Rally the corgi has sniffed out 3 Christmas events for kids in East Peoria for 2026, all from the city’s Festival of Lights. Folepi’s Winter Wonderland lights up VFW Post 2078 Park every night from November 27 to January 3, Santa serves up pancakes and photos on December 12, and he reads a story at the Fondulac District Library on December 17. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in East Peoria
- 3 Christmas events for kids in East Peoria
- Folepi’s Winter Wonderland: nightly, November 27 to January 3, $10 a car
- Breakfast and Photos with Santa: Saturday, December 12, register by December 3
- Storytime with Santa: Thursday, December 17, 6 to 7 pm, free
- Every date checked on the City of East Peoria website on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in East Peoria
Free story time with SantaFree
FOLEPI Night at the Library: Storytime with Santa
- When: Thursday, December 17, 2026, 6 to 7 pm, drop in
- Where: Fondulac District Library, 400 Richland Street, East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
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Santa settles in at the Fondulac District Library to read a story to East Peoria kids, with Folepi and festival royalty along for the evening.
After the story there is a craft and a snack, and families can take their own photos with Santa before heading home.
Parent tip: No registration is needed for this drop-in hour. Arrive a few minutes early to get a good spot on the floor for the story.
- Host
- East Peoria Festival of Lights (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Fondulac District Library, 400 Richland Street, East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Peoria events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Peoria daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Peoria.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more East Peoria 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 East Peoria.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in East Peoria 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 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in East Peoria every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in East Peoria
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
Drive-through light park
Folepi’s Winter Wonderland
- When: Nightly from Friday, November 27, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027: 5 to 9 pm Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 pm Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 9 pm from December 26 on
- Where: VFW Post 2078 Park, 123 Par 3 Lane, East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $10 per car, truck or van, paid at the entrance booth (cash or card)
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The East Peoria Festival of Lights parks most of its Parade of Lights floats in one big drive-through display, so kids can roll past the Candy Cane Factory, the ski jumper, Prehistoric Land, Space Land and a lit-up Western town without leaving the car.
The loop takes about 30 minutes, and you can tune the radio to 88.1 FM for holiday music. On Tuesday nights kids can hand letters to Santa himself at Letters to Santa Tuesday.
Parent tip: Go Sunday through Thursday if you can. Friday and Saturday lines get very long close to Christmas, and admission is sold only at the gate, never online.
- Host
- East Peoria Festival of Lights (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- VFW Post 2078 Park, 123 Par 3 Lane, East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Peoria events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Peoria daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Peoria.
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Pancakes with Santa and Folepi
Breakfast and Photos with Santa
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, in two one-hour slots: 9 to 10 am and 10 to 11 am. Register online by December 3.
- Where: Festival Building, 2200 E. Washington St., East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free for kids 2 and under, $5 ages 3 to 12, $10 ages 13 and up; adults not eating are free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Kids sit down to pancakes and sausage at the Festival Building, then meet Santa along with Folepi, the festival’s toy soldier mascot, and the 2026 Festival of Lights royalty.
Every child goes home with a goodie bag, and proceeds from the morning go to East Peoria St. Jude Runs.
Parent tip: Bring your own camera or phone for the Santa photos. Tickets are sold online only, by card, and registration closes December 3.
- Host
- East Peoria Festival of Lights (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Festival Building, 2200 E. Washington St., East Peoria, IL 61611 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Peoria events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Peoria daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Peoria.
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 Illinois Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each East Peoria Christmas event for kids happens
Book Breakfast with Santa before December 3, then plan a weeknight drive through Folepi’s Winter Wonderland to skip the weekend lines. Save Thursday, December 17, for the free library story time.
- Folepi’s Winter WonderlandEast Peoria · Nov 27 to Jan 3
- Breakfast and Photos with SantaEast Peoria · Dec 12
- FOLEPI Night at the Library: Storytime with SantaEast Peoria · Dec 17
Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Peoria, Normal, Bloomington and Springfield. 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 Illinois city.
East Peoria Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in East Peoria this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in East Peoria for 2026, all run by the East Peoria Festival of Lights: Folepi’s Winter Wonderland, Breakfast and Photos with Santa, and Storytime with Santa at the library.
When does Folepi’s Winter Wonderland open in 2026?
It opens Friday, November 27, 2026, and runs nightly through Sunday, January 3, 2027, at 123 Par 3 Lane in VFW Post 2078 Park. Hours are 5 to 9 pm Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 pm Friday and Saturday.
How much does Folepi’s Winter Wonderland cost?
$10 for a car, truck or van, paid at the entrance booth by cash, credit or debit card. Tickets are not sold online.
When is Breakfast with Santa in East Peoria?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, at the Festival Building, 2200 E. Washington St., with slots at 9 and 10 am. Kids 2 and under are free, ages 3 to 12 are $5 and everyone 13 and up is $10. Registration closes December 3.
Who do I contact about East Peoria holiday events?
The East Peoria Festival of Lights at folepi@cityofeastpeoria.com or 309-698-4715.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Illinois?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois 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 East Peoria 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.