Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville, North Carolina, for 2026. Winterfest brings Santa, sledding, ice skating and a New River flotilla to Riverwalk Crossing Park on Saturday, December 5, and the Jack Amyette Recreation Center hosts Breakfast with Santa on Monday, December 21. We check every date on an official city or county tourism calendar and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our North Carolina Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Jacksonville
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville, NC
- Winterfest: Saturday, December 5, 1 to 6 pm, free
- Santa, sledding, ice skating, petting zoo, flotilla after dark
- Breakfast with Santa: Monday, December 21, 9 to 11 am, $5
- Every date checked on official city and county calendars on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville
Winter festival with SantaFree
Jacksonville Winterfest Family Festival
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 1 to 6 pm, with a boat flotilla on the New River after dark
- Where: Riverwalk Crossing Park, 421 Court Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission and parking
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Jacksonville Recreation and Parks turns Riverwalk Crossing Park into a winter playground with sledding, ice skating, a petting zoo, live music and children’s activities.
Santa makes his arrival at the Riverwalk and then stays for visits, a candy shoppe opens at the Kerr Street Rec Center, and a lighted flotilla cruises the New River once it gets dark.
Parent tip: Park in the free Park and Ride lot at the Jacksonville Commons Recreation Complex, and stay past sunset for the flotilla on the river.
- Host
- Jacksonville Recreation and Parks (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Riverwalk Crossing Park, 421 Court Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Jacksonville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Jacksonville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Jacksonville.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Jacksonville 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 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Jacksonville every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville
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
Breakfast with Santa
Breakfast with Santa at Jack Amyette Recreation Center
- When: Monday, December 21, 2026, 9 to 11 am
- Where: Jack Amyette Recreation Center, 1825 South Drive, Jacksonville, NC 28540 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $5
- Ages: Young children with a parent
Expand to see the parent tip
With school out for winter break, the Jack Amyette Recreation Center serves a light breakfast to little ones and their families.
Kids make a holiday craft and get their chance to sit down and chat with Santa before the big night.
Parent tip: Bring the wish list along, since the chat with Santa comes just four days before Christmas.
- Host
- Jacksonville Recreation and Parks (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Jack Amyette Recreation Center, 1825 South Drive, Jacksonville, NC 28540 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Jacksonville events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Jacksonville daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Jacksonville.
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 North Carolina Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Jacksonville Christmas event for kids happens
Spend the afternoon of December 5 at Winterfest and stay for the flotilla, then save the morning of December 21 for breakfast with Santa once school is out.
- Jacksonville Winterfest Family FestivalJacksonville · Dec 5
- Breakfast with Santa at Jack Amyette Recreation CenterJacksonville · Dec 21
Looking further afield? Our North Carolina Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Wilmington, Fayetteville, Raleigh and Apex. 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 North Carolina city.
Jacksonville Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville, NC this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Jacksonville for 2026: Winterfest at Riverwalk Crossing Park on December 5 and Breakfast with Santa at the Jack Amyette Recreation Center on December 21.
When is Jacksonville Winterfest in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 1 to 6 pm at Riverwalk Crossing Park, 421 Court Street, with a flotilla on the New River after dark.
Is Winterfest free?
Yes. Admission and parking are free. Parking is in the Park and Ride lot at the Jacksonville Commons Recreation Complex.
How much is Breakfast with Santa in Jacksonville?
$5. It runs Monday, December 21, 2026, from 9 to 11 am at the Jack Amyette Recreation Center, 1825 South Drive.
Who do I contact about Jacksonville holiday events?
Jacksonville Recreation and Parks. For Winterfest, the Citywide Services Supervisor at acariaso@jacksonvillenc.gov. For Breakfast with Santa, the recreation center programs contact at mstrickland@jacksonvillenc.gov.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in North Carolina?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s North Carolina 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 Jacksonville 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.