Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Carlsbad, New Mexico for 2026. Christmas on the Pecos runs nightly from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 31, with boat tours past the lighted riverfront and, new this year, the Pecos Express holiday train. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our New Mexico Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Carlsbad
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Carlsbad
- Christmas on the Pecos boat tours: nightly November 27 to December 31
- Pecos Express train: 30-minute rides, same nights
- Closed Christmas Eve, December 24
- Every date checked on the Christmas on the Pecos site on Nov 11
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Carlsbad
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
Boat ride through lights
Christmas on the Pecos Boat Tours
- When: Nightly, Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 31, 2026 (closed December 24), departures 6 to 9:30 pm
- Where: Pecos River Village, 711 Muscatel Avenue, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Adults 13+ $20, youth 3 to 12 $15, 2 and under free on a lap; Eddy County residents $10 Monday to Thursday
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Carlsbad’s signature holiday tradition puts families on the Pecos River after dark, cruising past the riverfront Christmas lights aboard the boats Rudolph and Noelle.
Departures run every half hour or so between the two boats from 6 pm, and the Pecos River Christmas Village at the dock has crafts, drinks and food while you wait to board.
Parent tip: Weekend nights and the last two weeks of December sell out first, so book early; arrive 30 minutes ahead to collect boarding passes, and note there are no restrooms on the boats.
- Host
- Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Pecos River Village, 711 Muscatel Avenue, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Carlsbad events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Carlsbad daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Carlsbad.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Carlsbad 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.
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Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Carlsbad every week.
Holiday train ride
Pecos Express Holiday Train
- When: Nightly, Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 31, 2026 (closed December 24), departures 6 to 9:45 pm
- Where: Pecos River Village, 711 Muscatel Avenue, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Adults 13+ $15, youth 3 to 12 $10, 2 and under free on a lap
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
New for Christmas on the Pecos in 2026, the custom-built Pecos Express takes families on a 30-minute train ride through the holiday lights, with bigger cars and more seats than before.
The train is wheelchair accessible and leaves every 45 minutes from 6 pm to 9:45 pm, which makes it a good pick for little ones who might not love a boat or for anyone who needs step-free boarding.
Parent tip: Call the Carlsbad Chamber at (575) 361-1532 before you arrive if you need boarding help or accessible seating.
- Host
- Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Pecos River Village, 711 Muscatel Avenue, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Carlsbad events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Carlsbad daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Carlsbad.
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 New Mexico Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Carlsbad Christmas event for kids happens
Pick a weeknight in early December for easier tickets, ride the Pecos Express with the youngest kids and save the boat for the older ones, or do both in one evening from Pecos River Village.
- Christmas on the Pecos Boat ToursCarlsbad · Nov 27 to Dec 31
- Pecos Express Holiday TrainCarlsbad · Nov 27 to Dec 31
Looking further afield? Our New Mexico Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Las Cruces, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. 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 New Mexico city.
Carlsbad Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Carlsbad, NM this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Carlsbad for 2026, both part of Christmas on the Pecos: the boat tours and the new Pecos Express holiday train.
When is Christmas on the Pecos in 2026?
Nightly from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 31, 2026. It is closed on Christmas Eve, December 24.
Is there a Christmas train in Carlsbad, NM?
Yes. The Pecos Express is a new 30-minute holiday train ride through the Christmas on the Pecos lights, with departures from 6 to 9:45 pm.
Do kids need life vests on the Christmas on the Pecos boats?
Yes. New Mexico rules require passengers 12 and under to wear a life vest, and the Carlsbad Chamber provides them. Lap riders can bring their own Class II flotation device.
Who do I contact about Christmas on the Pecos?
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at jbarkley@carlsbadchamber.com, 575-887-6516 during business hours or 575-361-1532 after hours and weekends.
Are there other Christmas train rides for kids in New Mexico?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s New Mexico 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 Carlsbad 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.