Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni for 2026. The Alberni Arts council lights the tree at Harbour Quay on Saturday, November 28, with a lantern light parade, Santa photos and a Mrs. Claus train ride, and the Alberni Pacific Railway runs Santa’s Steam Express behind the No. 7 steam locomotive on three December weekends. We confirm every date with the organizer or the official tourism calendar and link straight to it. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Port Alberni
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni
- Harbour Quay Light-Up: Saturday, November 28, 5 to 7:30 pm
- Tree lighting: 6:15 pm, light parade at 6:30 pm
- Santa’s Steam Express: December 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20
- Train tickets: $16.05 adults, $5.35 kids 2 to 17
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Free Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni
Tree lighting and light paradeFree
ƛuukʷatquuʔis Harbour Quay Light-Up
- When: Saturday, November 28, 2026, 5 to 7:30 pm, tree lighting at 6:15 pm
- Where: Harbour Quay, 5440 Argyle St, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 1T6 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Alberni Arts council turns Harbour Quay into a waterfront festival of lights, with the holiday tree switched on at 6:15 pm and a light parade of hand-made lanterns, lit-up bikes and pets setting off at 6:30 pm. The name honours the Nuu-chah-nulth place name for the beach, meaning Wolf Ritual Beach, and the evening opens with a welcome from Tseshaht and Hupacasath.
Kids can have photos taken with Santa from 5 pm, make crafts at the craft tent, browse a youth market and ride a short Alberni Pacific Railway train with Mrs. Claus, with trains leaving at 5, 6 and 7 pm. Free hot chocolate and donuts come from Quay businesses, and the ADSS band and local choirs play through the evening.
Parent tip: Aim to arrive right at 5 pm if you want the first Mrs. Claus train and a short Santa line, then claim a spot near the tree before 6:15 pm.
- Host
- Alberni Arts (Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley) (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Harbour Quay, 5440 Argyle St, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 1T6 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Port Alberni events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Port Alberni daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Port Alberni.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Port Alberni 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
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free
Santa steam train
Santa’s Steam Express
- When: Three weekends: December 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20, 2026, day and night trains (times are set at booking)
- Where: Alberni Pacific Railway, Port Alberni Train Station, 3100 Kingsway Ave, Port Alberni, BC (opens in maps)
- Cost: $16.05 adults (18+), $5.35 children and youth 2 to 17, lap children under 2 free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Alberni Pacific Railway fires up its heritage No. 7 steam locomotive for a 40-minute round trip decked out in holiday lights, and Santa himself walks the cars to visit with the kids. Both day trains and night trains run over three December weekends.
Tickets are sold only through the railway’s own website, and a wheelchair lift is available if you let a ticket agent know. Hot chocolate is on sale at the station, which helps on a cold evening run.
Parent tip: Book a night train if your kids want to see the lights, and pick a day train for toddlers who fade by dinnertime.
- Host
- Alberni Pacific Railway (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Alberni Pacific Railway, Port Alberni Train Station, 3100 Kingsway Ave, Port Alberni, BC (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Port Alberni events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Port Alberni daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Port Alberni.
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? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists Santa trains and holiday rides across the country.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Port Alberni Christmas event for kids happens
Start the season at the free Harbour Quay Light-Up on November 28, then book Santa’s Steam Express early, since its three December weekends are the valley’s favourite holiday tradition.
- ƛuukʷatquuʔis Harbour Quay Light-UpPort Alberni · Nov 28
- Santa’s Steam ExpressPort Alberni · Dec 4 to Dec 20
Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Nanaimo, Vancouver, Victoria and Abbotsford. 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 AmazonKeep 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 Canada city.
Port Alberni Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Port Alberni for 2026: the free ƛuukʷatquuʔis Harbour Quay Light-Up on November 28 and Santa’s Steam Express on the Alberni Pacific Railway on December 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20.
When is the Harbour Quay Light-Up in 2026?
Saturday, November 28, 2026, from 5 to 7:30 pm at Harbour Quay, 5440 Argyle St. The tree is lit at 6:15 pm and the light parade starts at 6:30 pm. It is free.
Can kids see Santa at the Harbour Quay Light-Up?
Yes. Photos with Santa start at 5 pm, and there are kids crafts, a youth market and short train rides with Mrs. Claus at 5, 6 and 7 pm.
How much is Santa’s Steam Express in Port Alberni?
The Alberni Pacific Railway lists $16.05 for adults, $5.35 for children and youth 2 to 17, and lap children under 2 ride free. Tickets are sold only on the railway’s website.
Who do I contact about Port Alberni holiday events?
For the Harbour Quay Light-Up, the Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley at info@alberniarts.com or 250-724-3412. For Santa’s Steam Express, the Alberni Pacific Railway at info@albernipacificrailway.ca.
Are there more Christmas events near Port Alberni?
Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event across the country, and the national search sorts events by distance from your town.
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 Port Alberni on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms and bad-weather plans.
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.