Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Delaware, Ohio for 2026. Main Street Delaware packs them into one Home for the Holidays weekend: a First Friday tree lighting with Santa and free skating on December 4, the Dash for Dasher reindeer hunt on December 5 and the Light the Night Christmas parade on December 6. Every date comes from Main Street Delaware’s own event pages. For the rest of the state, see our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Delaware
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Delaware, all on one weekend
- Tree Lighting: Friday, December 4, 6 pm to 9 pm, lighting at 7 pm, Santa at 8 pm
- Dash for Dasher: Saturday, December 5, 11 am to 1 pm, free
- Light the Night Parade: Sunday, December 6, 6 pm
- Every date checked on mainstreetdelaware.com on Nov 11
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All 3 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Delaware events researched for you.
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Free Christmas events for kids in Delaware
Tree lightingFree
First Friday Tree Lighting
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, from 6 pm to 9 pm, with the tree lighting ceremony at 7 pm and Santa from 8 pm to 9 pm
- Where: Downtown Delaware and the Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E. William St., Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, skating free, carriage rides $2 per person ages 6 and up
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Home for the Holidays weekend opens with First Friday on the main stage downtown, with local music groups, community vendors and festive activities from 6 pm.
The tree lighting countdown starts at 7 pm, the free skating rink behind the Welcome Center runs 5 pm to 9 pm, and Santa takes walk-in visits at the Welcome Center from 8 pm.
Parent tip: Skate first while the rink is quieter, then head to the Welcome Center right at 8 pm for Santa before the line builds.
- Host
- Main Street Delaware (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Downtown Delaware and the Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E. William St., Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Delaware events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Delaware daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Delaware.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Delaware 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 Delaware.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Delaware 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
- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
- 1 Shows
- 3 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Delaware every week.
Reindeer huntFree
Dash for Dasher Scavenger Hunt
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 11 am to 1 pm
- Where: Starts at COhatch, 18 E William Street, Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, voluntary donations to Main Street Delaware welcome
- Ages: Kids and families
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa has lost his reindeer Dasher somewhere downtown, and kids follow a trail of Santa’s clues through the shops of Delaware to track him down.
The hunt starts at COhatch on East William Street, and the same Saturday the Welcome Center hosts walk-in Santa visits from 11 am to noon and a kids-only skate with lessons from the Warcats hockey team from 1 pm to 3 pm.
Parent tip: Start the hunt right at 11 am so you can catch walk-in Santa visits at the Welcome Center before noon.
- Host
- Main Street Delaware (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Starts at COhatch, 18 E William Street, Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Delaware events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Delaware daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Delaware.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Christmas paradeFree
Light the Night Christmas Parade
- When: Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 6 pm
- Where: Mingo Park to Wilmer Street along Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The annual Light the Night parade steps off from Mingo Park and rolls down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street with glowing floats from local businesses and nonprofits.
Bob Hogensen emcees, and downtown shops stay open late, so families can warm up indoors after the last float passes.
Parent tip: Spend the afternoon at the Welcome Center skating rink, open 1 pm to 5 pm, then claim a curb on Sandusky Street before 6 pm.
- Host
- Main Street Delaware (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Mingo Park to Wilmer Street along Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Delaware events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Delaware daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Delaware.
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 Ohio Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Delaware Christmas event for kids happens
Book the whole first weekend of December: tree lighting and Santa on Friday night, the reindeer hunt and kids skate on Saturday, and the lighted parade on Sunday evening.
- First Friday Tree LightingDelaware · Dec 4
- Dash for Dasher Scavenger HuntDelaware · Dec 5
- Light the Night Christmas ParadeDelaware · Dec 6
Looking further afield? Our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Powell, Dublin, New Albany and Gahanna. 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 Ohio city.
Delaware Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Delaware, Ohio this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Delaware for 2026, all part of Main Street Delaware’s Home for the Holidays weekend: the tree lighting on December 4, Dash for Dasher on December 5 and the Light the Night parade on December 6.
When is the Delaware, Ohio tree lighting in 2026?
Friday, December 4, 2026. First Friday festivities run 6 pm to 9 pm downtown, and the tree lighting ceremony starts at 7 pm.
Where can kids see Santa in downtown Delaware?
At the Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E. William St., with walk-in visits from 8 pm to 9 pm on December 4 and from 11 am to noon on December 5.
When is the Delaware Christmas parade in 2026?
The Light the Night Christmas Parade is Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 6 pm, from Mingo Park down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street.
Who do I contact about Delaware holiday events?
Main Street Delaware at officeassistant@mainstreetdelaware.com or 740-362-6050.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Ohio?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Ohio 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 Delaware 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.