Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove for 2026. Hometown Holiday fills City Hall with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, wagon rides and 25,000 lights on Thursday, December 3, and the Winter Wonderland no-school-day program has kids making ornaments on Friday, December 4. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Minnesota Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Cottage Grove
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove
- Hometown Holiday: Thursday, December 3, 4:30 to 7 pm, free
- Santa, live reindeer, wagon rides and 25,000 lights
- Winter Wonderland: Friday, December 4, 9:30 am to noon, ages 5 to 12
- Every date checked on the City of Cottage Grove site on Nov 11
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All 2 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
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Free Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove
Holiday festivalFree
Hometown Holiday
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 4:30 to 7 pm (mayor’s welcome at 5:30 pm)
- Where: Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Pkwy S, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free (food trucks extra)
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Cottage Grove City Hall turns into a holiday village for an evening, with photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, a walking path of more than 30 holiday inflatables and 25,000 lights.
Kids pick up free crafts, games and prizes at the Tinker Shoppe and free treats at the Cider Shack, then warm up at the bonfires or in the Claus and Company Cabin while the Park High School choir sings from 5:45 pm.
Parent tip: The main road to City Hall closes, so park at the HERO Center or Washington County Service Center lots and ride the free wagon shuttle from 4:30 pm.
- Host
- City of Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Pkwy S, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cottage Grove events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cottage Grove daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cottage Grove.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Cottage Grove 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 Cottage Grove.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Cottage Grove 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 Lights
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Cottage Grove every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove
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
Kids holiday program
Winter Wonderland No School Day
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, 9:30 am to noon
- Where: Peter Thompson Park Building, 6327 Highland Hills Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $15, registration required
- Ages: Ages 5 to 12
Expand to see the parent tip
On the December 4 no-school day, Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation runs an indoor winter morning where kids make paper snowflakes and ornaments.
Winter-themed Minute to Win It games and a snack round it out, and staff handle the cleanup, which leaves parents a free morning for holiday shopping.
Parent tip: Register through the city’s online registration or call 651-458-3400, and send kids with an ornament hook so their creation goes straight on the tree.
- Host
- City of Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Peter Thompson Park Building, 6327 Highland Hills Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Cottage Grove events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Cottage Grove daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Cottage Grove.
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 Minnesota Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Cottage Grove Christmas event for kids happens
Spend Thursday evening at Hometown Holiday, then drop the kids at Winter Wonderland the next morning and use the free hours for gift shopping.
- Hometown HolidayCottage Grove · Dec 3
- Winter Wonderland No School DayCottage Grove · Dec 4
Looking further afield? Our Minnesota Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Lakeville and Delano. 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 Minnesota city.
Cottage Grove Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Cottage Grove for 2026, both from Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation: Hometown Holiday on December 3 and the Winter Wonderland no-school-day program on December 4.
When is Hometown Holiday in Cottage Grove in 2026?
Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 4:30 to 7 pm at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway South. It is free.
Is Santa at Cottage Grove Hometown Holiday?
Yes. Santa and Mrs. Claus are there for photos, along with live reindeer, a Tinker Shoppe with free crafts and a Cider Shack with free treats.
Where do I park for Hometown Holiday?
The main road to City Hall is closed during the event. Park at the HERO Center or the Washington County Service Center lots and take the wagon rides that start at 4:30 pm.
Who do I contact about Cottage Grove holiday events?
Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation at 651-458-3400, or Recreation Services Manager Molly Pietruszewski at mpietruszewski@cottagegrovemn.gov.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Minnesota?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Minnesota 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 Cottage Grove 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.