Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in New London for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are The Nutcracker (from December 12) and Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament Craft (December 14). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in New London
- 2 Christmas events for kids in New London
- Season: December 12 (The Nutcracker) to December 14 (Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament Craft)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in New London
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday show
The Nutcracker
- When: Sat December 12 (1:30 pm), Sat December 12 (7 pm) and Sun December 13 (1:30 pm), 2026 (Three performances: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Sunday at 1:30 p.m.)
- Where: Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $26 to $81 plus fees; special pricing for children 12 and under
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Eastern Connecticut Ballet stages a Nutcracker that belongs to New London, with the story moved to the city in the 1850s. The sets show tall ships in port, the New London Custom House, Whale Oil Row, lighthouses and a sea captain's Victorian home, and Clara's journey with the Nutcracker crosses Arctic ice fields where whaling ships once sailed. The company's trained dancers perform alongside principal guest artists.
There are three performances at the Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street: Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, December 13, at 1:30 p.m. Tickets cost $26 to $81 plus fees, with a lower Child 12 and Under price chosen at checkout, and all sales are final. Senior, military and group discounts are sold only in person or by phone at the box office, 860-444-7373 ext. 1.
Parent tip: For younger children, pick one of the two 1:30 p.m. matinees over the 7:00 p.m. Saturday show. Remember to switch each child's seat to the Child 12 and Under ticket type before checking out, since tickets cannot be refunded afterward.
- Host
- Garde Arts Center (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more New London 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 New London.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in New London 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.
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Holiday crafts
Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament Craft
- When: Monday, December 14, 2026, 3:30 to 5 pm
- Where: Public Library of New London, Board Room, 63 Huntington St, New London, CT 06320 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; registration required
- Ages: Teens and adults
Expand to see the parent tip
Teens and adults make a one-of-a-kind ornament for the Christmas tree at the Public Library of New London, in a session with a shrimp pun for a name. The project involves some sewing and a hot glue gun, and the library recommends that participants already have basic sewing skills.
The craft meets on Monday, December 14, 2026, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the library's Board Room. Registration is required because supplies are limited, and the page showed 9 seats open. The audience is listed as teens and adults, and no price is given.
Parent tip: This is one for a teenager who can already thread a needle, not for younger children, given the sewing and the hot glue gun. With only a handful of seats, register your teen and yourself at the same time if you plan to craft together.
- Host
- Public Library of New London (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Public Library of New London, Board Room, 63 Huntington St, New London, CT 06320 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New New London events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in New London daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in New London.
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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 Connecticut Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each New London Christmas event for kids happens
The first is The Nutcracker in New London on December 12; the last runs to December 14. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- The NutcrackerNew London · Dec 12 to Dec 13
- Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament CraftNew London · Dec 14
Looking further afield? Our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Norwich, CT, Glastonbury, Meriden and New Haven. 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 London
For several decades in the 19th century New London was one of the three busiest whaling ports in the world, alongside Nantucket and New Bedford. That seafaring past sails back onto the stage at Christmas, when Eastern Connecticut Ballet's Nutcracker unfolds on an 1850s New London waterfront of tall ships and lighthouses.
How New London celebrates
The centerpiece of a family Christmas in New London, among the listings gathered here, is The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center on State Street. Eastern Connecticut Ballet, a nonprofit dance school, presents it on December 12 and 13, 2026, and sets the story in New London in the 1850s. The scenery shows tall ships in port, the New London Custom House, Whale Oil Row, lighthouses and a sea captain's Victorian home, a match for the whaling wealth that built much of the city's architecture. The Garde describes the production as a holiday tradition. On December 14 the Public Library of New London hosts an ornament craft for teens and adults in its Board Room.
Fun facts about Christmas in New London
John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, in a place the Pequot called Nameaug. Colonists wanted to name it London, the legislature preferred Faire Harbour, and the town officially became New London on March 24, 1658. Much of it was burned on September 6, 1781, in a raid led by Benedict Arnold. Railroads linked New London to New Haven by the 1850s, and the 2020 census counted 27,367 residents.
Traditions today
- The Nutcracker at the Garde: Eastern Connecticut Ballet returns to the Garde Arts Center with a Nutcracker the theater calls a holiday tradition.
- A New London seaport on stage: The ballet's sets place the story in the 1850s city, with tall ships, the Custom House, Whale Oil Row and lighthouses.
