Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Holmes Beach for 2026, and here is what he found: 5 family events. The magic runs from December 7 (December Monthly Challenge: Letters to Santa) through December 29, with The Christmas Crash Course (December 19) along the way. We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Florida Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Holmes Beach
- 5 Christmas events for kids in Holmes Beach
- Meet Santa: Family Storytime with Santa (from December 22)
- Also on the list: 3 story times and 5 craft workshops
- Season: December 7 (December Monthly Challenge: Letters to Santa) to December 29 (Coquina Beach Family Storytime)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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All 5 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
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- 5 Crafts
- 3 Story time
- 1 Santa
- 1 Zoos and museums
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Holmes Beach
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday event
December Monthly Challenge: Letters to Santa
- When: Monday, December 7, 2026 to Monday, December 28, 2026 (Month-long challenge. Drop in any day during library open hours in December; the calendar lists it on Mondays, December 7, 14, 21 and 28.)
- Where: Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: 4 to 18
Expand to see the parent tip
Children pick a template at the lobby table of the Island Branch Library and write a letter to Santa Claus, then tuck it into an envelope and address it. Showing the finished letter to a librarian earns a small reward, and the staff can mail it for you or you can carry it to the post office as a family.
This is a month-long challenge that is open any day during the library's open hours in December, and the calendar lists it on Mondays, December 7, 14, 21 and 28. The audience is ages 4 through 18. The page lists no price or registration.
Parent tip: There is no set time, so drop in whenever you are already at the library and let your child take as long as the letter needs. Go early in the month if you want the letter mailed with time to spare before Christmas.
- Host
- Manatee County Public Library System - Island Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Holmes Beach events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Holmes Beach daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Holmes Beach.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 4 more Holmes Beach 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 Holmes Beach.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Holmes Beach 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
- 5 Crafts
- 3 Story time
- 1 Santa
- 1 Zoos and museums
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Holmes Beach every week.
Holiday story time
Coquina Beach Family Storytime
- When: Tue December 15, Tue December 22 and Tue December 29, 2026, 10 to 11 am (Tuesdays. Held offsite at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach, not at the library.)
- Where: Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Dr S, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: Babies through age 7, with families
Expand to see the parent tip
The Island Branch Library takes story time to the sand at Coquina Beach for a Florida style Christmas read-aloud with Elsa and Anna from Frozen. After the stories, children make a holiday craft and listen to festive music with a view of the water.
It is listed for Tuesdays, December 15, 22 and 29, from 10:00 to 11:00 am. Look for the Manatee Library tent between Lifeguard Station 8 and the restrooms on the north side of Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Drive South in Bradenton Beach. The page lists no price or sign-up.
Parent tip: Dress children in beachwear and bring a towel to sit on, as the page suggests, since the whole hour is outdoors on the sand. On December 22 and 29 the library also lists a Santa story time at the branch for the same hour, so confirm which one you want before you drive.
- Host
- Manatee County Public Library System - Island Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Dr S, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Holmes Beach events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Holmes Beach daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Holmes Beach.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Holiday story time
The Polar Express Experience
- When: Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 6 to 7 pm
- Where: Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: 4 and up, with families
Expand to see the parent tip
The Island Branch Library reads The Polar Express aloud in its meeting room, then opens a hot cocoa bar and sets out supplies for do-it-yourself Polar Express snow globes. Pajamas are welcome, and the Friends of the Library supply the refreshments.
The evening is Wednesday, December 16, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. It is listed for children ages 4 and up, tweens, teens and families. The page mentions no price or registration.
Parent tip: Let children come in pajamas, since the page invites it and the 7:00 pm finish runs close to bedtime. A story, cocoa and a snow globe craft all fit into one hour, so arrive on time to catch the reading.
- Host
- Manatee County Public Library System - Island Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Holmes Beach events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Holmes Beach daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Holmes Beach.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Holiday crafts
The Christmas Crash Course
- When: Saturday, December 19, 2026, 4 to 5 pm
- Where: Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: 8 to 18
Expand to see the parent tip
Tweens and teens get a guided gift-wrapping demonstration at the Island Branch Library, plus supplies to make their own holiday gifts. Holiday hits play in the background while they work.
It is Saturday, December 19, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in the library's meeting room. The audience is tweens ages 8 to 12 and teens ages 13 to 18. No price or sign-up is listed on the page.
Parent tip: This one is pitched at ages 8 to 18 who still need a last-minute present, so have your child decide who the gift is for before arriving. With one hour for both wrapping and making, it helps to be there right at 4:00 pm.
