Christmas Events for Kids in Lafayette, IN (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 4 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Lafayette, IN for 2026, and here is what he found: 3 family events, 1 of them free. They are We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation (November 20), Film Series: The Polar Express (November 29) and Meet a Reindeer! With Silly Safaris (December 28). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Indiana Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Lafayette

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Lafayette
  • 1 free event, including Film Series: The Polar Express
  • Also on the list: 1 Christmas show
  • Season: November 20 (We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation) to December 28 (Meet a Reindeer! With Silly Safaris)
  • Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10

Free Christmas events for kids in Lafayette

Holiday eventFree

Film Series: The Polar Express

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The Long Center shows The Polar Express on the big screen in its historic Mars Theatre as part of its film series. The 2004 animated film, based on the Chris Van Allsburg picture book, follows a doubting boy on a train ride to the North Pole. It is rated G and runs 1 hour 40 minutes.

The screening is on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with doors at 1:00 p.m., at 111 N Sixth Street. Admission is free, but advance tickets are required and every person of any age needs one. Concessions sell soda, water, snacks and candy.

Parent tip: Reserve a free ticket for every member of the family, babies included, before you go, because entry depends on advance tickets. Doors open a full hour early, which gives you time to settle little ones and visit concessions before the film starts.

Host
Long Center for the Performing Arts (opens in a new tab)
Address
Long Center for the Performing Arts, Mars Theatre, 111 N 6th St, Lafayette, IN 47901 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Long Center for the Performing Arts (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

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Coming up on this page

  • 2 Zoos and museums
  • 1 Shows
  • 1 Trains
  • 1 Free

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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Lafayette

Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.

Holiday show

We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation

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A touring cast of 20 Irish dancers and musicians tells a Christmas adventure on the Mars Theatre stage. King Balthazar and his sons travel west with Clara and her Knights while a villain tries to steal the crown and snuff out the Christmas spirit. The music is an original holiday score by composer Joe Sanders.

The show is on Friday, November 20, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Center, 111 N Sixth Street, with the box office and doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Everyone needs a seat ticket regardless of age, and the page does not list prices. Concessions sell snacks, candy and drinks.

Parent tip: A 7:30 p.m. curtain makes this a late night for young children, and there is no lap seating because every age needs a ticket. The balcony has no elevator, so book main floor seats if stairs are a problem for anyone in your group.

Host
Long Center for the Performing Arts (opens in a new tab)
Address
Long Center for the Performing Arts, Mars Theatre, 111 N 6th St, Lafayette, IN 47901 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Long Center for the Performing Arts (opens in a new tab)

New Lafayette events every week

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Holiday event

Meet a Reindeer! With Silly Safaris

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Silly Safaris brings live animals to the library in the quiet week after Christmas, and one of them is a reindeer. The presenters show a variety of animals during the hour. The Wyandotte Branch session is the last of three library stops that day.

The Wyandotte program is on Monday, December 28, 2026, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Timberstone Homes Meeting Room, 5542 E 50 S. Tickets are reserved by phone starting December 21, and the Wyandotte number is (765) 447-4774. The page does not list a price.

Parent tip: Phone the branch on December 21, the first day tickets can be reserved. If the 4:00 p.m. Wyandotte session does not suit you, the page also gives phone numbers for the 11:00 a.m. Klondike and 2:00 p.m. Holman sessions.

Host
Tippecanoe County Public Library (opens in a new tab)
Address
Wyandotte Branch Library (Timberstone Homes Meeting Room), 5542 E 50 S, Lafayette, IN 47905 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Tippecanoe County Public Library (opens in a new tab)

New Lafayette events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Lafayette daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Lafayette.

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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 Indiana Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Lafayette Christmas event for kids happens

The first is We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation in Lafayette on November 20; the last runs to December 28. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.

Looking further afield? Our Indiana Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Zionsville, Brownsburg, Plainfield and Indianapolis. 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.

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

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.

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2026 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 Lafayette

The first official airmail delivery in the United States lifted off by balloon from the Lafayette courthouse grounds on August 17, 1859. The city on the Wabash River now starts its Christmas season indoors at the Long Center, where an Irish dance show and a free screening of The Polar Express fill the historic Mars Theatre in late November.

How Lafayette celebrates

The listed family events in Lafayette center on two hosts. The Long Center for the Performing Arts, on North Sixth Street, brings the touring show We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation to its Mars Theatre on November 20, 2026, and then shows The Polar Express there on November 29 as a free film series event with advance tickets. After Christmas, Tippecanoe County Public Library hosts Silly Safaris and a live reindeer on December 28, with sessions at three branches including the Wyandotte Branch in Lafayette. The Long Center asks for donations to help it keep offering free community events.

Fun facts about Christmas in Lafayette

Lafayette was platted in May 1825 by William Digby, a trader, and became the seat of Tippecanoe County the following year. It is named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who aided George Washington's army. Railroads reached the town in the 1850s, and Amtrak's Cardinal still stops in Lafayette. The 2020 census counted 70,783 residents.

