Christmas Events for Kids in Boucherville (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 4 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Boucherville for 2026. The city’s family theatre series stages Jazz-Noisette, a jazzy Nutcracker, on Saturday, December 5, actors bring Christmas stories to life at the library on Sunday, December 6, and Noël d’antan turns Vieux-Boucherville into an old-time Christmas village with a little train and carriage rides on Saturday, December 12. Every date comes from the Ville de Boucherville’s own website. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Boucherville

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Boucherville, two of them free
  • Jazz-Noisette: Saturday, December 5, 3 pm, ages 4 and up
  • Christmas theatrical reading: Sunday, December 6 at the library, ages 6 to 12
  • Noël d’antan: Saturday, December 12, 1 to 4 pm in Vieux-Boucherville
  • Pass or ticket needed for the library reading and Jazz-Noisette

Free 2Ticketed and paid 1

Free Christmas events for kids in Boucherville

Old-time ChristmasFree

Noël d’antan

Expand to see the parent tip

Noël d’antan, which means old-time Christmas, turns the square in front of Sainte-Famille church in Vieux-Boucherville into a village from Christmases past, with a little train, roving entertainers, games of skill, horse-drawn carriage tours of the old town and a children’s story in the Maison de Mouffie.

Kids can also make a Christmas craft at the Café Belle-Lurette in the Centre Mgr-Poissant, and the afternoon closes at 3 pm with Les pères Pétu, a lively traditional Québécois music show built to get young audiences singing along.

Parent tip: Bring a reusable mug, since the city hands out hot drinks and sweet snacks, and plan to park at the École orientante l’Impact lot on rue Saint-Sacrement because boulevard Marie-Victorin closes to traffic for the day.

Host
Ville de Boucherville (opens in a new tab)
Address
Place de l’église Sainte-Famille, Vieux-Boucherville, 560 boulevard Marie-Victorin, Boucherville, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ville de Boucherville (opens in a new tab)

New Boucherville events every week

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

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

Rally’s Christmas research

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

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

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

Christmas story theatreFree

Atelier de lecture théâtrale: Noël

Expand to see the parent tip

At the Boucherville library, professional actors perform immersive Christmas readings for children, with projected images and music setting the holiday mood.

The library runs two sessions split by age, one at 1:30 pm for 6 to 8 year olds and one at 2:45 pm for 9 to 12 year olds, so each group gets stories pitched at its level.

Parent tip: The reading is free but a pass is required, so pick one up from the library ahead of time and choose the session that matches your child’s age.

Host
Bibliothèque Montarville-Boucher-De La Bruère (opens in a new tab)
Address
Bibliothèque Montarville-Boucher-De La Bruère, 501 chemin du Lac, Boucherville, QC J4B 6V6 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Bibliothèque Montarville-Boucher-De La Bruère (opens in a new tab)

New Boucherville events every week

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

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

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Boucherville

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

Family Nutcracker show

Théâtre des petits et des grands: Jazz-Noisette

Expand to see the parent tip

Jazz-Noisette is a musical theatre take on The Nutcracker for the city’s Théâtre des petits et des grands family series: on Christmas Eve, Clara receives a strange robot nutcracker who cannot dance without stepping on her toes.

Presented by Jeunesses Musicales Canada, the show swings Tchaikovsky’s score through Duke Ellington’s jazz with ballet, magic and quick rhythms, and it is pitched at kids 4 and up.

Parent tip: Buy tickets ahead on the city’s Tuxedo ticketing site, and remember every child must come with an adult.

Host
Ville de Boucherville (opens in a new tab)
Address
Salle Desjardins, École secondaire De Mortagne, Boulevard de Montarville, Boucherville, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ville de Boucherville (opens in a new tab)

New Boucherville events every week

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

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 Boucherville Christmas event for kids happens

Book Jazz-Noisette and grab a library pass for December 6 early, then keep Saturday afternoon, December 12, free for Noël d’antan in the old town.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Montreal and Quebec 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 Boucherville

Every December, the square in front of Sainte-Famille church in Vieux-Boucherville turns back the clock for Noël d'antan, an old-time Québécois Christmas with carriage rides, a little train, folk songs and a crosscut saw kids can try. A few weeks earlier, the big fir at city hall is lit to launch the Guignolée, the town's holiday food drive for about 1,500 neighbours in need.

Noël d'antan turns Place de l'église Sainte-Famille into a village of Christmases past

Noël d'antan, which means old-time Christmas, is the Ville de Boucherville's yearly celebration of the start of the holiday season in Vieux-Boucherville. The city describes it as a bridge between generations: a chance to discover how our great-grandparents celebrated, with folk songs and tales, authentic decorations and the kind of entertainment once enjoyed at old Québécois winter evenings, the veillées. The heart of the old town becomes a period village, and the event goes ahead rain or shine.

