We confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Davao for 2026. The first is Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang on November 4, and the season runs until December 25 with Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao. All 2 are free. Every listing links straight to the host. This page is part of our guide to Christmas events for kids in the Philippines.
The short version
- 2 kids’ Christmas events confirmed for 2026 in Davao City
- First: Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang, Davao City, November 4
- Free events: Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang and Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao
Below is every event we could confirm, grouped by area, with the date, time, cost and the small things parents ask about (registration, ages, what is included).
Davao Christmas events for kids at a glance
- Kids’ Christmas events
- 2 confirmed for 2026
- Cities and areas
- Davao City
- Season
- November 4 to December 25
- Free events
- 2
- Last checked
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Christmas events for kids in Davao City
2 confirmed events in Davao City, soonest first.
Visit with SantaFree
Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang (Davao City)
- When: Daily through Dec 25, mall hours
- Where: SM Lanang Premier, Davao City
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Details, tips and host
The centerpiece is a 55 foot Christmas tree in the Atrium, decked with jewels, crystals and more than a thousand ornaments. It stands among 22 foot and 16 foot pearlized reindeer and 12 sparkling hanging trees, so it is an easy stop for family photos while you shop or eat.
The mall says Santa Claus greets shoppers during the season, and that there will be surprise carolers, Santa sightings and other festive activities for the whole family. Exact schedules were not published yet, so follow the mall's official social media pages before you go. Kids can also meet the Besties of Joy plush squad. A plush costs PHP 380, and for each one bought another is donated to a child from an underserved community, with the campaign running until Dec 25.
Parent tip: Look at the mall's official pages for the Santa and carol times before you travel, since only the season dates were announced. Weekend evenings are usually the busiest.
- Host
- SM Lanang Premier (opens in a new tab)
- Where
- SM Lanang Premier, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City 8000
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
Visit with SantaFree
Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao (Davao City)
- When: Daily through Dec 25, mall hours
- Where: SM City Davao, Davao City
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Details, tips and host
The Sparkling Holidays centerpiece at The Annex Event Center is a 30 foot Christmas tree decked with bright jewels and festive lights, set beside a red double decker bus and a King's Guard for a Christmas in London look. A second centerpiece in the mall's expansion wing adds more decorations to walk through.
The mall says Santa Claus greets shoppers during the season, and that families can expect Santa sightings and festive activities through the holidays. Exact schedules were not published yet, so follow SM City Davao's official social media pages for updates. Kids can meet the Besties of Joy plush squad. A plush costs PHP 380, and for every one bought another is donated to a child, with the campaign running until Dec 25.
Parent tip: Check the mall's official pages for Santa times before you go, as only the season dates were announced. The decorations are free to enjoy while you shop.
- Host
- SM City Davao (opens in a new tab)
- Where
- SM City Davao, Quimpo Boulevard corner Tulip Drive, Ecoland, Davao City 8000
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
More Christmas events for kids in the Philippines
A story for the trip home
Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is hand-painted in watercolor. It is a cozy five-minute read after a big day out.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor. Ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon.com (opens in a new tab)Davao Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What Christmas events for kids are in Davao in 2026?
We confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Davao for 2026, each on its host’s own page, including Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang (Davao City) and Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao (Davao City). Each one is listed above with times, cost and a link to the host.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Davao?
Yes, all 2 events here are free: Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang (Davao City) and Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao (Davao City).
Where can kids see Santa in Davao this year?
Santa appears at Dazzling Holidays at SM Lanang (Davao City) and Sparkling Holidays at SM City Davao (Davao City). Times and booking rules are in each listing above.
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, library or tourism calendar. We last checked every listing on November 4, 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.
2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November: unlock the list and we'll email you as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Davao
Davao City has one of the Philippines' quietest and most creative Christmases: no firecrackers, but plenty of paper party horns called torotot. Add dawn Masses, star lanterns and a month-long Pasko Fiesta, and you have a Christmas story all its own. Here is how Davao came to celebrate, with traditions your family can share.
Dawn Masses and the Roots of Simbang Gabi
Simbang Gabi means "night worship," and it began in the Spanish colonial era as a practical compromise for farmers who started work before sunrise. One history dates it to 1669, when priests who had planned evening prayers noticed that people still came to early-morning Masses. The Masses run daily from December 16 to 24. In the Archdiocese of Davao, nine early-morning Masses begin on December 16, and families reportedly fill the pews as early as 3:00 a.m. Church bells call people out into the cold air. Children, parents and elders come together, some carrying candles, in parishes and in small GKK (Gagmay'ng Kristohanong Katilingban) chapels both in the city and on the outskirts.
Treats After the Early Mass
Because breakfast was too early for farmers, the delicacies sold after pre-dawn Mass became a kind of merienda. In Davao, families enjoy puto maya, made with glutinous rice, ginger and coconut milk, and the article suggests eating it with hot tsokolate. Sikwate, suman and bibingka are also part of the morning. In Mindanao, bibingka makers use tuba, or coconut wine, instead of yeast or baking powder, and the batter is baked in banana-leaf-lined molds over charcoal. Puto bumbong is steamed in bamboo tubes and served with butter, brown sugar and grated coconut. In 2009, traditional food and delicacies were being sold outside the cathedral from December 16.
