Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in New Hope for 2026, and here is what he found: 3 family events, 1 of them free. They are Holiday Kickoff Weekend (from November 20), Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair (from November 20) and Holiday Hustle (December 3). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in New Hope
- 3 Christmas events for kids in New Hope
- 1 free event, including Holiday Kickoff Weekend
- Meet Santa: Holiday Kickoff Weekend (from November 20) and Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair (from November 20)
- Also on the list: 1 Christmas show and 2 Christmas light displays
- Season: November 20 (Holiday Kickoff Weekend) to December 20 (Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 3 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more New Hope 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 New Hope.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in New Hope 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
- 2 Lights
- 2 Zoos and museums
- 1 Shows
- 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 2 Christmas events in New Hope.
- New events in New Hope 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 New Hope
Holiday lightsFree
Holiday Kickoff Weekend
- When: Fri November 20 (10 am to 10 pm), Sat November 21 (10 am to 9 pm) and Sun November 22 (11 am to 7 pm), 2026 (Times shown are the Village's extended shopping hours. The Grand Illumination Celebration is Friday, November 20 from 4:30 to 9:00 pm, with the lights switched on at 6:15 pm.)
- Where: Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope, PA 18938 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free admission and parking
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Peddler's Village opens its holiday season with a weekend of lights, shopping and entertainment along its brick paths. Friday's Grand Illumination Celebration brings appearances by Santa and by Martin and Kelly, live performances and outdoor food and drinks, and on Saturday and Sunday carolers and strolling performers move through the Village. The Visitor and Event Center holds the Gingerbread Competition and Display, with more than 100 creations made by local guests and organizations.
The weekend runs Friday, November 20 through Sunday, November 22, 2026, and both admission and parking are free. The Grand Illumination Celebration is Friday from 4:30 to 9:00 pm, and the lights come on at 6:15 pm sharp. Shops are open 10:00 am to 10:00 pm Friday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Saturday and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Sunday, and the light display stays up until January 19.
Parent tip: For Friday's lighting, the Village asks visitors to arrive no later than 5:30 pm because parking can fill completely, and it advises leaving dogs at home since the paths get congested. See the gingerbread display early in your visit, as the line can get very long and it closes at 8:30 pm, or 7:00 pm on Sunday.
- Host
- Peddler's Village (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope, PA 18938 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New New Hope events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in New Hope daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New Hope.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more New Hope 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 New Hope.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in New Hope 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
- 2 Zoos and museums
- 1 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in New Hope every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in New Hope
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Santa visit
Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair
- When: Fri November 20 (3 to 8 pm), Sat November 21 (noon to 7 pm), Sun November 22 (noon to 6 pm), Fri November 27 (noon to 7 pm), Sat November 28 (noon to 7 pm), Sun November 29 (noon to 6 pm), Fri December 4 (3 to 7 pm), Sat December 5 (noon to 7 pm), Sun December 6 (noon to 6 pm), Fri December 11 (3 to 7 pm), Sat December 12 (noon to 7 pm), Sun December 13 (noon to 6 pm), Sat December 19 (noon to 6 pm) and Sun December 20 (noon to 4 pm), 2026 (Fridays through Sundays from November 20 to December 20, with hours that vary by day. There is no Friday session on December 18.)
- Where: Giggleberry Fair, 122 Carousel Lane, New Hope, PA 18931 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Photo packages $35 to $55
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Giggleberry Fair at Peddler's Village is dressed up as a holiday wonderland for Santa's stay, and families have their pictures taken with him among the garland and glitter. Kosola Productions handles the photography. Three print packages are sold, and the largest also comes with every full-resolution digital photo from the sitting, sent by email.
Santa is in on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 20 to December 20, 2026. Most Saturdays run 12:00 to 7:00 pm and most Sundays 12:00 to 6:00 pm, while Fridays start at 3:00 pm, apart from November 27, which starts at noon. Packages cost $35 for two 4x6 prints, $45 for three and $55 for four plus the digital files, and the page does not mention reservations.
Parent tip: Check the hours for your exact day before driving over, because most Friday sessions do not begin until 3:00 pm and the last Sunday, December 20, wraps up early at 4:00 pm. The page lists Giggleberry Fair at 122 Carousel Lane in Lahaska rather than the main Village address on Street Road, so set your map to Carousel Lane.
