ice rink on Middle Road.
Along with breakfast and a visit with Santa, families get ice skating, cookie decorating and hot chocolate, which makes it more of a full morning out than a quick photo stop.
Parent tip: Pick the 8 am seating if you want the freshest ice, and bring gloves and a helmet for little skaters.
- Host
- Bettendorf Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- The Landing Ice Rink, 2255 Middle Rd, Bettendorf, IA 52722 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Bettendorf events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Bettendorf daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Bettendorf.
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 Iowa Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Bettendorf Christmas event for kids happens
Make December 5 your big Family Museum day for the reindeer and train mountain, then book Breakfast with Santa before the December 13 sign-up deadline.
- Nostalgic Holiday Displays and Train MountainBettendorf · Nov 27 to Dec 24
- Reindeer Day at the Family MuseumBettendorf · Dec 5
- Holiday Jammie JamBettendorf · Dec 18
- Breakfast with Santa at The LandingBettendorf · Dec 19 to Dec 20
Looking further afield? Our Iowa Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Davenport, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque. 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 Iowa city.
Bettendorf Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 4 Christmas events for kids in Bettendorf for 2026: the nostalgic holiday displays and train mountain at the Family Museum from November 27, Reindeer Day on December 5, the free Holiday Jammie Jam on December 18, and Breakfast with Santa at The Landing on December 19 and 20.
When is Reindeer Day in Bettendorf?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 12 pm to 5 pm at the Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive. It is included with paid museum admission.
When is Breakfast with Santa in Bettendorf?
Saturday, December 19 or Sunday, December 20, 2026, at The Landing Ice Rink, 2255 Middle Road, with seatings from 8 am to 9:15 am or 9:30 am to 10:45 am. Registration closes December 13.
Can kids send letters to Santa in Bettendorf?
Yes. From November 30 to December 20, kids can drop a letter and a self-addressed, stamped envelope in the North Pole mailboxes at The Landing Ice Rink or the Family Museum and get a reply.
Who do I contact about Bettendorf Christmas events?
The Family Museum at familymuseum@bettendorf.org, and Bettendorf Parks and Recreation at parks@bettendorf.org for Breakfast with Santa.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Iowa?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Iowa 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 Bettendorf 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.