The Lantern Story: From Farol to Parol
The word parol comes from the Spanish word farol, meaning lantern. Under Spanish rule, lanterns were carried in Christmas novena processions, and early ones were rectangular paper lanterns lit by candles or coconut oil lamps. Oral accounts credit Pampanga artisan Francisco Estanislao with making the first five-pointed star parol in 1908. Davao has made lanterns part of its Pasko Fiesta. In 2009 the festival included a Parol Parade, and in 2018 all 182 barangays were encouraged to enter at least two lanterns in a contest. Since 2016 the city has bought lanterns made by inmates at the city jail, and in 2022 it ordered 300 bamboo star lanterns for street islands and all 22 public parks.
A Christmas Without Firecrackers
Davao City's firecracker-free Christmas began in 2001, when the mayor refused business permits to vendors and malls that planned to sell firecrackers and pyrotechnics. City Ordinance 060-02, passed on October 15, 2002, later banned making, selling, possessing and using them. Before the ban, the Catholic Church had moved the midnight Mass earlier for safety, and residents dealt with gunpowder smoke and streets littered with debris. Christmas 2001 and New Year 2002 were described as quiet, with families talking to each other instead of shouting over noise. Residents of nearby cities even began spending the holidays in Davao to avoid firecrackers.
Pasko Fiesta Grows Into a Month-Long Festival
Pasko Fiesta sa Davao is the city's Christmas tradition, a year-end celebration and thanksgiving for the year's blessings. By 2007 it ran from December 6 to January 6, with park light-ups, Christmas markets called paskohan in malls and streets, concerts, dance and singing contests and a caroling competition. In 2009 it opened on December 4 with the lighting ceremony Sidlak Silaw sa Dabaw and held district events in places such as Toril, Calinan and Tugbok. In 2017, a 40-foot tree was lit at Rizal Park, City Hall had a candy theme, and children enjoyed free ice cream and carnival rides.
Torotot: A Noisy Welcome Without Fireworks
With fireworks banned, Davao families found other ways to make joyful noise. Residents welcome the holidays with paper party horns called torotot, pots and pans, videoke and village dancing. In 2013 the city and Smart Communications held the first Torotot Festival at Freedom Park on Roxas Avenue, from 1 p.m. on December 31 until 1 a.m. on January 1. Officials counted 7,568 people blowing horns, which they reported as beating Japan's record of 6,900, though the claim was pending Guinness World Records validation. The festival is no longer listed as an active event, but the torotot lives on as a symbol of Davao's Christmas.
Sharing Christmas With Mountain Neighbors
Christmas in Davao has also been about welcoming guests. In the 2014 Christmas season, at least 11,000 families, about 30,000 people, came to the city from mountain villages and areas such as Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon. They are lumad, indigenous peoples, and they came to experience Christmas and share the season with city residents. The city housed them in public gymnasiums, provided food, clothing and other goods, and usually helped them return home by December 26. The 2016 Pasko Fiesta even included a program called Pasko Fiesta para sa mga Lumad.
Traditions today
- Wake up for Simbang Gabi: Nine early-morning Masses begin on December 16 in parishes and GKK chapels across Davao. Families come together, some carrying candles, and neighbors greet each other afterward.
- Enjoy puto maya and hot tsokolate: After Mass, vendors sell puto maya, sikwate, suman and bibingka. In Mindanao, bibingka is made with tuba and baked over charcoal in banana-leaf-lined molds.
- Look for parols in the barangays: The Pasko Fiesta has long included lantern contests and parades, and the city displays star-shaped bamboo parols on street islands and in public parks.
- Blow a torotot: Instead of firecrackers, families use paper party horns, pots and pans, and videoke to make a happy noise. The torotot was one of the symbols of the 2025 Pasko Fiesta, along with the parol and the nipa hut.
- See the Pasko Fiesta lights: The month-long festival turns City Hall and Rizal Park into light displays. In 2025 a 30-foot tree was lit at Rizal Park on November 27, and in 2023 a free mini-themed park had a mini Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.
- Shop at the paskohan: Christmas markets called paskohan have been set up in malls and streets during the season, and street vendors reported busier, better-earning days during the festivities.
- Look at Tagum's tall tree: In 2023, Tagum City, just over an hour's drive away, lit a 198-foot tree called Christmas under the Sea, described as the tallest in the Philippines.
A fact for kids
In Davao City, families greet Christmas with paper party horns called torotot instead of firecrackers, so everyone can celebrate loudly and safely!
Sources
- Pasko Fiesta, Davao City Tourism Office
- Christmas around Davao, SunStar Davao
- Davao City Torotot Festival, Wikipedia
- Only in Davao City: 15th Christmas and New Year with no firecrackers, MindaNews
- 'Lumad' celebrate with Davao folk, Philippine Daily Inquirer
- Pasko Fiesta like no other, SunStar
- Davao City officially opens Pasko Fiesta with Christmas tree lighting, SunStar Davao
- Pasko Fiesta kicks off with Lighting Ceremony, Edge Davao
- Absence of firecrackers marks Davao city's Yuletide season, Davao Today
- Misa de Gallo in the Archdiocese of Davao, Davao Catholic Herald
- Misa de Gallo delicacies, SunStar Davao
- 2 lanterns each barangay, SunStar Davao
- 300 lanterns made by inmates to light up Davao City streets, BusinessMirror
- Kids carnival, candyland-themed City Hall delight families in Davao City's Pasko Fiesta, Davao Today
- Simbang Gabi, Wikipedia
- Parol, Wikipedia