Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Ithaca for 2026. The Downtown Ithaca Winter Holiday Bash brings Santa and a kids silent disco to the Commons on Saturday, December 5, the Habitat CookieWalk runs the same day at Center Ithaca, and decorated shop windows line downtown from November 27 to December 13. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our New York Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Ithaca
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Ithaca
- Winter Holiday Bash: Saturday, December 5, 11 am to 8 pm, free
- Santa arrives 11:30 am, Elf Hop kids disco 4:30 pm
- CookieWalk: December 5, 11 am to 3 pm at Center Ithaca
- Window displays: November 27 to December 13, free
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All 3 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
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Free Christmas events for kids in Ithaca
Santa and kids discoFree
Downtown Ithaca Winter Holiday Bash
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 11 am to 8 pm (Santa arrives at 11:30 am, Elf Hop for kids 4:30 to 5:30 pm)
- Where: Downtown Ithaca, The Commons, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages; Elf Hop is for kids 12 and under
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The Downtown Ithaca Alliance packs three celebrations into one Saturday on the Commons, starting with Santa’s arrival at 11:30 am to the Fall Creek Brass Band, with photos and treats until 2 pm.
At 4:30 pm the Elf Hop turns into a kids-only silent disco with glowing headphones for ages 12 and under, then the whole family gets headphones for the Family Silent Disco from 6 to 8 pm. Sparky the Unicorn wanders the Commons all day.
Parent tip: Saturday street meters run until 6 pm with a two-hour limit, so the Cayuga Street or Green Street garage is easier if you plan to stay from Santa to the disco.
- Host
- Downtown Ithaca Alliance (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Downtown Ithaca, The Commons, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ithaca events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ithaca daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ithaca.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Ithaca 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 Ithaca.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Ithaca 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
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Ithaca every week.
Holiday window walkFree
Downtown Ithaca Holiday Window Display Competition
- When: Friday, November 27 to Sunday, December 13, 2026, during business hours
- Where: Downtown Ithaca shops, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Downtown Ithaca businesses dress their front windows for the holidays, and families can walk the Commons and nearby blocks to see every display.
Shoppers vote for a People’s Choice winner, so kids can play judge and pick the window they like best before voting closes on December 13.
Parent tip: Turn the walk into a scavenger hunt by having each kid choose a favorite window, then cast your votes together.
- Host
- Downtown Ithaca Alliance (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Downtown Ithaca shops, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ithaca events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ithaca daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ithaca.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Ithaca
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
Holiday cookie sale
12th Annual CookieWalk
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 11 am to 3 pm, or until the cookies are gone
- Where: Center Ithaca, 171 E. State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to browse; cookies priced by the pound
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties fills the Center Ithaca building on the Commons with tables of homemade holiday cookies on the same day as the Winter Holiday Bash.
Kids get to pick their own favorites into a box that is paid for by weight, and every dollar goes toward building affordable housing locally. It makes a warm indoor stop between Santa and the evening disco.
Parent tip: The best cookies go early and the sale ends when tables empty, so come right at 11 am or pre-order through Habitat.
- Host
- Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Center Ithaca, 171 E. State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ithaca events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ithaca daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ithaca.
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 New York Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Ithaca Christmas event for kids happens
December 5 is the big day: meet Santa on the Commons in the morning, grab cookies at Center Ithaca before they run out, then come back at 4:30 pm for the Elf Hop. Walk the window displays on any other day through December 13.
- Downtown Ithaca Holiday Window Display CompetitionIthaca · Nov 27 to Dec 13
- Downtown Ithaca Winter Holiday BashIthaca · Dec 5
- 12th Annual CookieWalkIthaca · Dec 5
Looking further afield? Our New York Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Endicott, Binghamton, Syracuse and Manlius. 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 New York city.
Ithaca Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Ithaca this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Ithaca for 2026: the Downtown Ithaca Winter Holiday Bash and the CookieWalk on December 5, and the Holiday Window Display Competition from November 27 to December 13.
When is the Downtown Ithaca Winter Holiday Bash in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 11 am to 8 pm in Downtown Ithaca. Santa arrives at 11:30 am and the event is free.
What is the Elf Hop?
A kids-only silent disco for ages 12 and under, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm during the Winter Holiday Bash, with glowing headphones and holiday songs. A Family Silent Disco for all ages follows from 6 to 8 pm.
When is the Ithaca CookieWalk?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 11 am to 3 pm or until the cookies sell out, at Center Ithaca, 171 E. State Street. Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties.
Who do I contact about Ithaca holiday events?
The Downtown Ithaca Alliance at Adam@downtownithaca.com for the Bash and window displays, and Habitat for Humanity at Cookiewalk@tchabitat.com for the CookieWalk.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in New York?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s New York 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 Ithaca 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.