- Host
- Peddler's Village (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Giggleberry Fair, 122 Carousel Lane, New Hope, PA 18931 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New New Hope events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in New Hope daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New Hope.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Holiday event
Holiday Hustle
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 7 to 10 pm
- Where: Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope, PA 18938 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Registration required; no price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: All ages and abilities
Expand to see the parent tip
Runners and walkers in Santa hats, ugly sweaters and elf costumes take to Peddler's Village under the holiday lights. Families can pick a 2-mile or a 1-mile distance, and either one can be run, jogged or walked. This is the 6th annual Holiday Hustle, organized by Scoogie Events, and its partner beneficiary is the Bucks County Opportunity Council.
The Hustle is Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road. Registration is required and capped at 1,000 participants, and the organizers expect it to sell out quickly. The event page does not list the entry fee, and it suggests parking at Giggleberry Fair.
Parent tip: This is a 7:00 pm start on a school night in December, so the 1-mile option is the gentler choice for young children, and warm layers under the costume will help. Register early, since entries stop at 1,000.
- Host
- Peddler's Village and Scoogie Events (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope, PA 18938 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New New Hope events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in New Hope daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New Hope.
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 Pennsylvania Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each New Hope Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Holiday Kickoff Weekend in New Hope on November 20; the last runs to December 20. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Holiday Kickoff WeekendNew Hope · Nov 20 to Nov 22
- Photos with Santa at Giggleberry FairNew Hope · Nov 20 to Dec 20
- Holiday HustleNew Hope · Dec 3
Looking further afield? Our Pennsylvania Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Newtown, PA, Philadelphia, Easton and King of Prussia. 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 New Hope
New Hope was once called Wells' Ferry and then Coryell's Ferry, and it picked up its present name after Benjamin Parry rebuilt his burned mills in 1790 and called them New Hope Mills. At Christmas, families around New Hope head for Peddler's Village, where the lights are switched on in late November and stay up into January.
How New Hope celebrates
The holiday events on this page all take place at Peddler's Village, a shopping village of more than 60 specialty shops and eight restaurants with a New Hope address on Street Road. The season opens with Holiday Kickoff Weekend, November 20 to 22, 2026, and its Grand Illumination Celebration on Friday evening, when the Village says a million lights come on. A Gingerbread Competition and Display fills the Visitor and Event Center, and Santa sits for photos at Giggleberry Fair on weekends through December 20. On December 3, Scoogie Events and Peddler's Village present the 6th Annual Holiday Hustle, a costumed run and walk under the lights.
Fun facts about Christmas in New Hope
New Hope is a borough in Bucks County on the west bank of the Delaware River, with 2,612 residents in the 2020 census. It sits on the Old York Road, once the main highway between Philadelphia and New York City, and was treated as the halfway point where travelers stayed the night before taking the ferry across. George Washington lodged in New Hope the night before he crossed the Delaware. The North Pennsylvania Railroad finished its New Hope Branch in 1891, and the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad has run scenic excursions since 1966.
Traditions today
- Grand Illumination Celebration: Peddler's Village switches on its holiday lights at 6:15 pm on the Friday of Holiday Kickoff Weekend, with Santa, live performances and outdoor food and drinks.
- Gingerbread Competition and Display: More than 100 gingerbread creations made by local guests and organizations go on show in the Visitor and Event Center, which the Village calls a holiday favorite.
- Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair: Giggleberry Fair is decorated as a holiday wonderland where families have photos taken with Santa on weekends from November 20 to December 20.
- Holiday Hustle: The 6th annual run and walk sends costumed families along 1-mile and 2-mile routes under the lights on December 3.
- Carolers and strolling performers: On the Saturday and Sunday of Holiday Kickoff Weekend, carolers and strolling performers entertain visitors throughout the Village.
A fact for kids
Long ago, travelers going between Philadelphia and New York City stopped overnight in New Hope and rode a ferry across the Delaware River the next morning. Today a tourist railroad, the New Hope and Ivyland, carries passengers on scenic rides between New Hope and nearby Lahaska.
Questions about Christmas in New Hope
How did New Hope get its name?
A fire in 1790 destroyed several mills owned by Benjamin Parry. He rebuilt them and named them New Hope Mills, and the town takes its current name from those mills. Before that it was known by the names of the families who ran its ferry.
What was New Hope called before it was New Hope?
It was first called Wells' Ferry and later Coryell's Ferry, after the owners of the ferry business that carried travelers across the Delaware River. The town was regarded as the halfway point on the Old York Road between Philadelphia and New York City.