- Host
- Manatee County Public Library System - Island Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Holmes Beach events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Holmes Beach daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Holmes Beach.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Story time with Santa
Family Storytime with Santa
- When: Tue December 22 and Tue December 29, 2026, 10 to 11 am (Tuesdays, December 22 and 29, as listed on the library calendar.)
- Where: Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: Babies through age 7, with families
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa Claus reads the stories himself at this holiday version of the library's Family Storytime. Afterward, families sing carols, make a craft and take turns telling Santa their Christmas wishes, with chances for photos.
It is listed for Tuesday, December 22, with a second date on Tuesday, December 29, from 10:00 to 11:00 am in the meeting room at the Island Branch Library. The audience runs from babies through age 7, plus families. The page lists no price or registration.
Parent tip: Children take turns talking to Santa after the reading, so plan to stay for the full hour. Since December 29 falls after Christmas, choose December 22 if sharing a wish list is the point.
- Host
- Manatee County Public Library System - Island Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Dr, Holmes Beach, FL 34217 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Holmes Beach events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Holmes Beach daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Holmes Beach.
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 Florida Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Holmes Beach Christmas event for kids happens
The first is December Monthly Challenge: Letters to Santa in Holmes Beach on December 7; the last runs to December 29. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- December Monthly Challenge: Letters to SantaHolmes Beach · Dec 7 to Dec 28
- Coquina Beach Family StorytimeHolmes Beach · Dec 15 to Dec 29
- The Polar Express ExperienceHolmes Beach · Dec 16
- The Christmas Crash CourseHolmes Beach · Dec 19
- Family Storytime with SantaHolmes Beach · Dec 22 to Dec 29
Looking further afield? Our Florida Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Ellenton, Bradenton, Sarasota and St. Petersburg. 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 Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Holmes Beach
When residents voted to incorporate in 1950, they weighed names like Palm City, Tarpon Beach and even Coquina Beach before settling on Holmes Beach. This December the Island Branch Library fills the calendar with Christmas story times, including one read by Santa and one held on the sand at Coquina Beach.
How Holmes Beach celebrates
Christmas for kids in Holmes Beach runs through the Island Branch Library at 5701 Marina Drive, part of the Manatee County Public Library System. All month, children can write letters to Santa at the lobby table. The library reads The Polar Express on December 16 with a hot cocoa bar supplied by the Friends of the Library, holds a gift-making Christmas Crash Course for tweens and teens on December 19 and welcomes Santa to Family Storytime on December 22 and 29. It also carries story time down Anna Maria Island to Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach, the city to the south, on Tuesdays starting December 15.
Fun facts about Christmas in Holmes Beach
Sam and Annie Cobb, the first non-indigenous settlers, homesteaded 160 acres on Anna Maria Island in 1896 and opened a post office from their home in 1902. The city is named for John E. Holmes Sr., who first came in 1907 as a railroad construction worker and returned after World War II to develop a planned community. Holmes Beach incorporated on March 13, 1950, by a vote of 46 to 13, and the 2020 census counted 3,010 residents.
Traditions today
- Family Storytime with Santa: Santa reads aloud in the library meeting room, then families sing carols, make a craft and share Christmas wishes.
- Coquina Beach Family Storytime: The library sets up its tent on the sand for a Florida style Christmas read-aloud with Elsa and Anna.
- The Polar Express Experience: Children in pajamas hear The Polar Express, visit a hot cocoa bar and build a snow globe.
- Letters to Santa: All through December, kids write and address a letter to Santa at the library's lobby table and earn a small reward.
- The Christmas Crash Course: Tweens and teens watch a gift-wrapping demonstration and make last-minute holiday gifts.
A fact for kids
Holmes Beach once had its own small airport, where one pilot used a plane as an air taxi during tourist season. Parts of a 1948 movie called On an Island with You were filmed here too.
Questions about Christmas in Holmes Beach
When was Holmes Beach founded?
Holmes Beach was officially incorporated on March 13, 1950, at a meeting where 46 people voted in favor, 13 voted against and 1 abstained. Settlement goes back further: Sam and Annie Cobb homesteaded 160 acres on Anna Maria Island in 1896.
How did Holmes Beach get its name?
The city is named for John E. Holmes Sr., a property developer who first came to the area in 1907 as a railroad construction worker. He returned after World War II to build a planned community. Other names considered in 1950 included Palm City, Mid-Island Beach, Coquina Beach and Tarpon Beach.
Where is Holmes Beach?