Everything is free, and the city hands out hot drinks and sweet snacks, so families are asked to bring their own reusable cup. Local heritage groups do much of the work. The Société d'histoire des Îles-Percées leads horse-drawn carriage tours of Vieux-Boucherville and guided visits of Sainte-Famille church, and the Cercle de Fermières Boucherville shows traditional crafts in the parish hall.

A tree lit on November 5, 2025, Handel's Messiah on December 3 and Noël d'antan on December 13

Boucherville's 2025 holiday season began on November 5, when Mayor Jean Martel and Martin Côté, president of the Comité d'entraide de Boucherville, lit the big fir in front of city hall to launch the Guignolée de Boucherville. The goal was $100,000 for nearly 300 holiday food baskets and to restock the committee's pantry, which hands out close to 20,000 bags of groceries a year. On November 24 the city also kicked off the 24th Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud, with a $450,000 goal and a street collection on December 4.

On December 3, 2025, the Festival Classica presented Handel's Messiah at Sainte-Famille church, a concert it has staged in Boucherville every year for nearly a decade. Noël d'antan followed on Saturday, December 13, from 1 to 4 pm, with carriage rides, a folk dance show, Christmas crafts, a children's Christmas story and an introduction to the godendard, the old two-person crosscut saw. EspaceTrad closed the day inside the church with Chantons Trad, starring Mia Lacroix and Francis Désilets.

The Guignolée's holiday baskets and a city hall fir lit on November 4, 2026

The Guignolée is Boucherville's holiday food drive, with neighbours collecting food and money so more families have a holiday meal. On the evening of November 4, 2026, the Ville de Boucherville and the Comité d'entraide again lit the big fir at city hall to launch the campaign. With requests for food help higher than ever, the committee raised its goal to $150,000 for nearly 325 holiday baskets for the roughly 1,500 people living below the poverty line in Boucherville.

Donors stepped up at the launch: $12,000 from the Filles d'Isabelle, $8,500 from the Caisse Desjardins des Patriotes, $5,000 each from La Recyclerie and the city, and more than 200 toys for children from the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation of Quebec. Even the city's holiday card has a community story. The winter photo contest, in its 11th edition in 2026, lets residents vote on Facebook, and one winning photo may become the image on the city's official holiday greetings.

A little train, carriage rides and Les pères Pétu at the 2026 Noël d'antan

Train-loving kids get their own ride at Noël d'antan. On Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 1 to 4 pm, a little train circles Place de l'église Sainte-Famille while carriages clip-clop through the old streets. A children's story is read in the Maison de Mouffie, army and air cadets perform on the church steps, the Organisation de Ringuette de Boucherville offers a try at ringette, and Philippe Jetté leads traditional Québécois music and dance in the parish hall. The afternoon ends at 3 pm with Les pères Pétu, two musicians who make young audiences sing along to old Québécois songs.

The same December, the city's family theatre series stages Jazz-Noisette, a jazzy Nutcracker, and the library hosts an immersive Christmas reading with professional actors for children 6 to 12.

Traditions today

  • Noël d'antan in Vieux-Boucherville: A free afternoon of old-time Québécois Christmas on Place de l'église Sainte-Famille, held rain or shine every December.
  • Lighting the city hall fir: The big fir at city hall is lit in early November to launch the Guignolée de Boucherville food drive.
  • The Guignolée: The Comité d'entraide de Boucherville collects food and money for holiday baskets, and the Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud holds a street collection in early December.
  • Handel's Messiah at Sainte-Famille: The Festival Classica has presented the Messiah in the old church each December for nearly a decade.
  • Carriage rides through the old town: The Société d'histoire des Îles-Percées guides horse-drawn carriage tours of Vieux-Boucherville during Noël d'antan.

A fact for kids

At Boucherville's old-time Christmas party, kids can try a godendard, a giant saw so long it takes two people, one at each end, to pull it back and forth.

Questions about Christmas in Boucherville

What does Noël d'antan mean?

Noël d'antan means old-time Christmas, or Christmas of yesteryear. In Boucherville it is the name of the city's yearly family celebration in Vieux-Boucherville, where Place de l'église Sainte-Famille becomes a village from Christmases past with folk songs and tales, period decorations, carriage rides and traditional Québécois music. All activities are free and it runs rain or shine.

When was Noël d'antan in Boucherville in 2025?

