Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Clarksville, IN for 2026, and here is what he found: 5 family events. The magic runs from November 11 (A Christmas Story: The Musical) through December 31, with Christmas in Candyland (from November 14) along the way. We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Indiana Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Clarksville
- 5 Christmas events for kids in Clarksville
- Meet Santa: Christmas in Candyland (from November 14) and A Christmas Music Concert with Becky Gentry and Mike O'Bryan (December 11)
- Also on the list: 3 Christmas shows, 1 story time and 2 craft workshops
- Season: November 11 (A Christmas Story: The Musical) to December 31 (A Christmas Story: The Musical)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Clarksville
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
A Christmas Story: The Musical
- When: Wednesday, November 11, 2026 to Thursday, December 31, 2026 (Evening performances Tuesday through Sunday (doors 6:00 p.m., main show 7:45 p.m.), plus Sunday matinees (doors 11:45 a.m., show 1:30 p.m.) and Wednesday matinees (doors 11:45 a.m., show 1:00 p.m.). New Year's Eve has its own celebration details on the theater's site.), 6 pm
- Where: Derby Dinner Playhouse, 525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Tickets required; no price listed on the show page
- Ages: Families; the theater posts a content information sheet for this show
Expand to see the parent tip
Derby Dinner Playhouse stages the musical version of the well-known holiday film, following Ralphie, a boy in glasses who spends the season plotting to land the one present he wants most. The score is by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with a book by Joseph Robinette, and dinner is served in the theater before every performance.
The run goes from November 11 through December 31, 2026, with evening performances Tuesday through Sunday (doors 6:00 p.m., dinner until 7:10, a short pre-show at 7:15 and the main show at 7:45). Matinees are on Sundays (doors 11:45 a.m., show 1:30 p.m.) and Wednesdays (doors 11:45 a.m., show 1:00 p.m.). Tickets are sold through the theater, and the show page does not list prices.
Parent tip: Evening shows do not start until 7:45 p.m., after a full dinner service, so a Sunday or Wednesday matinee is the easier pick with younger kids. The theater posts a content information sheet for this show if you want to look it over before booking.
- Host
- Derby Dinner Playhouse (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Derby Dinner Playhouse, 525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Clarksville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Clarksville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Clarksville.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 4 more Clarksville 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 Clarksville.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Clarksville 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
- 4 Breakfast and treats
- 3 Shows
- 2 Santa
- 2 Crafts
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Clarksville every week.
Holiday show
Christmas in Candyland
- When: Sat November 14 (9 am), Sat November 21 (9 am), Fri November 27 (9 am), Sat November 28 (9 am), Sat December 5 (9 am), Mon December 7 (5:45 pm), Sat December 12 (9 am) and Sat December 19 (9 am), 2026 (Two seatings are listed: breakfast at 9:00 a.m. with a 10:00 a.m. show, or lunch at 12:00 p.m. with a 1:15 p.m. show. December 7 is an evening performance only (dinner 5:45 p.m., show 7:00 p.m.). Check the ticket page for which seatings are offered on your date.)
- Where: Derby Dinner Playhouse, 525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $20 breakfast show, $25 lunch or dinner show, plus a $2 service fee per ticket
- Ages: Children and families
Expand to see the parent tip
This children's theater show sends Nick and Noelle into a magical Christmas edition of the game Candyland, where they meet a cast of colorful characters and try to reach the finish ahead of the selfish Lord Licorice. Santa and Mrs. Claus are at every performance, and a kid-friendly buffet is included with each ticket.
Performances are on November 14, 21, 27 and 28 and December 5, 12 and 19, 2026, with a breakfast seating at 9:00 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. show or a lunch seating at noon for a 1:15 p.m. show. December 7 is an evening performance only, with dinner at 5:45 p.m. and the show at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for breakfast shows and $25 for lunch or dinner shows, plus a $2 service fee per ticket.
Parent tip: The 9:00 a.m. breakfast seating is the cheaper ticket and has the show finished well before nap time, while the lunch seating suits later risers. Santa and Mrs. Claus come to every performance, so you can choose the date that fits your family without missing them.
- Host
- Derby Dinner Playhouse (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Derby Dinner Playhouse, 525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Clarksville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Clarksville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Clarksville.
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Holiday show
A Christmas Music Concert with Becky Gentry and Mike O'Bryan
- When: Friday, December 11, 2026, noon to 1:30 pm
- Where: Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the library's page
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Becky Gentry, who plays guitar and mandolin, and Mike O'Bryan, known as The Accordion Guy, play a set of familiar Christmas and holiday tunes in the Clarksville Library meeting rooms. Refreshments are served, and the library says Santa may make an appearance if his December schedule allows.
The concert is on Friday, December 11, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Meeting Rooms A and B at the Clarksville Library, 1312 Eastern Blvd. The listing is open to families and all ages and shows no registration step or price. The performance is supported by Kentuckiana Musicians for the Community, the Music Performance Trust Fund and the Jeffersonville Township Public Library.
