Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Camarillo for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events, 1 of them free. They are Christmas at the Ranch with Santa (from December 2) and Dialogues Concert Series: Handel's Messiah (December 4). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our California Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Camarillo
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Camarillo
- 1 free event, including Christmas at the Ranch with Santa
- Meet Santa: Christmas at the Ranch with Santa (from December 2)
- Season: December 2 (Christmas at the Ranch with Santa) to December 4 (Dialogues Concert Series: Handel's Messiah)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Camarillo 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 Camarillo.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Camarillo before they fill up.
- Start your magical Christmas season now Every event appears the moment you enter your email.
- 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.
Waiting inside
- 1 Santa
- 1 Shows
- 1 Markets
- 1 Zoos and museums
- 1 Free
Enter your email and all will appear instantly.
The Christmas magic awaits
Enter your email to get Christmas event notifications all season long and unlock the details on 1 Christmas event in Camarillo.
- New events in Camarillo every week
- Exclusive access to free events
- Your magical Christmas season starts now
- Christmas Eve Express and free advent calendar
- One-tap add to calendar
Free Christmas events for kids in Camarillo
Santa visitFree
Christmas at the Ranch with Santa
- When: Wed December 2 and Thu December 3, 2026, 4 to 8 pm (Two evenings, December 2 and 3. The organizer's page labels them Tuesday and Wednesday, but in 2026 those dates fall on Wednesday and Thursday, so confirm the days with the ranch.)
- Where: Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Rd, Camarillo, CA 93012 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission; photo with Santa $20
Expand to see the parent tip
The Camarillo Ranch Foundation opens the ranch for what it calls its annual Santa Nights. Kids can step into Santa's Workshop inside the Red Barn, families can tour the Camarillo Ranch House dressed for the holidays (the Ranch Workers Exhibit is part of the tour), and Victorian carolers sing while local craft vendors sell their work.
The listing is dated December 2, 2026, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., and says the event is held on two evenings, December 2 and 3, at 201 Camarillo Ranch Road. Admission is free. A photo with Santa by a professional photographer costs $20, and festive drinks and treats are sold on site.
Parent tip: Admission is free, but bring money if you want the $20 professional Santa photo or a treat. The page calls the two nights Tuesday and Wednesday even though December 2 and 3 land on Wednesday and Thursday in 2026, so phone the ranch at 805-881-6783 before you plan your evening.
- Host
- Camarillo Ranch Foundation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Rd, Camarillo, CA 93012 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Camarillo events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Camarillo daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Camarillo.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Camarillo 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 Camarillo.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Camarillo 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 Shows
- 1 Markets
- 1 Zoos and museums
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Camarillo every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Camarillo
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
Dialogues Concert Series: Handel's Messiah
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, 7 pm (No end time is listed on the organizer's page.)
- Where: Padre Serra Parish, 5205 Upland Rd, Camarillo, CA 93012 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $5 to $30
Expand to see the parent tip
The Dialogues Concert Series, presented by Lyceum Oaks, performs Handel's Messiah at Padre Serra Parish and pairs it with a carol sing-along. The season roster lists the Conejo Valley Choral Society, the Padre Serra Schola and the Pepperdine Chorus for this date.
The concert is Friday, December 4, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are listed at $5 to $30 and are sold through the series' ticket page. The page gives no end time and no age guideline.
Parent tip: With a 7:00 p.m. start and no listed end time, this suits school-age kids who can sit through an evening concert better than it suits toddlers. The carol sing-along is the part children can join, so sing through a few carols at home first.
- Host
- Lyceum Oaks, Dialogues Concert Series (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Padre Serra Parish, 5205 Upland Rd, Camarillo, CA 93012 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Camarillo events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Camarillo daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Camarillo.
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 California Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Camarillo Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Christmas at the Ranch with Santa in Camarillo on December 2; the last runs to December 4. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Christmas at the Ranch with SantaCamarillo · Dec 2 to Dec 3
- Dialogues Concert Series: Handel's MessiahCamarillo · Dec 4
Looking further afield? Our California Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Santa Clarita. 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 Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Camarillo
Camarillo takes its name from brothers Juan Camarillo Jr. and Adolfo Camarillo, who owned Rancho Calleguas and founded the city on the Oxnard Plain. That ranching past still sets the scene at Christmas, when Santa Nights fill Camarillo Ranch with carolers and a workshop in the Red Barn.
How Camarillo celebrates
Christmas in Camarillo leans on two gathering places. The Camarillo Ranch Foundation holds what it calls its annual Santa Nights at Camarillo Ranch, with free admission, Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn, tours of the decorated Camarillo Ranch House, Victorian carolers and local craft vendors on December 2 and 3, 2026. On December 4, the Dialogues Concert Series from Lyceum Oaks brings Handel's Messiah and a carol sing-along to Padre Serra Parish. The city's Wikipedia article adds that the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District has hosted the Camarillo Christmas Parade since 1962.
Fun facts about Christmas in Camarillo
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County with 70,741 residents at the 2020 census. Its land was part of Rancho Calleguas, a grant made to José Pedro Ruiz in 1837 and later sold to Juan Camarillo. The original town site began to be laid out around 1910, centered on St. Mary Magdalen Church, and Camarillo became a city in 1964. California State University Channel Islands, which opened in August 2002, sits on the grounds of the former Camarillo State Hospital.
Traditions today
- Santa Nights at Camarillo Ranch: The Camarillo Ranch Foundation describes its free Christmas at the Ranch with Santa evenings as an annual event.
- Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn: During Santa Nights the ranch's Red Barn becomes Santa's Workshop for visiting kids.