- Guest artists with local dancers: Dancers trained at Eastern Connecticut Ballet share the spotlight with principal guest artists in each performance.
- Ornament making at the library: The Public Library of New London offers a registration-only ornament craft for teens and adults in its Board Room.
A fact for kids
New London is the home port of the Eagle, the Coast Guard's tall ship. In the local Nutcracker, tall ships appear on stage too, and Clara travels to Arctic ice fields where whaling ships once sailed.
Questions about Christmas in New London
When was New London founded?
John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. The town was officially named New London on March 24, 1658, and it was among five Connecticut cities formally incorporated by the legislature in January 1784.
How did New London get its name?
In the 1650s the colonists wanted to name their town London, after London, England, but the Connecticut General Assembly favored Faire Harbour. The citizens protested that they would sooner keep the Pequot name Nameaug. The legislature relented, and the town became New London in 1658.
Why is New London linked with whaling?
For several decades beginning in the early 19th century, New London was one of the three busiest whaling ports in the world, with Nantucket and New Bedford. The wealth whaling brought in furnished the capital that funded much of the city's present architecture.
What happens at Christmas for families in New London?
Eastern Connecticut Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 1:30 p.m. The Public Library of New London follows with an ornament craft for teens and adults on Monday, December 14.
What makes New London's Nutcracker different?
It is set in New London in the 1850s, on a wintry day in the maritime city. The Garde's page describes sets with tall ships in port, the New London Custom House, Whale Oil Row, lighthouses and a sea captain's Victorian home, plus a journey across Arctic ice fields.
Where is The Nutcracker performed in New London?
Performances are at the Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street. The box office phone is 860-444-7373 ext. 1, and that is also the only way, besides visiting in person, to buy the senior, military and group discounted tickets for the December 12 and 13, 2026, shows.
Who puts on The Nutcracker in New London?
Eastern Connecticut Ballet presents it at the Garde Arts Center. The Garde's page describes the ballet as a nonprofit organization and a school for dance education on the shoreline, and says its professionally trained dancers perform alongside acclaimed principal guest artists.
What is free at Christmas in New London?
Neither of the two listings gathered here is stated to be free. The Nutcracker is ticketed at $26 to $81 plus fees, with special pricing for children 12 and under. The library's ornament craft on December 14, 2026, shows no price, but registration is required.
Does New London have ties to ships today?
Yes. New London is a seaport at the mouth of the Thames River and home to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Its harbor is home port to the Coast Guard cutter Coho and the tall ship Eagle. The 2020 census counted 27,367 residents.
Sources
- New London, Connecticut, Wikipedia
- The Nutcracker, Garde Arts Center
- Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament Craft, Public Library of New London
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 Connecticut city.
New London Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What is the best Christmas event for kids in New London to start with?
Eastern Connecticut Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center is the one to build a day around. It is set in New London in the 1850s, with tall ships and lighthouses on stage, and plays on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 1:30 p.m.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in New London?
Neither listing gathered here is stated to be free. The Nutcracker on December 12 and 13, 2026, is ticketed. The Public Library of New London does not list a price for its Merry Shrimpmas ornament craft on December 14, which is open to teens and adults with registration.
Where can kids meet Santa in New London?
The two listings gathered here do not include a Santa visit. For a big seasonal outing instead, The Nutcracker fills the Garde Arts Center stage on December 12 and 13, 2026, with a wintry New London seaport, and Clara and the Nutcracker travel on to Arctic ice fields.
Is there a Christmas show for families in New London?
Yes. Eastern Connecticut Ballet presents The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street, with three performances on December 12 and 13, 2026. Its dancers share the stage with principal guest artists, and the scenery celebrates southeastern Connecticut's seafaring past, from the Custom House to Whale Oil Row.
Which New London Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?
Both. The Nutcracker needs tickets, priced from $26 to $81 plus fees, with special pricing for children 12 and under, and all sales are final. The library's Merry Shrimpmas ornament craft on Monday, December 14, 2026, requires registration because supplies are limited.
Is there a Christmas craft for teenagers in New London?
The Public Library of New London hosts Merry Shrimpmas: Ornament Craft on Monday, December 14, 2026, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in its Board Room. It is for teens and adults, basic sewing skills are recommended, and a hot glue gun is used, so it is not suited to young children.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near New London?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Connecticut Christmas train rides guide. This New London 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.