Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in McKinney for 2026. Home for the Holidays fills the historic downtown square with a tree lighting, Santa and kids activities over Thanksgiving weekend, November 27 to 29, and Breakfast with Santa follows at Old Settler’s Recreation Center on Saturday, December 5. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Texas Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in McKinney
- 2 Christmas events for kids in McKinney
- Home for the Holidays: November 27 to 29, free, Historic Downtown McKinney
- Community tree lighting and Santa visits all weekend
- Breakfast with Santa: Saturday, December 5, 9 am to noon
- Every date checked on the City of McKinney’s site on Nov 11
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more McKinney 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 McKinney.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in McKinney before they fill up.
- Start your magical Christmas season now Every event appears the moment you enter your email.
- 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.
Waiting inside
- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Free
Enter your email and all will appear instantly.
The Christmas magic awaits
Enter your email to get Christmas event notifications all season long and unlock the details on 1 Christmas event in McKinney.
- New events in McKinney every week
- Exclusive access to free events
- Your magical Christmas season starts now
- Christmas Eve Express and free advent calendar
- One-tap add to calendar
Free Christmas events for kids in McKinney
Downtown festivalFree
Home for the Holidays: A McKinney Christmas
- When: Friday, November 27, through Sunday, November 29, 2026 (Friday 10:30 am to 9 pm)
- Where: Historic Downtown McKinney, 111 N Tennessee St, McKinney, TX 75069 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Home for the Holidays is McKinney’s signature Thanksgiving weekend celebration, spread across the 14-block historic downtown square.
The weekend includes the Community Tree Lighting, live entertainment, visits with Santa, costumed characters, children’s activities and festive photo spots. In past years the tree has been lit on Friday evening.
Parent tip: Strollers and wagons are welcome throughout the festival area. Arrive on Friday afternoon to settle in before the tree lighting crowd.
- Host
- City of McKinney (McKinney Main Street) (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Historic Downtown McKinney, 111 N Tennessee St, McKinney, TX 75069 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New McKinney events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in McKinney daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in McKinney.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more McKinney 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 McKinney.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in McKinney 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 Lights
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in McKinney every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in McKinney
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
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 9 am to noon
- Where: Old Settler's Recreation Center, 1201 E Louisiana St, McKinney, TX 75069 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $15 residents, $21 non-residents
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
McKinney Parks and Recreation hosts Breakfast with Santa at Old Settler’s Recreation Center on the first Saturday of December.
Families share a morning meal and get time with the big man himself, which makes it an easy, low-key Santa visit for little ones who find the downtown crowds overwhelming.
Parent tip: Register early through McKinney Parks registration, since this breakfast usually fills up.
- Host
- City of McKinney Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Old Settler's Recreation Center, 1201 E Louisiana St, McKinney, TX 75069 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New McKinney events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in McKinney daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in McKinney.
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 Texas Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each McKinney Christmas event for kids happens
Spend Thanksgiving weekend downtown at Home for the Holidays, then book Breakfast with Santa for the morning of Saturday, December 5.
- Home for the Holidays: A McKinney ChristmasMcKinney · Nov 27 to Nov 29
- Breakfast with SantaMcKinney · Dec 5
Looking further afield? Our Texas Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Melissa, Allen, Prosper and Plano. 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 Texas city.
McKinney Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in McKinney this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in McKinney for 2026, both from the City of McKinney: Home for the Holidays on November 27 to 29, and Breakfast with Santa on December 5.
When is Home for the Holidays in McKinney in 2026?
Friday, November 27, through Sunday, November 29, 2026, in Historic Downtown McKinney around 111 North Tennessee Street. Admission is free.
When is Breakfast with Santa in McKinney?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 9 am to noon at Old Settler’s Recreation Center, 1201 East Louisiana Street. It costs $15 for residents and $21 for non-residents.
Is there a tree lighting in McKinney?
Yes. The Community Tree Lighting is part of Home for the Holidays in Historic Downtown McKinney over Thanksgiving weekend.
Who do I contact about McKinney holiday events?
McKinney Main Street at Contact-MainStreet@McKinneyTexas.org for Home for the Holidays, and McKinney Parks at contact-parks@mckinneytexas.org for Breakfast with Santa.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Texas?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Texas 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 McKinney 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.