Christmas Events for Kids in Monroe, WA (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 Monroe, WA for 2026, and here is what he found: 4 family events, 2 of them free. The magic runs from November 14 (Home for the Holidays Family Crafting Event) through December 27, with Choose Joy: Monroe Community Band Christmas Concert (December 12) and A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol (from December 18) along the way. We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Washington Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Monroe

  • 4 Christmas events for kids in Monroe
  • 2 free events, including Holiday Crafting with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Ben Franklin and Choose Joy: Monroe Community Band Christmas Concert
  • Meet Santa: Holiday Crafting with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Ben Franklin (November 27)
  • Also on the list: 2 Christmas shows and 2 craft workshops
  • Season: November 14 (Home for the Holidays Family Crafting Event) to December 27 (A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol)
  • Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10

Free Christmas events for kids in Monroe

Santa and Mrs. ClausFree

Holiday Crafting with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Ben Franklin

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Santa and Mrs. Claus spend Black Friday afternoon at the Monroe Ben Franklin store for a free meet and greet where families snap their own pictures. Two make and take projects run alongside the visit: a Santa cookie slime and a pair of snowflake earrings.

The visit and the crafts both run on Friday, November 27, 2026, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm at 19505 Hwy 2. Meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus costs nothing, the slime is $8 and the earrings are $10 a pair. No pre-registration is needed.

Parent tip: Bring a charged phone or camera, because the store does not take or print photos. Wait times cannot be predicted on Black Friday, so arrive early in the window if your child wants to be sure of a craft.

Host
Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop (opens in a new tab)
Address
Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop (Monroe), 19505 Hwy 2, Monroe, WA 98272 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 3 more Monroe events researched for you.

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Coming up on this page

  • 2 Shows
  • 2 Crafts
  • 1 Santa
  • 2 Free

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Holiday showFree

Choose Joy: Monroe Community Band Christmas Concert

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The Monroe Community Band plays an afternoon of Christmas music at the Wagner Performing Arts Center. The program takes listeners on a musical journey with Santa, includes Trip the Light Fantastic and closes with Sleigh Ride.

The concert is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at 639 West Main Street. The Monroe Arts Council listing describes it as free and family-friendly, and it does not mention tickets or reservations.

Parent tip: The listing blocks out two hours, which is a long sit for a toddler, so choose seats near an aisle. Sleigh Ride comes at the very end, which gives kids something to listen for.

Host
Monroe Arts Council (opens in a new tab)
Address
Wagner Performing Arts Center, 639 West Main Street, Monroe, WA 98272 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Monroe Arts Council (opens in a new tab)

New Monroe events every week

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

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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Monroe

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

Holiday crafts

Home for the Holidays Family Crafting Event

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Families drop in at the Monroe Ben Franklin store and pick from four holiday make and take projects: a gingerbread ornament, a felt cookie ornament, a pair of peppermint earrings and a wood plaque with a candy cane made of buttons. This Saturday is the second of the store's two Home for the Holidays crafting days, and each day has its own set of projects.

Crafting runs on Saturday, November 14, 2026, between 12:00 and 4:00 pm at 19505 Hwy 2, with no pre-registration needed. Projects are priced one by one: $6 for the gingerbread ornament, $10 for the felt cookie ornament, $10 for a pair of earrings and $12 for the plaque. Shoppers who spend $50 or more that day receive a 16 inch throw pillow as a gift.

Parent tip: Nothing is reserved and the store says it cannot predict wait times, so come close to noon if your child has a particular project in mind. The gingerbread ornament is the lowest priced project if you are crafting with several kids.

Host
Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop (opens in a new tab)
Address
Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop (Monroe), 19505 Hwy 2, Monroe, WA 98272 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop (opens in a new tab)

New Monroe events every week

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

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Holiday show

A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol

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Cascade Community Theater of Duvall brings this musical comedy to the Wagner Performing Arts Center. It tells the story of A Christmas Carol with satirical new lyrics by Gayden Wren sung to Arthur Sullivan's Victorian melodies, an adaptation first staged in 1994.

The Monroe Arts Council lists the run from Friday, December 18, 2026, at 7:00 pm through Sunday, December 27, at 639 West Main Street. Tickets are sold through a link on the listing, which gives no prices and no night-by-night schedule. It sends readers to cctplays.org for more information.

Parent tip: The listing is still a save the date, so confirm the exact performance days at cctplays.org before promising a night to the kids. The humor is satirical and the opening is listed for 7:00 pm, so it fits older children better than preschoolers.

Host
Monroe Arts Council (opens in a new tab)
Address
Wagner Performing Arts Center, 639 West Main Street, Monroe, WA 98272 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Monroe Arts Council (opens in a new tab)

New Monroe events every week

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

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 Washington Christmas train rides page.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Monroe Christmas event for kids happens

The first is Home for the Holidays Family Crafting Event in Monroe on November 14; the last runs to December 27. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.

Looking further afield? Our Washington Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Lynnwood, Seattle, Oak Harbor and Tacoma. 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.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

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 Monroe

Monroe sits where it does because of a railroad: when the Great Northern laid its tracks a mile from the settlement of Park Place, merchants hauled their buildings to the new line with oxen, horses and a steam thresher. Christmas here is on a small-town scale, with craft afternoons, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and music and theater in an old school auditorium on West Main Street.

How Monroe celebrates

The season starts at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop on Highway 2, the U.S. Route 2 corridor that runs through town. The store holds Home for the Holidays family crafting days on November 7 and 14, then welcomes Santa and Mrs. Claus on Black Friday. In December the Monroe Arts Council calendar turns to the Wagner Performing Arts Center on West Main Street, where the Monroe Community Band gives its free Choose Joy concert on December 12 and Cascade Community Theater of Duvall stages A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol from December 18. The council also lists a Sounds of the Season event on December 5.

