Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events, 1 of them free. They are Storytime with Santa & Friends (December 7) and Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog & Teddy Bear Trot (December 8). 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 Mishawaka
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka
- 1 free event, including Storytime with Santa & Friends
- Meet Santa: Storytime with Santa & Friends (December 7)
- Season: December 7 (Storytime with Santa & Friends) to December 8 (Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog & Teddy Bear Trot)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
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Free Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka
Story time with SantaFree
Storytime with Santa & Friends
- When: Monday, December 7, 2026, 11 am to noon
- Where: University Park Mall, 6501 Grape Road, Mishawaka, IN 46544 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: Ages 5 and under
Expand to see the parent tip
The Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library takes story time on the road to University Park Mall, where Santa and friends join the librarians for a special session. It is an offsite outreach program planned for the youngest listeners.
The story time is Monday, Dec. 7, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. to noon at University Park Mall, 6501 Grape Road. It is free, there is no registration, and it is meant for children age 5 and under.
Parent tip: This is a weekday late-morning session for kids 5 and under, so it suits toddlers and preschoolers best. With no registration, plan extra minutes to park and walk through the mall so you are settled before 11:00.
- Host
- Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- University Park Mall, 6501 Grape Road, Mishawaka, IN 46544 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Mishawaka events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Mishawaka daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Mishawaka.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Mishawaka 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 Mishawaka.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Mishawaka 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
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Story time
- 1 Zoos and museums
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Mishawaka every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday lights
Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog & Teddy Bear Trot
- When: Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 6:30 to 7:30 pm (Start and end times come from the event listing; the organizer's page confirms the date but not the clock time, so check when you register)
- Where: Winding Brook Park (check-in at Walt Disney Elementary School), 4015 Filbert Rd, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Suggested donation of at least $5 per runner; advance registration requested
- Ages: All ages; strollers welcome
Expand to see the parent tip
Fleet Feet Mishawaka leads a fun run through Winding Brook Park, a neighborhood whose residents put up large holiday light displays each year and collect donations for area charities. Runners follow the same one-way route that cars take past the decorated houses, on a full 3.9 mile loop or shorter 3.4 and 1.4 mile versions, and many wear light-up necklaces and festive outfits. The Teddy Bear Trot returns too, with participants asked to bring a stuffed bear for a local nonprofit to give to kids.
The 10th annual run is Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, with parking and check-in at Walt Disney Elementary School, 4015 Filbert Rd. Fleet Feet asks participants to register in advance and suggests a donation of at least $5 per runner toward its $2,000 goal for charity. Everyone must check in and wear the safety light handed out there, strollers are welcome as long as children stay in them, and dogs should stay home.
Parent tip: With young kids, pick the 1.4 mile super short route and bring a stroller, since the roads stay open to cars and children must ride the whole way. Pack a headlamp or flashlight for potholes, and let each child carry a teddy bear to donate.
- Host
- Fleet Feet Mishawaka (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Winding Brook Park (check-in at Walt Disney Elementary School), 4015 Filbert Rd, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Mishawaka events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Mishawaka daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Mishawaka.
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 Indiana Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Mishawaka Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Storytime with Santa & Friends in Mishawaka on December 7; the last runs to December 8. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Storytime with Santa & FriendsMishawaka · Dec 7
- Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog & Teddy Bear TrotMishawaka · Dec 8
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 Notre Dame, South Bend, Fort Wayne and Lafayette, IN. 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 Amazon2026 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 Mishawaka
Mishawaka calls itself the Princess City and was once known as the Peppermint Capital of the World for the mint that grew in its rich black soil. Christmas for kids here means a story time with Santa at University Park Mall and an evening run past a neighborhood full of lights.
How Mishawaka celebrates
Two organizers shape the kids' holiday calendar gathered here. The Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library brings Storytime with Santa & Friends to University Park Mall on Dec. 7, a free outreach session for children 5 and under. The next evening, Fleet Feet Mishawaka holds its 10th Annual Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog and Teddy Bear Trot, a fun run through Winding Brook Park, where residents create light displays each year and take donations for area charities. Runners gather at Walt Disney Elementary School, bring teddy bears for a local nonprofit, and are encouraged to wear Christmas light necklaces for the tour of decorated houses.
Fun facts about Christmas in Mishawaka
Settlers who came to mine bog iron founded the town of St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831, and in 1833 it joined with neighboring small towns to form Mishawaka. A fire in September 1872 destroyed three quarters of the business district, and the citizens rebuilt. University Park Mall opened in the far northern part of the city in 1979. The 2020 census counted 51,063 residents in this city on the St. Joseph River.
