Rally is researching the season
Christmas with kids in Porterville
In Porterville, California, the Christmas season begins with a tree in Centennial Park and ends, for many families, with Santa on a lift behind a Rudolph car. The town has lit its community tree for 46 years.
2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
We are confirming this season's Christmas events in Porterville with every host. Subscribe and we'll email you the day they are released.
Free. One email a week with new events in Porterville. Unsubscribe anytime.
The story of Christmas in Porterville
How Porterville celebrates
Porterville opens the season on the Friday after Thanksgiving with a Community Christmas Tree Lighting at Centennial Park, a tradition that reached its 46th year in 2025. The Children's Christmas Parade follows on Main Street the next Thursday, presented by groups including the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. The Porterville Historical Museum adds a Model Train Show, and the Zalud House offers candlelight tours. The Myers Memorial Tree has let families honor loved ones with ornaments since 1995.
Christmas last year in Porterville
The 46th annual Tree Lighting took place on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 6 pm in Centennial Park, with the theme Sharing an Angelic Message. The Children's Christmas Parade followed on Main Street with 97 entries, more than a dozen marching bands and thousands of spectators, despite very cold weather. Santa Claus closed the parade, riding a lift behind a car dressed as Rudolph. The 40th annual Model Train Show at the Porterville Historical Museum offered free entry for youth under 18.
Fun facts about Christmas in Porterville
The Porterville Panther Band played at the very end of the 2025 parade, and entries ranged from school districts and dance studios to American Legion Riders and a military academy. Frost Fest, a four-acre lighting display at the fairgrounds, launched in 2021 according to a 2022 report. At tree lightings, Granite Hills High School students have handed out candy canes, and neighbors have collected toys, food and winter clothing for families in need.
Trains and Christmas near Porterville
Trains are part of Porterville's holiday season. The Porterville Historical Museum has run a Model Train Show every Christmas season, and in 2025 it marked its 40th year, with free entry for youth under 18. At Frost Fest in 2022, a small Northern Lights Express train ride cost $4. For real railroads, Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum sits beside an active mainline, and Railtown 1897 in Jamestown preserves historic Sierra Railway shops.
- Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum: A free, volunteer-run museum in a rebuilt 1904 depot where kids can watch real freight trains climb the pass.
- Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad: Rides behind a Shay steam locomotive on an old logging grade near Yosemite's south gate.
- Railtown 1897 State Historic Park: The Sierra Railway's historic shops and roundhouse in Gold Country, open daily.
Traditions today
- Community Christmas Tree Lighting: A Friday-after-Thanksgiving ceremony at Centennial Park, now in its 46th year, with music and the Ross Gardner Christmas Tree.
- Children's Christmas Parade: A Main Street parade with 97 entries in 2025 and Santa at the end.
- Model Train Show: A holiday train display at the Porterville Historical Museum, 40 years old in 2025.
- Zalud House candlelight tours: Evening tours of a historic home decorated for Christmas.
- Myers Memorial Tree: Families place ornaments to honor loved ones, a tradition since 1995.
- Toy and food drives: Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army and local groups collect gifts and supplies at holiday events.
A fact for kids
At Porterville's 2025 Christmas parade, Santa rode on a lift behind a car dressed up as Rudolph, and 97 groups marched down Main Street before him.
Questions about Christmas in Porterville
When did the Porterville Christmas Tree Lighting start?
The community tree lighting in Centennial Park is about 46 years old. It was the 40th annual in 2019, the 43rd in 2022 and the 46th in 2025, which points to a start around 1980. It opens the Christmas season on the Friday after Thanksgiving, with music and the lighting of the Ross Gardner Christmas Tree.
What is the Ross Gardner Christmas Tree?
The Ross Gardner Christmas Tree is the tree lit at Porterville's annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, in Centennial Park across from City Hall. The ceremony includes music, scripture and prayer. We could not find the story behind the tree's name in the sources we read.
What is the Porterville Children's Christmas Parade?
It is the downtown parade held on Main Street on a Thursday evening in early December, around 7 pm. In 2025 it had 97 entries, more than a dozen marching bands and thousands of spectators. Santa closes the parade. It has long been presented by the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.
Who started the Porterville Children's Christmas Parade?
A 2022 report says the parade began under Buck Shaffer, the Porterville Panther Band Director, but it gives no start year. Today the parade features the Porterville High School Panther Band at the very end. Check the Porterville Recorder or the city's pages for this year's date and time.
How did the 2025 Porterville parade go?
Thousands of families lined Main Street in very cold weather, and some brought heaters. The parade opened with the fire department, police and CHP vehicles with lights and sirens, then 97 entries followed. Santa closed the parade on a lift behind a car dressed as Rudolph.