Fun facts about Christmas in Monroe

Monroe began in 1864 as Park Place, founded by Henry McClurg near the meeting of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers. It took the name Monroe in 1890, after President James Monroe, because the Post Office Department would only accept a one-word name for a new office. The town was incorporated on December 20, 1902, following an 88 to 37 vote. The 2020 census counted 19,699 residents, and the Evergreen State Fair has been held in Monroe every year since it took that name in 1949.

Traditions today

  • Home for the Holidays crafting days: Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop sets out a different group of make and take projects on each of two November Saturdays.
  • Santa and Mrs. Claus on Black Friday: The couple greet families at the Ben Franklin store on November 27, and parents take the photos themselves.
  • Choose Joy with the Monroe Community Band: The band's free Christmas concert fills the Wagner Performing Arts Center on the afternoon of December 12.
  • A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol: Cascade Community Theater of Duvall brings its musical take on the Dickens story to West Main Street from December 18.
  • The Wagner Performing Arts Center: Both December shows share this hall, the auditorium of a middle school built with Works Progress Administration funding.

A fact for kids

In 1926 the Great Northern Railway opened a greenhouse in Monroe to grow fresh flowers for its passengers and to decorate its trains. It grew to ten greenhouses before they were taken down in 1962.

Questions about Christmas in Monroe

When was Monroe, Washington founded?

Henry McClurg founded the settlement of Park Place in 1864, about a mile west of today's downtown. The community was renamed Monroe in 1890 and was incorporated as a town on December 20, 1902, after residents voted 88 to 37 in favor.

How did Monroe get its name?

Storekeeper John Vanasdlen wanted the Park Place post office reopened, but the Post Office Department only accepted single-word names for new offices. With input from founder Henry McClurg he picked Monroe, after President James Monroe. The new post office was granted on March 19, 1890.

Why did the town move to the railroad?

The Great Northern Railway's 1891 survey put its tracks about a mile northeast of Park Place. In late 1892 and early 1893, merchants moved their buildings beside the line using teams of oxen, horses and a steam thresher. Once the general store and post office arrived, the new site became known as Monroe.

Does Monroe still have its old train depot?

No. The Great Northern built a new depot in Monroe in 1909 to serve its main line and a branch through the Snoqualmie Valley. After the railroad was folded into Burlington Northern in 1970, the depot was demolished in October of that year.

What happens at Christmas in Monroe?

Families can craft at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop on November 14, meet Santa and Mrs. Claus there on November 27, hear the Monroe Community Band's Choose Joy concert on December 12, and see A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol, listed from December 18 to 27.

Where are Monroe's holiday shows held?

Both listed shows are at the Wagner Performing Arts Center, 639 West Main Street. The hall is the small auditorium of a middle school that was funded by the Works Progress Administration, which also paid for road improvements and flood repairs around Monroe in the 1930s.

Who organizes Christmas events in Monroe?

Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop runs the craft days and the Santa and Mrs. Claus visit at its Highway 2 store. The Monroe Arts Council lists the December shows, which are performed by the Monroe Community Band and by Cascade Community Theater of Duvall.

What is free at Christmas in Monroe?

The Monroe Community Band concert on December 12 is listed as free and family-friendly. The meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Ben Franklin Crafts on November 27 is free as well. Craft projects at the store are priced individually, from $6 to $12.

What else is Monroe known for?

Monroe hosts the Evergreen State Fair each year in late summer. It grew out of the Snohomish County Fair held on the county poor farm grounds in 1946 and took its current name in 1949. The town was also once home to a large Carnation condensed milk plant that opened in 1908.

How big is Monroe and where is it?

Monroe is a city in Snohomish County, about 30 miles northeast of Seattle near the Cascade foothills. It lies where the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers join to form the Snohomish River, and it had 19,699 residents at the 2020 census.

Sources

  1. Monroe, Washington, Wikipedia
  2. Home For The Holidays, Family Crafting Event (2 of 2) Sat. Nov. 14, Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop
  3. Make and Takes: Slime and Earrings, Fri. Nov. 27, Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop
  4. Choose Joy, Monroe Arts Council
  5. A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol, Monroe Arts Council

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 Washington city.

Monroe Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Start with the hands-on days at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop on Highway 2: the Home for the Holidays family crafting event on Saturday, November 14, and the Black Friday visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus on November 27. Then add the free Monroe Community Band concert, Choose Joy, on Saturday, December 12.

Are there free Christmas events for kids in Monroe?

Yes. Choose Joy on December 12 at the Wagner Performing Arts Center is listed as a free, family-friendly concert. Meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus at Ben Franklin Crafts on November 27 is also free, and you take your own photos. The make and take crafts at the store carry a small charge per project.

Where can kids meet Santa in Monroe?

Santa and Mrs. Claus are at Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop, 19505 Hwy 2, on Friday, November 27, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. The meet and greet is free. The store does not take or print photos, so bring your own camera or phone.

Are there Christmas shows or concerts in Monroe?

Two are listed at the Wagner Performing Arts Center, 639 West Main Street. The Monroe Community Band plays Choose Joy on December 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Cascade Community Theater of Duvall presents A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol, with a run listed from December 18 through December 27.

Which Monroe Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?

The craft days at Ben Franklin need no pre-registration, though the store suggests arriving early because it cannot predict wait times. Choose Joy is free. A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol is ticketed, with a ticket link on the Monroe Arts Council listing and more details at cctplays.org.

What is special about the Wagner Performing Arts Center at Christmas?

The center on West Main Street uses the small auditorium of a middle school that the Works Progress Administration funded. This December it hosts the community band concert on the 12th and the run of A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol listed from the 18th to the 27th.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Monroe?

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