Traditions today
- Storytime with Santa & Friends: The public library holds a free story time with Santa for children 5 and under at University Park Mall on Dec. 7.
- Running of the Lights: Fleet Feet Mishawaka's fun run, in its 10th year, takes runners on a tour of the holiday displays in Winding Brook Park on Dec. 8.
- Winding Brook Park lights: Residents of the neighborhood create light displays each year and collect donations for area charities.
- Teddy Bear Trot: Run participants bring stuffed teddy bears, which go to a local nonprofit to give to kids for the holidays.
A fact for kids
George Wilson Park has Mishawaka's most popular toboggan hill for winter sledding. The city also hosted the World Wiffle Ball Championship, the oldest and largest wiffleball tournament in the country, for many years.
Questions about Christmas in Mishawaka
When was Mishawaka founded?
Wikipedia says settlers who came to mine bog iron founded St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831. In 1833 that town, Indiana City and two other small neighboring towns were incorporated together as Mishawaka. The post office has operated since 1833.
How did Mishawaka get its name?
Wikipedia gives the most probable origin as a Potawatomi term for the area, M'Shehwahkeek, translated as swift flowing water or heavy timbered rapids. A Potawatomi village once stood on the south bank of the St. Joseph River near a natural rapids.
Why is Mishawaka called the Princess City?
The nickname comes from a story about a Shawnee chief's daughter named Mishawaka. Wikipedia explains the tale came from an 1875 story collection by Flavius J. Littlejohn and is fiction, though it became popular and the princess is something of a city mascot.
What was Mishawaka known for making?
In the late 19th century it was called the Peppermint Capital of the World for its mint crops. Factories included Dodge Manufacturing, Perkins Windmills and the Mishawaka Woolen and Rubber Company, later Ball Band. In 1990, AM General began producing the Hummer here.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Mishawaka?
In 2026 the library holds Storytime with Santa & Friends at University Park Mall on Dec. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to noon, and Fleet Feet Mishawaka runs its Running of the Lights fun run through the Winding Brook Park light displays on Dec. 8.
Where do the Christmas events take place?
The Santa story time is at University Park Mall, 6501 Grape Road, which opened in 1979. The Running of the Lights starts with parking and check-in at Walt Disney Elementary School, 4015 Filbert Rd, and follows the streets of Winding Brook Park.
Who organizes Mishawaka's kids' holiday events?
Storytime with Santa & Friends is an outreach program of the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library. The Running of the Lights is organized by Fleet Feet Mishawaka, with volunteers on the route and light displays created by Winding Brook Park residents.
What is free at Christmas in Mishawaka?
The library's Dec. 7 story time with Santa is free with no registration. The Dec. 8 Running of the Lights is donation based, with a suggested minimum of $5 per runner going toward a $2,000 goal for area charities, plus teddy bear donations.
Sources
- Mishawaka, Indiana, Wikipedia
- Storytime with Santa & Friends, Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library
- 10th Annual Running of the Lights, Jolly Jog & Teddy Bear Trot, Fleet Feet Mishawaka
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.
Mishawaka Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are good Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka this year?
Start with Storytime with Santa & Friends, a free library program for ages 5 and under at University Park Mall on Monday, Dec. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. For active families, the Running of the Lights fun run tours the Winding Brook Park displays on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Where can kids meet Santa in Mishawaka?
Santa joins the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library for Storytime with Santa & Friends at University Park Mall, 6501 Grape Road, on Monday, Dec. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. The session is for children age 5 and under and does not require registration.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Mishawaka?
Yes. The library states that Storytime with Santa & Friends on Dec. 7 is free. The Running of the Lights on Dec. 8 is a charity fun run where Fleet Feet Mishawaka suggests a minimum donation per runner and invites families to bring a stuffed teddy bear to donate.
Where can we see Christmas lights in Mishawaka?
Winding Brook Park is the neighborhood to know. Its residents create light displays each year and take donations for area charities. On Dec. 8, Fleet Feet Mishawaka's Running of the Lights lets families tour the houses on foot along marked routes, starting from Walt Disney Elementary School.
Which Mishawaka holiday events need sign-up?
The Running of the Lights on Dec. 8 asks participants to register in advance and submit a donation online, and everyone must check in on arrival at Walt Disney Elementary School. Storytime with Santa & Friends on Dec. 7 needs no registration at all.
Can small children take part in the Running of the Lights?
Yes, with some planning. Strollers are welcome on Dec. 8 as long as kids stay in them, and there is a 1.4 mile super short route alongside the 3.4 and 3.9 mile options. Cars still use the roads, so every participant wears a safety light handed out at check-in.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Mishawaka?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Indiana Christmas train rides guide. This Mishawaka 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.