Does Santa appear in the Porterville parade?
Yes. In 2025 Santa Claus closed the Children's Christmas Parade, riding a lift behind an OACYS Technology car dressed as Rudolph. He came last, so choose a spot along Main Street early and bring warm layers, because the 2025 parade night was very cold.
Where is the Porterville tree lighting held?
The tree lighting is held at Centennial Park, with the tree across from City Hall. In 2022 the ceremony was at the Centennial Park Pavilion at 6 pm, with music, caroling and donations of canned food and Toys for Tots gifts. Check local listings for this year's details.
What was the theme of the 2025 Porterville tree lighting?
The 46th annual ceremony on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 6 pm in Centennial Park used the theme Sharing an Angelic Message. It opened the season, and the Children's Christmas Parade followed on Thursday, December 4. Themes are announced each year, so check current listings.
What is the Porterville Model Train Show?
It is a holiday model train display at the Porterville Historical Museum that opens the Christmas season each year. The 2025 show was the 40th annual, with hours from 10 am to 3 pm on select days from November 29 through December 31 and free entry for youth under 18.
Is the Porterville Model Train Show free for kids?
Yes. In 2025 youth under 18 were admitted free, with a suggested adult donation of $8. In 2022 children were also free and adults paid $8. The show runs on select days, so check dates before driving in. Check the museum for the current schedule.
What are the Zalud House candlelight tours?
They are annual holiday evening tours at the Zalud House, 393 N. Hockett Street in Porterville. In 2022 they ran on four December evenings from 6 to 8 pm, with admission of $3 for adults and $1 for children. The tours show a historic house decorated for Christmas.
What is Frost Fest in Porterville?
Frost Fest is a holiday lights event at the Porterville Fairgrounds that launched in 2021, so 2022 was its second year. It featured a four-acre lighting display, food, and a Northern Lights Express train ride for $4. In 2022 tickets were $15 for ages 13 and up and $10 for ages 5 to 12. We did not confirm whether it ran in 2025.
What is the Myers Memorial Tree in Porterville?
The Myers Funeral Service Memorial Tree lets families place ornaments honoring loved ones. It began in 1995, and a free memorial service is held in mid December. For young children, it can be a gentle way to talk about family members who are missed during the holidays.
How do I explain the memorial tree to a young child?
Tell them it is a special tree where people hang an ornament to remember someone they love, like a grandparent. Porterville has done this since 1995. Let your child choose or hang an ornament, and share a favorite memory, so the holiday feels warm rather than sad.
What is the Zonta Club Home Tour?
The Zonta Club of Porterville hosts a holiday home tour in Porterville and Springville. The 27th annual tour was held in 2019, with tickets at $30, along with a Zonta hospitality and bazaar. It is a ticketed tour of decorated homes.
Does the Porterville tree lighting collect donations?
Yes. In 2022 the tree lighting asked for canned food and Toys for Tots donations, and the later ceremony saw groups collecting toys, food, blankets and winter clothing, including Girl Scouts Troop 2117, Toys for Tots, the Porterville Area Coordinating Council and the Salvation Army.
What do kids get at the Porterville tree lighting?
Besides the music and the tree, Granite Hills High School Z Club members handed out candy canes at one ceremony, and caroling is part of the evening. Little ones can also drop off toys for donation. Details can change each year, so check local listings.
When is the Porterville Christmas season officially opened?
The season opens on the Friday after Thanksgiving with the Community Christmas Tree Lighting at Centennial Park, usually at 6 pm. In 2025 that was November 28. The Children's Christmas Parade follows the next Thursday. Exact dates move, so check local listings for this year.
When is the Porterville Children's Christmas Parade held?
The Children's Christmas Parade follows the tree lighting on Main Street, usually on the next Thursday evening. In 2025 the tree lighting was Friday, November 28, and the parade was Thursday, December 4. Exact dates move from year to year, so check local listings for this year's date.
Can kids see real trains and steam engines in California near Porterville?
Yes. Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum sits beside the active mainline in downtown Tehachapi. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown preserves the Sierra Railway shops and roundhouse, and the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad runs a Shay steam locomotive near Yosemite's south gate. Check seasons and hours before you go.
Sources
- Porterville Christmas traditions to continue, Porterville Recorder
- Plenty of Christmas activities coming up, Porterville Recorder
- What's happening: train show, Christmas tree lighting, Porterville Recorder
- Light up the season: community gathers for tree lighting, Porterville Recorder
- Cold play: chilly but fun Christmas parade, Porterville Recorder
- Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Rally Takes the Train
- Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, Rally Takes the Train