Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Leland for 2026. Leland in Lights glows every night at Founders Park with Leland Express train rides and Santa on select weekends, Cookies with Santa comes to the Leland Cultural Arts Center on Tuesday, December 8, and sensory-friendly Santa visits follow on Saturday, December 12. We check every date on the town’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our North Carolina Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Leland
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Leland
- Leland in Lights: nightly at Founders Park through January 3
- Leland Express trains 5:30 to 8:30 pm on weekend nights, Santa Dec 5, 11 and 18
- Cookies with Santa: Tuesday, December 8, 6:30 pm, $5
- Sensory-Friendly Santa: Saturday, December 12, 12 to 3 pm
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- 1 Shows
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Free Christmas events for kids in Leland
Park lights and train ridesFree
Leland in Lights
- When: Nightly at dusk through January 3, 2027; Leland Express train rides 5:30 to 8:30 pm on weekend nights including December 3 to 5, 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, 2026; Santa visits 6 to 8 pm on December 5, 11 and 18
- Where: Founders Park, 113 Town Hall Drive, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to visit
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Founders Park lights up every night at dusk for the whole season, and on the busy weekends the town adds rides around the park on the Leland Express trains, food trucks and live entertainment.
Santa drops in from 6 to 8 pm on December 5, 11 and 18, and the park shows Home Alone on December 5 and A Christmas Story on December 12 at 6 pm, so pick a night that matches what your kids want most.
Parent tip: Aim for a Santa night like December 5, when you can ride the Leland Express, see Santa and catch Home Alone in one trip.
- Host
- Town of Leland Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Founders Park, 113 Town Hall Drive, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Leland events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Leland daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Leland.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Leland 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 Leland.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Leland 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
- 3 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Leland every week.
Sensory-friendly SantaFree
Sensory-Friendly Santa Visits
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 12 to 3 pm
- Where: Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Pre-registration required
- Ages: Kids and individuals with specific needs
Expand to see the parent tip
Leland sets aside a calm, sensory-friendly afternoon for kids and adults with specific needs to visit Santa without crowds, noise or long lines.
Visits are booked ahead through the town, which lets each family take its time and keeps the room quiet.
Parent tip: Pre-register for a time slot and tell staff about any needs, then bring a favorite comfort item for the wait.
- Host
- Town of Leland Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Leland events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Leland daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Leland.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Leland
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
Cookies and stories with Santa
Cookies with Santa
- When: Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 6:30 to 8 pm
- Where: Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $5, registration required
- Ages: Kids with a parent or guardian
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa settles in at the Leland Cultural Arts Center for an evening of milk and cookies, a holiday craft and story time.
Register only the children attending, and plan on no more than two adults per family, since the town keeps this one small and cozy.
Parent tip: Sign up early on the town registration site, and bring a bag to carry home the craft.
- Host
- Town of Leland Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC 28451 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Leland events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Leland daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Leland.
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 Leland Christmas event for kids happens
Pick a Santa night at Leland in Lights for train rides and photos, then book Cookies with Santa or a sensory-friendly visit at the Cultural Arts Center before the spots fill.
- Leland in LightsLeland · Nov 28 to Dec 18
- Cookies with SantaLeland · Dec 8
- Sensory-Friendly Santa VisitsLeland · Dec 12
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.
Leland Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Leland this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Leland for 2026, all from the Town of Leland: Leland in Lights at Founders Park, Cookies with Santa on December 8 and Sensory-Friendly Santa Visits on December 12.
Is there a train ride at Leland in Lights?
Yes. The Leland Express trains run around Founders Park from 5:30 to 8:30 pm on weekend nights, including December 3 to 5, 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, 2026.
When is Santa at Leland in Lights?
Santa visits Founders Park from 6 to 8 pm on December 5, 11 and 18, 2026.
When is Cookies with Santa in Leland?
Tuesday, December 8, 2026, from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way. It costs $5 and registration is required.
Who do I contact about Leland holiday events?
Leland Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources at recreation@townofleland.com or 910-385-9891.
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 Leland 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.