Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Hampton for 2026. The Phoebus neighborhood lights its tree at dusk on Friday, December 4, with a craft market on Mellen Street, and on Saturday, December 12, decorated boats parade down the Hampton River while Santa greets families dockside at Santa’s Boathouse. Both are free. We check every date on the host’s own website or the official tourism calendar and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Hampton
- 2 free Christmas events for kids in Hampton
- Phoebus Holiday Illumination: Friday, December 4, at dusk
- Lighted Boat Parade: Saturday, December 12, 6 to 7:30 pm
- Santa’s Boathouse: 5:30 to 9:30 pm at the Maritime Center
- Where: Phoebus and the Downtown Hampton waterfront
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Free Christmas events for kids in Hampton
Tree lightingFree
Phoebus Holiday Illumination and Craft Market
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, tree lighting at dusk
- Where: Phoebus parking lot behind the Phoebus Library, E Mellen St at County St, Hampton, VA 23663 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free, market vendors sell crafts
- Ages: All ages
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The Phoebus Partnership lights the neighborhood tree at dusk in the lot behind the Phoebus Library, with a craft market set up along Mellen Street in this small historic corner of Hampton near Fort Monroe.
It is a short, neighborly evening that suits younger kids, and the cafes on Mellen Street make it easy to grab hot chocolate before the lights come on.
Parent tip: Sunset is around 4:50 pm in early December, so arrive by 4:30 pm to browse the craft tables and find a spot near the tree before the lighting.
- Host
- The Phoebus Partnership (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Phoebus parking lot behind the Phoebus Library, E Mellen St at County St, Hampton, VA 23663 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Hampton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Hampton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Hampton.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Hampton 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 Hampton.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Hampton 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 Lights
- 1 Santa
- 1 Parades
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Hampton every week.
Boat paradeFree
Lighted Boat Parade and Santa’s Boathouse
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, parade 6 to 7:30 pm, Santa dockside 5:30 to 9:30 pm
- Where: Hampton Maritime Center, Downtown Hampton waterfront, 710 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
A fleet of decorated boats parades along the Hampton River past the Downtown Hampton waterfront from 6 to 7:30 pm, with an awards ceremony at 8 pm.
Santa’s Boathouse keeps Santa dockside from 5:30 to 9:30 pm for visits and family holiday portraits, so kids can see him before or after the boats go by.
Parent tip: Visit Santa at 5:30 pm before the parade crowd builds, then pick a railing spot along the waterfront, and check the free parking map on the Downtown Hampton site.
- Host
- Downtown Hampton Development Partnership (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Hampton Maritime Center, Downtown Hampton waterfront, 710 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Hampton events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Hampton daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Hampton.
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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 Virginia Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Hampton Christmas event for kids happens
Catch the small-town tree lighting in Phoebus on December 4, then come back downtown on December 12 to see Santa at the waterfront before the boats light up the river.
- Phoebus Holiday Illumination and Craft MarketHampton · Dec 4
- Lighted Boat Parade and Santa’s BoathouseHampton · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. 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 Virginia city.
Hampton Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Hampton this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 free Christmas events for kids in Hampton for 2026: the Phoebus Holiday Illumination on December 4 and the Downtown Hampton Lighted Boat Parade with Santa’s Boathouse on December 12.
When is the Hampton Lighted Boat Parade in 2026?
Saturday, December 12, 2026. Boats parade from 6 to 7:30 pm with awards at 8 pm, starting from the Hampton Maritime Center at 710 Settlers Landing Road.
Where can kids see Santa in Hampton?
At Santa’s Boathouse on the Downtown Hampton waterfront during the Lighted Boat Parade on December 12, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.
When is the Phoebus tree lighting?
Friday, December 4, 2026, at dusk, in the parking lot behind the Phoebus Library off Mellen Street, with a holiday craft market.
Who do I contact about Hampton holiday events?
For the boat parade, the Downtown Hampton Development Partnership at marketing@downtownhampton.com or 757-727-1271. For the Phoebus Holiday Illumination, the Phoebus Partnership at director@phoebusva.com.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Virginia?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Virginia 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 Hampton 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.