The 2025 edition was on Saturday, December 13, from 1 to 4 pm on Place de l'église Sainte-Famille. Families enjoyed carriage rides, a folk dance show, Christmas crafts, a children's Christmas story and a try at the godendard crosscut saw. The day ended with Chantons Trad by EspaceTrad, starring Mia Lacroix and Francis Désilets, inside Sainte-Famille church.

Is there a train ride at Noël d'antan in Boucherville?

Yes. The Ville de Boucherville lists a petit train, or little train, among the free activities on Place de l'église Sainte-Famille at the 2026 Noël d'antan, from 1 to 4 pm on December 12. It is a short, gentle ride suited to young children, and it runs alongside the horse-drawn carriage tours of the old town.

Who gives the carriage rides at Noël d'antan?

The Société d'histoire des Îles-Percées, Boucherville's local history society, runs the horse-drawn carriage tours of Vieux-Boucherville during Noël d'antan. The society also gives guided tours of Sainte-Famille church at 1 and 2 pm, sets up a booth in the parish hall with the Société du patrimoine de Boucherville, and sings a concert at the Café centre d'art.

What is a godendard, and why can kids try one at Christmas in Boucherville?

A godendard is a long two-person crosscut saw, once used to cut wood by hand, with one person pulling at each end. At Noël d'antan 2025, the Ville de Boucherville offered an introduction to the godendard among its traditional Québécois activities, alongside carriage rides and folk dancing, so children could feel what winter work was like long ago.

Who are Les pères Pétu at Boucherville's Noël d'antan?

Les pères Pétu are two experienced musicians whose show, La Tradition, closes the 2026 Noël d'antan at 3 pm. The city describes it as a lively, playful celebration of traditional culture, made to get young audiences discovering and singing Québécois songs. It is a fun way for kids to hear the music their great-grandparents knew at Christmas.

What is the Guignolée de Boucherville?

The Guignolée de Boucherville is the Comité d'entraide de Boucherville's yearly holiday fundraising campaign. It fills Christmas food baskets and restocks the committee's pantry, which hands out close to 20,000 bags of groceries a year. In 2026 it aims to raise $150,000 for nearly 325 holiday baskets for about 1,500 people living below the poverty line.

When is the Boucherville city hall Christmas tree lit?

The big fir at Boucherville city hall is lit in early November to launch the Guignolée de Boucherville. In 2025, Mayor Jean Martel and Comité d'entraide president Martin Côté lit it on November 5. In 2026 the city and the Comité d'entraide lit it on the evening of November 4, with councillors, volunteers and residents gathered around.

How much did the Guignolée de Boucherville raise for Christmas baskets in 2025?

The 2025 campaign set a goal of $100,000, enough for nearly 300 holiday food baskets plus pantry restocking. Citizens could drop food at Provigo, Metro Plus and Maxi parking lots on November 15, 22 and 29. Donations came from the city, the Filles d'Isabelle, the Caisse Desjardins and the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation, among others.

Who donated to the 2026 Guignolée holiday basket campaign in Boucherville?

At the November 4, 2026 launch, the Comité d'entraide received $12,000 from the Filles d'Isabelle, $8,500 from the Caisse Desjardins des Patriotes, $5,000 from La Recyclerie, $5,000 from the Ville de Boucherville, $3,000 from the provincial government and $700 from MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval's office. The Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation of Quebec gave more than 200 toys.

What is the Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud?

It is a South Shore holiday drive run with local media. In 2025 its 24th edition launched at Boucherville city hall on November 24, with a $450,000 goal, a street collection on December 4 and food and money donations at Maxi and Provigo until December 30. The Ville de Boucherville gave $5,000, and all funds go to 21 accredited South Shore groups.

Is Handel's Messiah performed in Boucherville at Christmas?

Yes. The Festival Classica has presented Handel's Messiah, a work tied to the holiday season, in Boucherville every year for nearly a decade. In 2025 it was on December 3 at 7:30 pm in Sainte-Famille church in Vieux-Boucherville, with four lyric soloists. Tickets are sold through the Festival Classica.

Can kids go inside Sainte-Famille church during Noël d'antan?

Yes. During the 2026 Noël d'antan, the Société d'histoire des Îles-Percées offers guided visits of Sainte-Famille church at 1 pm and 2 pm, and in 2025 the closing music show was held inside the church. The church square, Place de l'église Sainte-Famille at 560 boulevard Marie-Victorin, is the centre of the whole celebration.

Where should we park for Noël d'antan in Boucherville?

Boulevard Marie-Victorin closes to traffic between De Montbrun and Pierre-Boucher streets from 7 am to 5 pm on event day for safety. The city opens the parking lot of the École orientante l'Impact, at 544 rue Saint-Sacrement, to make it easier to reach the site. Wear warm boots, since most activities are outdoors.