Parent tip: Santa is a maybe here, not a promise, so pitch it to kids as a music outing first. It falls at midday on a Friday, which suits preschoolers and homeschool families best, and the library notes it cannot guarantee the refreshments are free of tree nuts, soy or other allergens.
- Host
- Jeffersonville Township Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Clarksville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Clarksville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Clarksville.
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Holiday story time
Toddler Storytime: Christmas
- When: Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:30 to 11:15 am
- Where: Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the library's page
- Ages: Birth to age 4 with a caregiver
Expand to see the parent tip
Ms. Monica leads a Christmas edition of the library's toddler storytime, with seasonal books, songs to sing along with and a festive craft. It is planned for the youngest library visitors and the grown-ups who bring them.
It takes place on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. in Meeting Rooms A and B at the Clarksville Library. The program is for children from birth to age 4 with a caregiver. The listing shows no registration requirement or price.
Parent tip: At 45 minutes with a craft included, this is paced for babies and toddlers, so older siblings may get restless. Plan to sit with your child throughout, since it is built for little ones and caregivers together.
- Host
- Jeffersonville Township Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Clarksville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Clarksville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Clarksville.
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Holiday crafts
Christmas Cookie Decorating Party
- When: Monday, December 21, 2026, 12:30 to 2 pm (Open event, while supplies last.)
- Where: Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the library's page
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Families decorate Christmas cookies together at the Clarksville Library and end up with something festive that can also be eaten. It is run as an open event, so you join in when you arrive instead of following a set program.
The party is on Monday, December 21, 2026, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in Meeting Rooms A and B. It is listed for families and everyone, and it only lasts as long as the supplies do. No registration or price is shown on the page.
Parent tip: Supplies are limited and nothing is held back, so arrive close to 12:30 instead of near the end. The library says it cannot guarantee the food is free of tree nuts, soy or other allergens, so think that through first if your child has allergies.
- Host
- Jeffersonville Township Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Clarksville Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 1312 Eastern Blvd, Clarksville, IN 47129 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Clarksville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Clarksville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Clarksville.
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 Indiana Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Clarksville Christmas event for kids happens
The first is A Christmas Story: The Musical in Clarksville on November 11; the last runs to December 31. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- A Christmas Story: The MusicalClarksville · Nov 11 to Dec 31
- Christmas in CandylandClarksville · Nov 14 to Dec 19
- A Christmas Music Concert with Becky Gentry and Mike O'BryanClarksville · Dec 11
- Toddler Storytime: ChristmasClarksville · Dec 17
- Christmas Cookie Decorating PartyClarksville · Dec 21
Looking further afield? Our Indiana Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for New Albany, IN, Charlestown, Greensburg and Bloomington. 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 Clarksville
In Clarksville, Santa does not wait for families to come to him. For several years the town's firefighters have put him on a decorated fire truck and driven him through the neighborhoods, with a Parks Department van playing Christmas music along the way.
How Clarksville celebrates
Clarksville's best documented town tradition is the Santa Parade, run by the Clarksville Fire Department with the Parks Department. A 2021 town article said it had begun about four years earlier, when a few firefighters asked Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs whether Santa could ride a fire truck through the neighborhoods. The first year it was Santa and a single elf; later years added more elves, the Grinch and, in 2021, Frosty the Snowman. The town also runs a Christmas Lights Competition for homes, businesses and non-profit or municipal sites inside town limits. Indoors, Derby Dinner Playhouse fills its stage with holiday shows from mid-November through December.
Fun facts about Christmas in Clarksville
About 15 firefighters, along with some of their family members, decorate and light the fire trucks for the Santa Parade each year. The parade cannot reach every street in town, so the department has said it plans to widen the route over time. The Christmas Lights Competition splits home entries into two styles, an over-the-top 'Clark Griswold' category and a 'Traditional' category of garlands, wreaths and white lights, and every display has to be visible from the road.
Traditions today
- Santa Parade: The Clarksville Fire Department drives Santa through town neighborhoods on a lit-up fire truck while residents wave from their yards.
- Parks music van: A Parks Department van travels with the fire trucks and plays Christmas music along the route.
- Christmas Lights Competition: The town judges decorated homes, businesses and non-profit or municipal buildings inside town limits and names a Best Overall display.
- Holiday shows at Derby Dinner Playhouse: The dinner theater on Marriott Drive runs a main-stage Christmas musical and a children's holiday show through the season.
- Library holiday programs: The Clarksville Library hosts December programs such as a Christmas concert, a toddler storytime and cookie decorating.
A fact for kids
The very first Santa Parade had only Santa and one elf riding the fire truck. Since then the Grinch and Frosty the Snowman have joined the ride.
Questions about Christmas in Clarksville
How does Clarksville, Indiana celebrate Christmas?