What is New Hope's connection to George Washington?
Washington lodged in New Hope the night before his crossing of the Delaware River, and he then destroyed the ferry so the British Army could not follow him. Later, British troops shelled the town when nobody answered their ring for the ferry.
Does New Hope have a railroad?
Yes. The North Pennsylvania Railroad completed its New Hope Branch in 1891, and passenger service to Philadelphia ended in 1952. The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad was formed in 1966 and still runs scenic tourist excursion trains between New Hope and nearby Lahaska.
Where is New Hope, Pennsylvania?
New Hope is a borough in Bucks County, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. It lies on the west bank of the Delaware River where Aquetong Creek flows in, and a two-lane bridge carries cars and people on foot across to Lambertville, New Jersey.
What happens at Christmas around New Hope?
Peddler's Village hosts Holiday Kickoff Weekend from November 20 to 22, 2026, with the Grand Illumination Celebration, carolers and a gingerbread display. Santa takes photos at Giggleberry Fair on weekends through December 20, and the Holiday Hustle run and walk follows on December 3.
When do the Christmas lights go on at Peddler's Village?
The lights are switched on at 6:15 pm on Friday, November 20, 2026, during the Grand Illumination Celebration, which runs from 4:30 to 9:00 pm. Peddler's Village says the holiday light display will stay up until January 19.
Who organizes the Holiday Hustle?
The Holiday Hustle is organized by Scoogie Events and presented by Scoogie Events and Peddler's Village. The 2026 event on December 3 is billed as the 6th annual, and its partner beneficiary is the Bucks County Opportunity Council, which works to reduce poverty.
What is free at Christmas at Peddler's Village?
Admission and parking are free during Holiday Kickoff Weekend, as they always are according to the Village. Families can watch the lights come on, hear the carolers and stroll the brick paths without a ticket. Santa photo packages and the Holiday Hustle are separate.
Where do kids see Santa near New Hope?
Santa is at Giggleberry Fair, part of Peddler's Village, on Fridays through Sundays from November 20 to December 20, 2026. The event page gives the address as 122 Carousel Lane in Lahaska. Photo packages range from $35 to $55.
Sources
- New Hope, Pennsylvania, Wikipedia
- Holiday Kickoff Weekend, Peddler's Village
- Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair, Peddler's Village
- Holiday Hustle, Peddler's Village
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 Pennsylvania city.
New Hope Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What is the best Christmas event for kids in New Hope to start with?
Begin with the Grand Illumination Celebration at Peddler's Village on Friday, November 20, 2026. It runs from 4:30 to 9:00 pm with Santa, live performances and outdoor food, and the lights switch on at 6:15 pm. It opens Holiday Kickoff Weekend, which continues through Sunday, November 22.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in New Hope?
Yes. Admission and parking are free for Holiday Kickoff Weekend at Peddler's Village, November 20 to 22, 2026. That covers the Grand Illumination on Friday evening, the carolers and strolling performers on Saturday and Sunday, and a walk through the lights. Photos with Santa are sold separately as packages.
Where can kids meet Santa in New Hope?
Santa poses for photos at Giggleberry Fair at Peddler's Village on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 20 to December 20, 2026, with hours that change by day. Photo packages are $35, $45 and $55. Santa also makes an appearance at the Grand Illumination Celebration on Friday, November 20.
Where can we see Christmas lights in New Hope?
Peddler's Village says a million multi-colored lights turn its paths into a winter wonderland for the holidays. They are switched on at 6:15 pm on Friday, November 20, 2026 during the Grand Illumination Celebration, and the display stays up until January 19, so there is time to visit after Christmas.
Which New Hope Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?
The Holiday Hustle on Thursday, December 3, 2026 needs registration, and it is limited to 1,000 participants, with a quick sell-out expected. Holiday Kickoff Weekend is free to walk into. Photos with Santa at Giggleberry Fair are paid for by package, and the page does not mention booking ahead.
When should we see the gingerbread display at Peddler's Village?
Early in your visit. The Gingerbread Competition and Display in the Visitor and Event Center has more than 100 creations, and the Village warns that its line can get very long. During Holiday Kickoff Weekend, November 20 to 22, 2026, the exhibit closes at 8:30 pm, or 7:00 pm on Sunday.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near New Hope?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Pennsylvania Christmas train rides guide. This New Hope 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.