Holmes Beach occupies the central part of Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida. It is one of three cities on the island, with Anna Maria to the north and Bradenton Beach to the south. The city limits also include the bayside island of Key Royale.
How many people live in Holmes Beach?
The 2020 census counted 3,010 residents, down from 3,836 in 2010. The city covers 1.91 square miles, of which 1.68 square miles are land. The median age of residents in 2020 was 64.7 years.
Was a movie filmed in Holmes Beach?
Yes. In 1948, parts of the film On an Island with You were shot in the Holmes Beach community. Its cast included Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante and Cyd Charisse.
When did Manatee Public Beach open?
Manatee Public Beach, at the intersection of Manatee Avenue and Gulf Drive, opened in 1952 under the name Manatee County Public Beach. A local Kiwanis Club chapter managed it, and the proceeds went to local charity efforts.
What happens at Christmas in Holmes Beach for kids?
The Island Branch Library hosts a month-long Letters to Santa challenge, a Polar Express read-aloud with hot cocoa on December 16, a gift-making Christmas Crash Course on December 19 and Family Storytime with Santa on December 22 and 29. It also holds a Christmas story time on Coquina Beach.
Where can kids see Santa in Holmes Beach?
Santa reads aloud at Family Storytime with Santa in the meeting room of the Island Branch Library on Tuesday, December 22, from 10:00 to 11:00 am, with December 29 also listed. After the stories, children sing carols, make a craft and tell Santa their wishes.
Who organizes the Christmas events in Holmes Beach?
The Island Branch Library of the Manatee County Public Library System runs all five programs in this guide. Most meet in the library's meeting room or lobby at 5701 Marina Drive. The Friends of the Library provide the refreshments for the Polar Express Experience on December 16.
Are the Holmes Beach library Christmas programs free?
The library's event pages do not state a price or say outright that the programs are free, and none lists registration. Letters to Santa is a drop-in activity during open hours all December. Contact the Island Branch Library to confirm details before you go.
Is there a Christmas story time on the beach?
Yes. The Island Branch Library holds Coquina Beach Family Storytime on Tuesdays, December 15, 22 and 29, from 10:00 to 11:00 am. The library tent is set up between Lifeguard Station 8 and the restrooms on the north side of Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Drive South, Bradenton Beach.
Sources
- Holmes Beach, Florida, Wikipedia
- December Monthly Challenge: Letters to Santa, Manatee County Public Library System
- Coquina Beach Family Storytime, Manatee County Public Library System
- The Polar Express Experience, Manatee County Public Library System
- The Christmas Crash Course, Manatee County Public Library System
- Family Storytime with Santa, Manatee County Public Library System
Keep 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 Florida city.
Holmes Beach Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Holmes Beach to start with?
Start with Family Storytime with Santa on Tuesday, December 22, at 10:00 am at the Island Branch Library, where Santa reads aloud and hears wishes. The Polar Express Experience on Wednesday, December 16, at 6:00 pm adds a hot cocoa bar and a snow globe craft, and pajamas are welcome.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Holmes Beach?
The library's event pages do not list a price or state that the programs are free, and none mentions registration. The Letters to Santa challenge is the most flexible: children can drop in any day in December during open hours and write a letter at the lobby table.
Where can kids meet Santa in Holmes Beach?
Santa reads at Family Storytime with Santa at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, on Tuesday, December 22, from 10:00 to 11:00 am, with a second date listed for December 29. Children take turns sharing their Christmas wishes, and there are photo opportunities.
Is there a Christmas event on the beach near Holmes Beach?
Yes. Coquina Beach Family Storytime brings a Florida style Christmas read-aloud with Elsa and Anna to the sand on Tuesdays, December 15, 22 and 29, at 10:00 am. The library tent sits between Lifeguard Station 8 and the restrooms on the north side of Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach.
Which Holmes Beach Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?
None of the five library pages mentions tickets or registration. Letters to Santa is a drop-in challenge all month, and the story times, the Polar Express Experience on December 16 and the Christmas Crash Course on December 19 list set times only. Ask the Island Branch Library if your plans depend on a spot.
What Christmas events does Holmes Beach have for tweens and teens?
The Christmas Crash Course on Saturday, December 19, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm is aimed at ages 8 to 18, with a gift-wrapping demonstration and supplies for handmade gifts. Tweens and teens are also in the listed audience for the Polar Express Experience on December 16 and the Letters to Santa challenge.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Holmes Beach?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Florida Christmas train rides guide. This Holmes Beach guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
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 every listing on November 10, 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.