Traditions today

  • The Polar Express at the Long Center: The Long Center shows the G-rated train film in its Mars Theatre on November 29, 2026, free with advance tickets.
  • We Three Kings Irish dance show: Twenty Irish dancers and musicians bring a Christmas adventure story to the Mars Theatre on November 20, 2026.
  • Meet a Reindeer with Silly Safaris: Tippecanoe County Public Library hosts a live animal program with a reindeer at three branches on December 28, 2026.
  • The Mars Theatre: The Long Center calls its home a historic venue, and both of its listed holiday events take place in the Mars Theatre at 111 N Sixth Street.
  • Wyandotte Branch Library: The Wyandotte Branch, one of the county library's locations in the Lafayette area, holds the 4:00 p.m. reindeer session.

A fact for kids

In 1859 a balloon pilot named John Wise took off from Lafayette carrying mail and hoped to reach New York. The weather forced him down near Crawfordsville, Indiana, and the letters finished their trip by train.

Questions about Christmas in Lafayette

When was Lafayette, Indiana founded?

Lafayette was platted in May 1825 by William Digby, a trader, on the southeast bank of the Wabash River. The next year it was named the county seat of the newly formed Tippecanoe County. A French fort and trading post had stood nearby since 1717.

How did Lafayette get its name?

Like many frontier towns, it was named for General Lafayette, the French officer who helped George Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The Marquis de Lafayette toured the United States in 1824 and 1825, just as the town was being laid out.

What happens in Lafayette at Christmas for families?

In 2026 the Long Center hosts We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation on November 20 and a free showing of The Polar Express on November 29. On December 28, Tippecanoe County Public Library welcomes Silly Safaris and a live reindeer at the Wyandotte Branch.

Where is the Long Center for the Performing Arts?

The Long Center is at 111 North Sixth Street in Lafayette. Its holiday events take place in the Mars Theatre. The venue notes that it is historic and has no elevator to the balcony, and its box office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Who organizes Lafayette's listed Christmas events?

The Long Center for the Performing Arts presents both the Irish dance show and The Polar Express screening. Tippecanoe County Public Library organizes Meet a Reindeer, bringing the Silly Safaris animal program to its Klondike, Holman and Wyandotte branches on the same day.

What is free at Christmas in Lafayette?

The Polar Express at the Long Center on November 29, 2026 is free, though every person needs an advance ticket to get in. The Long Center invites donations to help it create free community events. The other two listed events do not state a price.

Does a train still stop in Lafayette?

Yes. Amtrak's Cardinal serves Lafayette on its route to Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York City. Railroads first reached the town in the 1850s, and many lines that once ran through downtown were moved in the mid-1990s to a corridor near the Wabash River.

What was the first airmail flight from Lafayette?

On August 17, 1859, John Wise piloted a balloon from the Lafayette courthouse grounds in the first official airmail delivery in the United States. Weather forced it down near Crawfordsville, and the mail went on by train. A 1959 stamp marked the centennial.

How many people live in Lafayette?

The 2020 census recorded 70,783 people in Lafayette. The city sits across the Wabash River from West Lafayette, home to Purdue University, and together the two form the core of a metropolitan area of 235,066 people.

How old is the Tippecanoe County Courthouse?

The Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette was built from 1882 to 1884 at a cost of around $500,000, about double the original estimate. Lafayette has been the county seat since 1826, the year after the town was platted.

Sources

  1. Lafayette, Indiana, Wikipedia
  2. We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation, Long Center for the Performing Arts
  3. FILM SERIES: The Polar Express, Long Center for the Performing Arts
  4. Meet a Reindeer! With Silly Safaris, Tippecanoe County Public Library

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 Indiana city.

Lafayette Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Lafayette to start with?

The free showing of The Polar Express at the Long Center on Sunday, November 29, 2026 is the easiest first pick for young children, since it is rated G and held in the afternoon. For animal lovers, Meet a Reindeer with Silly Safaris comes to the Wyandotte Branch Library on Monday, December 28.

Are there free Christmas events for families in Lafayette?

Yes. The Long Center's film series screening of The Polar Express on November 29, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. is free. You still need an advance ticket for every person, whatever their age. The library's reindeer program on December 28 does not list a price, and tickets for it are reserved by phone.

Is there a Christmas show in Lafayette that kids can attend?

We Three Kings: The Irish Dance Christmas Sensation plays the Long Center's Mars Theatre on Friday, November 20, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. It features 20 Irish dancers and musicians in a Christmas adventure story. Children are welcome, but each person needs a seat ticket and the evening start is late for little ones.

Which Lafayette Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?

All three. We Three Kings on November 20, 2026 is a ticketed show. The Polar Express on November 29 is free with required advance tickets. Meet a Reindeer on December 28 asks families to call the library branch to reserve tickets, starting on December 21.

Where can kids see a real reindeer in Lafayette?

Silly Safaris brings a reindeer and other animals to Tippecanoe County Public Library branches on Monday, December 28, 2026. The Wyandotte Branch session in Lafayette runs from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Earlier sessions that day are at the Klondike branch at 11:00 a.m. and the Holman branch at 2:00 p.m.

What should parents know about the Long Center before a holiday visit?

The Long Center describes itself as a historic venue and warns that there is no elevator to the balcony. For We Three Kings on November 20, 2026 and The Polar Express on November 29, choose main floor seats if anyone in your group cannot manage stairs. Concessions sell snacks, candy and drinks.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Lafayette?

Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Indiana Christmas train rides guide. This Lafayette 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.

Kelsey Cecil
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