Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Kankakee for 2026. The Kankakee Valley Park District lights the tree at Bird Park with Santa and Mrs. Claus on December 1 and hosts Supper with Santa on December 9, and the city’s Christmas Parade rolls downtown to the Train Depot Fountain on Saturday, December 12. 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 Kankakee
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Kankakee
- Tree Lighting Celebration: Tuesday, December 1, 5:30 pm, Bird Park, free
- Supper with Santa: Wednesday, December 9, 6 pm, register by December 4
- Christmas Parade: Saturday, December 12, 4:30 pm, downtown
- Every date checked on kvpd.com and citykankakee-il.gov on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Kankakee
Tree lighting with SantaFree
KVPD Tree Lighting Celebration
- When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 5:30 to 7 pm; tree lighting at 6:15 pm
- Where: Bird Park, 893 W. Station St., Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Kankakee Valley Park District opens the season at Bird Park with Santa and Mrs. Claus, cookie decorating from Berkot’s, hot cocoa, face painting and reindeer games.
Local choirs and House of Brooks keep the music going until the tree lights up at 6:15 pm.
Parent tip: Arrive by 5:30 to decorate cookies and see Santa before the 6:15 lighting. The park district asks families to register online even though it is free.
- Host
- Kankakee Valley Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Bird Park, 893 W. Station St., Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Kankakee events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Kankakee daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Kankakee.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Kankakee 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 Kankakee.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Kankakee 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.
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- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Kankakee every week.
Downtown Christmas paradeFree
Kankakee Christmas Parade
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 4:30 pm
- Where: Downtown Kankakee, Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The 2026 Kankakee Christmas Parade steps off at 4:30 pm at North Schuyler Avenue and East Oak Street and heads south on Schuyler through downtown.
It turns east on East River Street and north on South East Avenue, finishing at the Train Depot Fountain, a natural stop for young train fans.
Parent tip: Stake out a spot near the Train Depot Fountain at the end of the route. It gets dark by 4:30 in December, so bring hats and a thermos.
- Host
- City of Kankakee (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Downtown Kankakee, Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Kankakee events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Kankakee daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Kankakee.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Kankakee
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
Dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Supper with Santa
- When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 6 to 8 pm; register by December 4
- Where: Bill Spriggs Civic Auditorium, 803 S. 8th Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Children $20, adults $8; everyone must be registered
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa and Mrs. Claus host dinner at the Bill Spriggs Civic Auditorium, with carols, photos and Santa reading ’Twas the Night Before Christmas to the kids.
Between courses, children make crafts and write letters in Santa’s Workshop Corner or play in the Reindeer Games Corner.
Parent tip: Pre-registration closes December 4 and adults must be on the registration too. Bring a phone for photos with both Clauses.
- Host
- Kankakee Valley Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Bill Spriggs Civic Auditorium, 803 S. 8th Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Kankakee events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Kankakee daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Kankakee.
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 Kankakee Christmas event for kids happens
See Santa free at the Bird Park tree lighting on December 1, then book Supper with Santa before the December 4 deadline. Finish with the parade on December 12 from a spot near the Train Depot Fountain.
- KVPD Tree Lighting CelebrationKankakee · Dec 1
- Supper with SantaKankakee · Dec 9
- Kankakee Christmas ParadeKankakee · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Joliet, Tinley Park, Shorewood and Romeoville. 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.
Kankakee Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Kankakee this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Kankakee for 2026: the KVPD Tree Lighting Celebration, Supper with Santa and the Kankakee Christmas Parade.
When is the Kankakee tree lighting in 2026?
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 pm at Bird Park, 893 W. Station Street, with the lighting at 6:15 pm. It is free, with Santa, Mrs. Claus, cookie decorating and cocoa.
When is the Kankakee Christmas Parade?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 4:30 pm. It starts at North Schuyler Avenue and East Oak Street and ends at the Train Depot Fountain.
How much is Supper with Santa in Kankakee?
$20 per child and $8 per adult. It is Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm at the Bill Spriggs Civic Auditorium, and registration closes December 4.
Who do I contact about Kankakee holiday events?
The Kankakee Valley Park District at info@kvpd.com for the tree lighting and supper, and the City of Kankakee at support@citykankakee-il.gov for the parade.
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 Kankakee 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.