Christmas Events for Kids in Notre Dame (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 Notre Dame for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure (November 29) and The Nutcracker (December 12). 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 Notre Dame

  • 2 Christmas events for kids in Notre Dame
  • Season: November 29 (A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure) to December 12 (The Nutcracker)
  • Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Notre Dame

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

Holiday show

A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure

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The South Bend Symphony Orchestra plays a family concert built as a musical trip around the world, with holiday music and customs from many cultures. The full orchestra performs in Leighton Concert Hall as part of the symphony's Shein Trust Community Series.

The concert is on Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 2:30 pm at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Seats are sold through the center's ticket site, where buyers can take the best available seat or pick their own. The saved page does not show ticket prices or an end time.

Parent tip: This is a seated orchestra concert on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so it fits children who can sit and listen. Use the choose-your-own-seat option to get an aisle seat if you may need to step out with a young child.

Host
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (opens in a new tab)
Address
Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, 100 Performing Arts Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

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Holiday show

The Nutcracker

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Aurinko Ballet stages its own retelling of the Nutcracker, set in the present day and danced to music other than the usual Tchaikovsky score. Klara is a homeless girl who is handed a broken nutcracker doll rescued from the trash by Herr Drosselmeyer, and his spell sends her into a dream of a Mouse Queen, snowflakes, fairies and the Sugar Plum Fairy's kingdom. The kingdom greets her with dances from China, Spain, India and other countries, and the story closes with Klara finding a family.

There are two performances on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm, in the Patricia George Decio Theatre. Tickets are sold through the center's ticket site with best available or choose-your-own seating. The page warns that smoke, fog, haze or strobe lights will be used, and the saved extract shows no prices.

Parent tip: The 3:00 pm show is the easier one for young children, since the evening performance starts at 7:30 pm. The production uses fog and strobe lights, so prepare children who are sensitive to flashing light or sit farther back.

Host
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (opens in a new tab)
Address
Patricia George Decio Theatre, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, 100 Performing Arts Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (opens in a new tab)

New Notre Dame events every week

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

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 Notre Dame Christmas event for kids happens

The first is A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure in Notre Dame on November 29; the last runs to December 12. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.

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 South Bend, Mishawaka, 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.

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 Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana is a community made up almost entirely of college campuses, with a median age of 20.3 and a post office that has been in operation since 1851. In the holiday season its performing arts center opens its stages to families for an orchestra concert and a ballet.

How Notre Dame celebrates

The Christmas listings for families in Notre Dame this season are two ticketed stage shows at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, whose ticket office is part of the University of Notre Dame's website. On Sunday, November 29, 2026, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra brings its Shein Trust Community Series to Leighton Concert Hall with A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure, a family concert of holiday music and traditions from many cultures. On Saturday, December 12, Aurinko Ballet presents its own version of The Nutcracker twice in the Patricia George Decio Theatre, and its ticket page invites families to make the show a new tradition.

Fun facts about Christmas in Notre Dame

Notre Dame is an unincorporated community and census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana. It takes in the campuses of three Catholic colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. The 2020 census counted 7,234 residents with a median age of 20.3 years. The Notre Dame post office has operated since 1851, and the University of Notre Dame has its own fire department and supplies its own water and power.

Traditions today

  • A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure: The South Bend Symphony Orchestra plays a family holiday concert of music and traditions from many cultures in Leighton Concert Hall.
  • The Nutcracker by Aurinko Ballet: Aurinko Ballet dances a present-day version of the Nutcracker story in the Patricia George Decio Theatre.
  • DeBartolo Performing Arts Center: Both holiday shows are staged in halls of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, which sells tickets through a University of Notre Dame web address.
  • A campus community: The shows take place in a community that includes the campuses of the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College.

A fact for kids

Notre Dame has three colleges inside it, and half the people who live there are about 20 years old or younger. It has no town government, but it does have its own post office, which opened in 1851.

Questions about Christmas in Notre Dame

Is Notre Dame, Indiana a real town?

It is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County. It has no municipal government. Its government entities are the United States post office and the police forces of the colleges located there.

What colleges are in Notre Dame?

Notre Dame includes the campuses of three Catholic colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. It is also home to three major headquarters of Holy Cross religious communities, including the Sisters of the Holy Cross on the Saint Mary's College campus.

How old is the Notre Dame post office?

The Notre Dame Post Office has been in operation since 1851. Today it is located in the northwest corner of Hammes Mowbray Hall, west of East Gate along Juniper Road on the University of Notre Dame campus.

How many people live in Notre Dame?

The 2020 census counted 7,234 residents. The median age was 20.3 years, and only 0.3 percent of residents were under 18, which reflects a population made up mostly of college students. The community is split between Clay and Portage townships.

Does Notre Dame have its own services?

Yes, in part. Because it is unincorporated, there is no town hall. The colleges have their own police forces, and the University of Notre Dame also has its own fire department and supplies its own water and power utilities.

What happens at Christmas for families in Notre Dame?

This season's listings are two shows at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center: the South Bend Symphony Orchestra's family holiday concert on Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 2:30 pm, and Aurinko Ballet's The Nutcracker on Saturday, December 12 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm.

Where do the Christmas shows take place?

Both are inside the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The symphony concert is in Leighton Concert Hall, and The Nutcracker is in the Patricia George Decio Theatre. Tickets for each are sold through the center's ticket site, with a seat map for choosing seats.

Who puts on the Christmas shows?

The concert is performed by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra as part of its Shein Trust Community Series. The Nutcracker is a special event by Aurinko Ballet. The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center hosts both and handles the ticket sales.

Are the Notre Dame Christmas shows free?

No free events are listed here. Both shows are ticketed through the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The saved ticket pages do not display prices, so families should check the center's ticket site for the current cost of each seat before booking.

Sources

  1. Notre Dame, Indiana, Wikipedia
  2. A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure, Nov 29, 2026 2:30PM, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
  3. The Nutcracker, Dec 12, 2026 3:00PM, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

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.

Notre Dame Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

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

Both listings are stage shows at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. A Very Merry Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure, a family concert by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, comes first on Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 2:30 pm. Aurinko Ballet's The Nutcracker follows on Saturday, December 12 with performances at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm.

Are there free Christmas activities in Notre Dame?

The two events listed here, the symphony's holiday concert on November 29, 2026 and The Nutcracker on December 12, are both ticketed shows at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The saved ticket pages do not show prices, so check the center's ticket site for current costs before you plan.

Where can kids meet Santa in Notre Dame?

Neither event listed here includes a Santa visit. They are a holiday orchestra concert on Sunday, November 29, 2026 and a ballet on Saturday, December 12, both at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Plan them as the show part of your season and look elsewhere for Santa photos.

Is there a Nutcracker for families in Notre Dame?

Yes. Aurinko Ballet performs The Nutcracker in the Patricia George Decio Theatre on Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. It is described as family friendly for all ages. This version is set in today's world and does not use the traditional Tchaikovsky score, though the storyline is similar.

Do Notre Dame Christmas shows need tickets?

Yes. Both the Symphony Sleigh Ride Adventure on November 29, 2026 and The Nutcracker on December 12 are sold through the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center's ticket site. Buyers can ask for the best available seats or choose their own from a seat map. The Nutcracker offers two show times on the same day.

What should parents know before taking kids to The Nutcracker at Notre Dame?

The ticket page notes that smoke, fog, haze or strobes will be used in the December 12, 2026 performances. The story also differs from the classic: Klara is a homeless girl who receives a broken nutcracker doll, and the ballet's message is that small kindnesses matter and all people are special.

Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Notre Dame?

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