Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Madison, Mississippi for 2026. The Festival of Trees lines the Madison Square Center for the Arts all December, the city tree lights up with Santa, Woody and Buzz Lightyear on Thursday, December 3, and the Christmas Parade rolls on Saturday morning, December 5. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Mississippi Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Madison
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Madison
- Tree Lighting and Holiday Movie: Thursday, December 3, 5:30 pm
- Photos with Santa, Woody and Buzz Lightyear
- Christmas Parade: Saturday, December 5, 9 am
- Every date checked on the city’s site on Nov 11
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Free Christmas events for kids in Madison
Morning paradeFree
Madison Christmas Parade
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 9 am
- Where: Old Canton Road to Main Street, Madison, 7469 Old Canton Road, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to watch
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The 2026 Madison Christmas Parade steps off at 9 am from Ridgecrest Church on Old Canton Road and ends at the Madison Square Center for the Arts on Main Street, with this year’s theme Christmas Through the Decades.
Expect floats dressed in vintage toys, decorations and music from past Christmases, and the only live Santa in the line-up rides on the city’s official float. Participants hand candy out rather than throwing it.
Parent tip: This is a morning parade, so it pairs nicely with brunch; find a spot near the judges’ tent on Main Street, where groups put on their best show.
- Host
- City of Madison (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Old Canton Road to Main Street, Madison, 7469 Old Canton Road, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Madison events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Madison daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Madison.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Madison 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 Madison.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Madison 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
- 2 Lights
- 1 Parades
- 1 Shows
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Madison every week.
Decorated tree pathwayFree
Festival of Trees
- When: Throughout December 2026, from Tuesday, December 1
- Where: Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to walk through
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Sponsored, lighted Christmas trees form a magical pathway across the grounds of the Madison Square Center for the Arts all December, each one decorated by a local business or family around the theme Christmas Through the Decades.
It is an easy, free stroll to fold into any trip to Main Street, and the winning trees are announced at the December 3 tree lighting.
Parent tip: Walk the pathway after dark when every tree is lit, and let kids pick a favorite before the winners are announced on December 3.
- Host
- City of Madison (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Madison events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Madison daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Madison.
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Madison
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
Tree lighting and movie
Tree Lighting and Holiday Movie
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 5:30 pm
- Where: Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Check the city listing
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Madison lights its giant city Christmas tree outdoors at the Madison Square Center for the Arts, with the St. Anthony’s School Choir singing and the Festival of Trees winners announced before the switch is flipped.
Then everyone heads inside for photos with Santa, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, pizza and a showing of Toy Story That Time Forgot, so the night is built squarely around kids.
Parent tip: Bring a jacket for the outdoor part and a blanket or cushion for the movie, and line up for Santa, Woody and Buzz right after the lighting before the film starts.
- Host
- City of Madison (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, Madison, MS 39110 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Madison events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Madison daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Madison.
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 Mississippi Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Madison Christmas event for kids happens
Make it a Main Street week: the tree lighting and movie night on Thursday, the parade on Saturday morning, and a walk through the Festival of Trees whenever you are nearby.
- Festival of TreesMadison · Dec 1 to Dec 31
- Tree Lighting and Holiday MovieMadison · Dec 3
- Madison Christmas ParadeMadison · Dec 5
Looking further afield? Our Mississippi Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Jackson and Gulfport. 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 Mississippi city.
Madison Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Madison, MS this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Madison for 2026, all from the City of Madison: the Tree Lighting and Holiday Movie on December 3, the Christmas Parade on December 5 and the Festival of Trees throughout December.
When is the Madison tree lighting in 2026?
Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 5:30 pm at the Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, followed by photos with Santa, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, pizza and a holiday movie inside.
When is the Madison Christmas Parade in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 9 am, starting at Ridgecrest Church, 7469 Old Canton Road, and ending at the Madison Square Center for the Arts. The theme is Christmas Through the Decades.
Where is the Madison Festival of Trees?
On the grounds of the Madison Square Center for the Arts, where sponsored lighted trees form a pathway throughout December.
Who do I contact about Madison holiday events?
The City of Madison events coordinator at tbecker@madisonthecity.com, or City Hall at (601) 856-7116.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Mississippi?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Mississippi 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 Madison 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.