The town's own traditions are the Santa Parade, in which firefighters drive Santa through neighborhoods on a decorated fire truck, and a Christmas Lights Competition for homes, businesses and public buildings. Derby Dinner Playhouse stages holiday shows from November into December, and the Clarksville Library runs seasonal programs for children.
When did the Clarksville Santa Parade start?
A Town of Clarksville article from December 2021 said the parade had started about four years earlier. A few firefighters asked Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs for a parade with Santa on a fire truck, and after watching the first one pass his own neighborhood he decided it should happen every year.
Who runs the Santa Parade in Clarksville?
The Clarksville Fire Department runs it together with the Clarksville Parks Department. The town reported that about 15 firefighters, plus some of their family members, decorate and light the trucks each year, and that a Parks Department music van plays Christmas songs as the procession moves through the neighborhoods.
Which characters ride in the Clarksville Santa Parade?
The town says the first parade had Santa and one elf. The following year a couple more elves and the Grinch came along, and in 2021 Frosty the Snowman was added. Santa rides on a fire truck and residents come out into their yards to wave and cheer.
Does the Santa Parade go down every street in Clarksville?
No. The town's 2021 article said the parade travels through local neighborhoods but cannot reach every Clarksville street, and that the fire department planned to expand the route each year. In 2021 it ran over two evenings, a Monday and a Tuesday shortly before Christmas.
What is the Clarksville Christmas Lights Competition?
It is a holiday decorating contest run by the Town of Clarksville for locations inside town limits. Categories cover residential displays, non-profit or municipal sites such as schools, churches and fire departments, and businesses, plus a Best Overall award judged on creativity, visual impact and holiday spirit.
What are the 'Clark Griswold' and 'Traditional' categories?
They are the two styles within the residential category of the town's Christmas Lights Competition. 'Clark Griswold' is for elaborate, over-the-top displays, while 'Traditional' is for nostalgic decorating with garlands, wreaths and white lights. An entry can be made in only one category, and it must be visible from the roadway.
When are Clarksville's Christmas light displays judged?
The town's most recent competition page gave an entry deadline of midnight on December 12, judging from December 12 through December 20 and winners announced the week of December 22. The page does not state the year, so check the Town of Clarksville site for the current season's dates.
Are there Christmas shows in Clarksville, Indiana?
Yes. Derby Dinner Playhouse at 525 Marriott Drive lists A Christmas Story: The Musical from November 11 to December 31, 2026, and a children's show, Christmas in Candyland, on select dates from November 14 to December 19, 2026. Santa and Mrs. Claus attend every Candyland performance.
Sources
- Annual 'Santa Parade' Spreads Christmas Cheer through the Town of Clarksville, Town of Clarksville
- Christmas Lights Competition, Town of Clarksville
- A Christmas Story The Musical, Derby Dinner Playhouse
- Christmas in Candyland, Derby Dinner Playhouse
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 Indiana city.
Clarksville Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Clarksville, Indiana to start with?
Start with Christmas in Candyland at Derby Dinner Playhouse, a children's show with a kid-friendly buffet that runs on select dates from November 14 to December 19, 2026. For something shorter and simpler, the Clarksville Library has a Christmas concert on December 11, a toddler storytime on December 17 and a cookie decorating party on December 21.
Which Clarksville Christmas events do not need tickets?
The three Clarksville Library programs list no tickets, registration or price: the Christmas Music Concert with Becky Gentry and Mike O'Bryan on December 11, Toddler Storytime: Christmas on December 17 and the Christmas Cookie Decorating Party on December 21. The cookie party is open only while supplies last, so earlier is better.
Where can kids see Santa in Clarksville?
Santa and Mrs. Claus are at every performance of Christmas in Candyland at Derby Dinner Playhouse, on select dates from November 14 to December 19, 2026. The Clarksville Library also says Santa may stop by its Christmas concert on Friday, December 11, though that visit is not guaranteed.
Are there Christmas shows for families in Clarksville?
Yes. Derby Dinner Playhouse runs A Christmas Story: The Musical from November 11 to December 31, 2026, with evening shows and Sunday and Wednesday matinees, and its children's show Christmas in Candyland on eight dates between November 14 and December 19. The library adds a live Christmas music concert on December 11.
What do the Derby Dinner Playhouse holiday shows cost?
Both shows need tickets. The theater lists Christmas in Candyland at $20 for the breakfast show and $25 for the lunch or dinner show, plus a $2 service fee per ticket, with the buffet included. The show page for A Christmas Story: The Musical does not list prices, so check with the theater when booking.
What Christmas events in Clarksville work for toddlers?
Toddler Storytime: Christmas at the Clarksville Library on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., is planned for children from birth to age 4 with a caregiver, with books, songs and a craft. The library's cookie decorating party on Monday, December 21, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., is open to all ages.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Clarksville?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Indiana Christmas train rides guide. This Clarksville 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.