Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Brighton for 2026. The Tree Lighting Ceremony and Winter Market brings Santa to Founders Plaza on Saturday, December 5, and the Festival of Lights Parade lights up Main Street one week later on December 12. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Colorado Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Brighton
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Brighton
- Tree Lighting and Winter Market: Saturday, December 5, 1 to 5:30 pm, free
- Santa visits and the Teddy Bear Tree at Founders Plaza
- Festival of Lights Parade: Saturday, December 12, 5 pm
- Every date checked on the City of Brighton’s site on Nov 11
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All 2 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Brighton event researched for you.
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Free Christmas events for kids in Brighton
Tree lightingFree
Tree Lighting Ceremony and Winter Market
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 1 to 5:30 pm
- Where: Founders Plaza, 5 S Main St, Brighton, CO 80601 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The City of Brighton lights its largest Christmas tree at Founders Plaza on Main and Bridge streets, one week before the Festival of Lights Parade.
The afternoon brings visits with Santa, the Teddy Bear Tree and a Winter Market of local artists, crafters and artisan food vendors along South Main Street, with the Mayor and City Council leading the countdown to the lighting.
Parent tip: Arrive early in the afternoon to see Santa before the crowd builds for the evening lighting countdown.
- Host
- City of Brighton Special Events (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Founders Plaza, 5 S Main St, Brighton, CO 80601 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Brighton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Brighton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Brighton.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Brighton 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 Brighton.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Brighton 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 Lights
- 1 Santa
- 1 Parades
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Brighton every week.
Lighted paradeFree
Festival of Lights Parade
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, starting at 5 pm
- Where: Historic Downtown Brighton, Main St, Brighton, CO 80601 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Brighton’s Festival of Lights is a hometown nighttime parade with lighted floats from local groups, schools, businesses and families.
The electric light parade heads south on North Main Street through Historic Downtown Brighton, with emcee stations along the route announcing each entry.
Parent tip: Bring blankets and a thermos. Main Street curb space fills up well before the 5 pm start.
- Host
- City of Brighton Special Events (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Historic Downtown Brighton, Main St, Brighton, CO 80601 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Brighton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Brighton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Brighton.
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 Colorado Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Brighton Christmas event for kids happens
Spend two Saturdays downtown: Santa and the tree lighting on December 5, then the nighttime light parade on December 12.
- Tree Lighting Ceremony and Winter MarketBrighton · Dec 5
- Festival of Lights ParadeBrighton · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Colorado Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Thornton, Lafayette, Westminster and Aurora. 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 Colorado city.
Brighton Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Brighton this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Brighton for 2026, both from the City of Brighton: the Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 5 and the Festival of Lights Parade on December 12.
When is the Brighton tree lighting in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 1 to 5:30 pm at Founders Plaza, 5 South Main Street. It is free.
When is the Brighton Festival of Lights Parade?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, starting at 5 pm in Historic Downtown Brighton.
Is Santa at the Brighton tree lighting?
Yes. Families can meet Santa during the afternoon, along with the Teddy Bear Tree and the Winter Market.
Who do I contact about Brighton holiday events?
City of Brighton Special Events: Ali Boonstra at aboonstra@brightonco.gov or Gary Montoya at gmontoya@brightonco.gov.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Colorado?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Colorado 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 Brighton 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.