Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Cambridge for 2026, and all four are free parts of the city’s Winterfest. Santa’s Workshop opens at the Holiday Market from November 27 to 29, Preston lights its tree on December 3, Hespeler Village hosts Music and Lights on December 4, and Candyland takes over Central Park on December 12. We check every date on the city’s own website and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Cambridge
- 4 free Christmas events for kids in Cambridge
- Holiday Market and Santa’s Workshop: November 27 to 29
- Preston Tree Lighting: Thursday, December 3, 7 pm
- Music and Lights in Hespeler: Friday, December 4, 6 to 8:30 pm
- Candyland: Saturday, December 12, 10 am to 4 pm
What are you looking for?
All 4 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Cambridge 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 Cambridge.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Cambridge 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
- 3 Santa
- 2 Lights
- 1 Shows
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 3 Christmas events in Cambridge.
- New events in Cambridge 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 Cambridge
Holiday marketFree
Cambridge Holiday Market
- When: Friday, November 27, 2026, 5 to 9 pm; Saturday, November 28, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, November 29, 10 am to 4 pm
- Where: Cambridge Centre for the Arts and Cambridge City Hall, 60 Dickson St, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Cambridge’s award-winning Holiday Market fills every floor of the Cambridge Centre for the Arts and City Hall next door, with more than 100 local artisans, crafters and makers expected over the weekend.
For kids the draw is Santa’s Workshop inside the Centre for the Arts, with an elf show and a picture with Santa, plus free live entertainment, and the Fire Hall Museum next door opens on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Parent tip: Use the Beverly St. or Civic St. lots, and go Saturday morning for Santa before the afternoon shopping crowd arrives.
- Host
- City of Cambridge Winterfest (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Cambridge Centre for the Arts and Cambridge City Hall, 60 Dickson St, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cambridge events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cambridge daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cambridge.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Cambridge 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 Cambridge.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Cambridge 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
- 3 Santa
- 2 Lights
- 1 Shows
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Cambridge every week.
Tree lightingFree
Preston Tree Lighting
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6 to 8 pm, tree lighting at 7 pm
- Where: Central Park, Preston, 615 King St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Preston lights its community tree in Central Park on a Thursday evening, with live music and performances building up to the 7 pm lighting.
Twinkling light displays around the park give kids something to wander through before and after the big switch-on, and the whole evening wraps by 8 pm.
Parent tip: Arrive around 6:30 pm to walk the light displays first, then gather by the tree a few minutes before 7.
- Host
- City of Cambridge Winterfest (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Central Park, Preston, 615 King St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cambridge events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cambridge daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cambridge.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Village tree lightingFree
Music and Lights in the Village
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, 6 to 8:30 pm, tree lighting at 7:15 pm
- Where: Hespeler Village, Cambridge Public Library Hespeler and Hespeler Town Hall, 5 Tannery St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, snacks for purchase
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Hespeler Village gathers along Tannery Street for an evening of festive lights, crafts, free hot chocolate and a tree lighting at 7:15 pm.
Santa and Mrs. Claus receive visitors in a trailer parked on Tannery Street, Willy Melt and other characters pose for photos, and keepsake Winterfest ornaments are handed out while supplies last.
Parent tip: Visit Santa early, since the trailer line grows right before the 7:15 pm lighting, and grab an ornament as soon as you arrive.
- Host
- City of Cambridge Winterfest (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Hespeler Village, Cambridge Public Library Hespeler and Hespeler Town Hall, 5 Tannery St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cambridge events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cambridge daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cambridge.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Family festivalFree
Candyland in Central Park
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 10 am to 4 pm
- Where: Central Park, Preston, 615 King St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages, aimed at children
Expand to see the parent tip
Candyland returns to Central Park in Preston for a full Saturday of candy-themed games, giant illuminated letters for photos and face painting in festive designs.
The stage line-up includes Tinsel and Jingle, a meet-and-greet with Aria the Snow Dragon and stunt ventriloquist Tim Holland at 11:15 am and 1:45 pm, while Santa and Willy Melt wander the park and a hot chocolate station runs until 2 pm.
Parent tip: Dress the kids in candy colours as the city suggests, and time your arrival for the 10:45 am character meet-and-greet.
- Host
- City of Cambridge Winterfest (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Central Park, Preston, 615 King St E, Cambridge, ON (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cambridge events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cambridge daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cambridge.
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 Cambridge Christmas event for kids happens
Start with Santa at the Holiday Market on November 28, catch one of the two tree lightings on December 3 or 4, and save Candyland on December 12 for a full Saturday with the kids.
- Cambridge Holiday MarketCambridge · Nov 27 to Nov 29
- Preston Tree LightingCambridge · Dec 3
- Music and Lights in the VillageCambridge · Dec 4
- Candyland in Central ParkCambridge · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, Hamilton and Mississauga. 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 Canada city.
Cambridge Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Cambridge this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 4 free Christmas events for kids in Cambridge for 2026, all part of City of Cambridge Winterfest: the Holiday Market with Santa’s Workshop (November 27 to 29), the Preston Tree Lighting (December 3), Music and Lights in the Village in Hespeler (December 4) and Candyland (December 12).
Where can kids see Santa in Cambridge?
At Santa’s Workshop in the Cambridge Centre for the Arts during the Holiday Market, November 27 to 29, 2026; in a trailer on Tannery Street at Music and Lights in the Village on December 4; and wandering Central Park at Candyland on December 12.
When is the Preston tree lighting in 2026?
Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm in Central Park, 615 King St E, with the tree lit at 7 pm. It is free.
What is Candyland in Cambridge?
A free, candy-themed family day in Central Park in Preston on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 10 am to 4 pm, with games, face painting, character meet-and-greets, a ventriloquist show and Santa.
Who do I contact about Cambridge Winterfest?
The City of Cambridge Winterfest team at winterfest@cambridge.ca. For Holiday Market questions, holidaymarket@cambridge.ca.
Are there more Christmas events near Cambridge?
Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events across the country, 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 municipal or tourism calendar. We last checked Cambridge on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms 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.