What crafts and activities are in the parish hall at Noël d'antan 2026?

In the Sainte-Famille parish hall, the Cercle de Fermières Boucherville teaches traditional techniques, the history and heritage societies run booths, Ateliers Nez Rond stage a musical at 1 pm, André Thériault plays at 3:30 pm and Philippe Jetté leads Québécois music and dancing at 1:30 and 2:30 pm. Kids' Christmas crafts are at Café Belle-Lurette in the Centre Mgr-Poissant.

What Christmas shows did Boucherville offer families in December 2025?

On December 6, 2025, the city's family theatre series presented L'étrange Noël de Monsieur Bougris, a Christmas tale inspired by classics like Scrooge and the Grinch, about sharing, family time and keeping a child's heart. In 2026 the series offers Jazz-Noisette, a Nutcracker set to Duke Ellington's jazz.

Can a Boucherville winter photo become the city's Christmas card?

Yes. The city's Boucherville en hiver photo contest, in its 11th edition in 2026, asks residents for their best winter photo of the town. Ten finalists go to a Facebook vote, and one of the top three may be chosen as the official photo of the city's next holiday greetings. The winners also get their photo framed by a local shop.

Who performs on the church steps at Boucherville's Noël d'antan?

At the 2026 Noël d'antan, singer André Thériault performs on the church steps at 1:15, 1:50 and 2:30 pm, and the Army Cadet Corps 750 L'Escaut Boucherville and the 711 Pierre-Boucher Air Cadet Squadron perform at 1:35, 2:15 and 2:50 pm. Between shows, families can catch the children's story in the Maison de Mouffie.

What is the Maison de Mouffie at Noël d'antan?

The Maison de Mouffie is where the children's story is told during Noël d'antan on Place de l'église Sainte-Famille. In 2026, story times are at 1:30, 2 and 2:30 pm, between the cadet performances and the carriage rides. The short sessions suit preschoolers who need a warm, quiet break from the outdoor activities.

Which community groups help run Noël d'antan in Boucherville?

The city thanks a long list of partners, including the Cercle des Fermières de Boucherville, Résidence des Berges, the Société d'histoire des Îles-Percées, the Société du patrimoine de Boucherville, the local army and air cadets, the Maison des jeunes, Ateliers Nez Rond, the Organisation de Ringuette, two Scout groups and the Fabrique Sainte-Famille.

Sources

  1. Noël d'antan, Ville de Boucherville
  2. Activités, musique et traditions au cœur du Vieux-Boucherville, Ville de Boucherville
  3. Bulletin municipal, 17 novembre 2025, Ville de Boucherville
  4. Carnet culturel hiver-printemps 2026, Ville de Boucherville
  5. Boucherville invite la population à participer à la 24e édition de la Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud, Ville de Boucherville
  6. Une communauté mobilisée lors du lancement de la campagne 2026 de la Guignolée de Boucherville, Ville de Boucherville
  7. Lancement de la 11e édition du concours photo Boucherville en hiver, Ville de Boucherville

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.

Boucherville Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Boucherville for 2026, all on the Ville de Boucherville website: the Jazz-Noisette family show on December 5, a Christmas theatrical reading at the library on December 6, and Noël d’antan in Vieux-Boucherville on December 12.

When is Noël d’antan in Boucherville in 2026?

Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 1 to 4 pm at Place de l’église Sainte-Famille, 560 boulevard Marie-Victorin, rain or shine. It is free and includes a little train, carriage tours, crafts and a children’s story.

What is Jazz-Noisette?

A family musical theatre show based on The Nutcracker that mixes Tchaikovsky with Duke Ellington’s jazz, ballet and magic. It plays Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 3 pm at Salle Desjardins, for ages 4 and up. Tickets are $8 for children and $12 for adults.

Is the library Christmas reading in English?

The Boucherville library describes the session in French, and Boucherville is a French-speaking city, so expect the readings to be in French. It is free with a pass, at 1:30 pm for ages 6 to 8 and 2:45 pm for ages 9 to 12 on December 6, 2026.

Who do I contact about Boucherville holiday events?

The Ville de Boucherville: information@boucherville.ca or 450 449-8640 for Noël d’antan, culture-patrimoine@boucherville.ca for the family theatre series, and bibliotheque@boucherville.ca for library programs.

Are there more Christmas events near Boucherville?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events across the country, including Montreal and the South Shore, 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 city or tourism calendar. We last checked Boucherville 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 Bracebridge (2026)
Next

Christmas Events for Kids in Blainville (2026)