- Holiday tour of the Ranch House: Families can walk through the Camarillo Ranch House decorated for the holidays, with the Ranch Workers Exhibit included.
- Victorian carolers: Carolers in Victorian style sing at the ranch while local craft vendors sell their goods.
- Messiah and carol sing-along: The Dialogues Concert Series performs Handel's Messiah with a carol sing-along at Padre Serra Parish on December 4, 2026.
- Camarillo Christmas Parade: The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District has hosted the Camarillo Christmas Parade since 1962, according to the city's Wikipedia article.
A fact for kids
Before neighborhoods filled in, the little town of Camarillo was surrounded by orange, lemon and walnut groves. The freeway hill next to town, the Conejo Grade, drops about a thousand feet in less than three miles.
Questions about Christmas in Camarillo
How did Camarillo get its name?
Camarillo is named for brothers Juan Camarillo Jr. and Adolfo Camarillo. Their father, Juan Camarillo, arrived in 1834 and later bought Rancho Calleguas, and the two sons began developing a ranch in the Pleasant Valley area of the Oxnard Plain. The brothers are credited with founding the city.
When did Camarillo become a city?
Camarillo incorporated as a city in 1964, a step taken to manage rapid growth after the Ventura Freeway made the trip from Los Angeles about an hour. The original town site had begun to be laid out around 1910, centered on St. Mary Magdalen Church.
Who lived in the Camarillo area first?
The Chumash people lived in the area for thousands of years before European contact in the 18th century. Present-day Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain were tied to a Chumash capital at the village of Muwu, at today's Point Mugu, and other villages stood near the Conejo Grade.
What was Rancho Calleguas?
Rancho Calleguas was a Mexican land grant made to José Pedro Ruiz in 1837, covering the area that is now Camarillo. The grant was later sold to Juan Camarillo, whose sons Adolfo and Juan built up a ranch there and gave the city its name.
How many people live in Camarillo?
The 2020 census counted 70,741 residents, up 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in 2010. Back in 1962, shortly before incorporation, the population was about 7,500. The city covers roughly 19.7 square miles in Pleasant Valley at the eastern end of the Oxnard Plain.
What happens at Christmas in Camarillo?
The Camarillo Ranch Foundation holds Santa Nights at Camarillo Ranch on December 2 and 3, 2026, with Santa's Workshop, carolers and holiday house tours. The Dialogues Concert Series performs Handel's Messiah on December 4. The city's Wikipedia article also notes a Camarillo Christmas Parade hosted by the park district since 1962.
Where is Christmas at the Ranch held?
It is held at Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road, Camarillo, CA 93012. Activities are spread around the property: Santa's Workshop is in the Red Barn, and the decorated Camarillo Ranch House is open for tours that include the Ranch Workers Exhibit.
Who organizes Santa Nights at Camarillo Ranch?
The Camarillo Ranch Foundation organizes the event. The foundation says its mission is to make Camarillo Ranch a focal point for the community for education, enrichment and enjoyment, and it lists Christmas at the Ranch with Santa among the events people can attend, volunteer at and share.
What is free at Christmas in Camarillo?
Admission to Christmas at the Ranch with Santa is free, according to the Camarillo Ranch Foundation. That covers the house tour, Santa's Workshop, the carolers and browsing the vendors. A professional photo with Santa is $20, and beverages and treats are available for purchase.
How long has Camarillo had a Christmas parade?
The city's Wikipedia article says the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District has hosted the Camarillo Christmas Parade since 1962, two years before Camarillo became a city. The park district also operates the parks and recreation facilities in Camarillo. Check with the district for this year's parade details.
Sources
- Camarillo, California, Wikipedia
- Christmas at the Ranch with Santa, Camarillo Ranch Foundation
- Dialogues Concert Series, Lyceum Oaks
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 California city.
Camarillo Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Camarillo?
Start with Christmas at the Ranch with Santa at Camarillo Ranch, listed for December 2 and 3, 2026, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. It has Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn, carolers and a decorated ranch house to tour. Older kids may also enjoy Handel's Messiah with a carol sing-along on December 4.
Where can kids meet Santa in Camarillo?
Santa is at Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road, during the Camarillo Ranch Foundation's Santa Nights on December 2 and 3, 2026. Kids can visit Santa's Workshop in the Red Barn, and a professional photographer takes pictures with Santa for $20. Admission to the event itself is free.
Are there free Christmas events for families in Camarillo?
Yes. The Camarillo Ranch Foundation lists free admission for Christmas at the Ranch with Santa on December 2 and 3, 2026. Touring the decorated ranch house, hearing the Victorian carolers and browsing the craft vendors are included. The Santa photo costs $20, and drinks and treats are sold separately.
Is there a holiday concert in Camarillo that kids can attend?
The Dialogues Concert Series presents Handel's Messiah with a carol sing-along on Friday, December 4, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at Padre Serra Parish. Tickets are listed at $5 to $30. The page lists the Conejo Valley Choral Society, Padre Serra Schola and Pepperdine Chorus for that date.
Which Camarillo Christmas events need tickets?
Handel's Messiah on December 4, 2026, is ticketed, with prices listed from $5 to $30 on the Dialogues Concert Series page. Christmas at the Ranch with Santa on December 2 and 3 has free admission, so no ticket is mentioned. Only the photo with Santa has a set price there, $20.
What makes Christmas at Camarillo Ranch different?
The setting. Santa's Workshop is set up in the ranch's Red Barn, and families can walk through the Camarillo Ranch House decorated for the holidays, with the Ranch Workers Exhibit included. The foundation describes Santa Nights as an annual event, and Victorian carolers perform during the evening.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Camarillo?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s California Christmas train rides guide. This Camarillo guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
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 every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
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.