Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Poway for 2026, and both are at Old Poway Park, home of the Poway-Midland Railroad. The Polar Express plays outdoors on Saturday, December 5, and Christmas in the Park on December 11 and 12 brings Santa in by train, a tree lighting and night-time train rides. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our California Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Poway
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Poway
- Polar Express movie night: Saturday, December 5, Old Poway Park, free
- Christmas in the Park: December 11 and 12, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- Santa arrives by train and the tree lights at 6 pm
- Every date checked on the City of Poway’s calendar on Nov 11
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All 2 events
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Free Christmas events for kids in Poway
Outdoor holiday movieFree
Winter Movie in the Park: The Polar Express
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 5 pm to 9 pm, movie at sunset
- Where: Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Old Poway Park, home of the Poway-Midland Railroad, screens The Polar Express outdoors on the first Saturday of December, a fitting match for a park built around a historic train depot.
Families are invited to come in pajamas with blankets and settle in on the lawn. The evening starts at 5 pm and the movie rolls at sunset.
Parent tip: Bring low chairs, a thermos of cocoa and warm layers, since December evenings in Poway cool off quickly once the sun drops.
- Host
- City of Poway, Old Poway Park (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Poway events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Poway daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Poway.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Poway 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 Poway.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Poway 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
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Poway every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Poway
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 by train
Christmas in the Park
- When: Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12, 2026, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm; tree lighting at 6 pm
- Where: Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free entry; Santa visit tickets $5; train rides and treats extra
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa arrives at Old Poway Park by train for Christmas in the Park, followed by the tree lighting ceremony at 6 pm, and kids can board the Poway-Midland Railroad for a night-time ride around the park.
Live music, holiday treats and a craft boutique fill both evenings. Santa visits run on $5 timed tickets from a booth outside Templars Hall, and free shuttles run from Poway City Hall and the Poway Adult School lot.
Parent tip: Grab your Santa ticket at the Templars Hall booth right at 3:30 pm, then ride the train while you wait for your return time.
- Host
- City of Poway, Old Poway Park (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Poway events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Poway daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Poway.
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 California Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Poway Christmas event for kids happens
Watch The Polar Express under the stars on December 5, then come back a week later to ride the real train at Christmas in the Park.
- Winter Movie in the Park: The Polar ExpressPoway · Dec 5
- Christmas in the ParkPoway · Dec 11 to Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our California Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Escondido, San Marcos, San Diego and Chula Vista. 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 California city.
Poway Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Poway this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Poway for 2026, both at Old Poway Park: the Winter Movie in the Park showing The Polar Express and Christmas in the Park.
When is Christmas in the Park in Poway in 2026?
Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road. Santa arrives by train and the tree lighting is at 6 pm.
Is there a train ride at Poway Christmas in the Park?
Yes. Families can board the Poway-Midland Railroad for a night-time ride around Old Poway Park during the event.
How much does it cost to see Santa at Old Poway Park?
Santa visits use $5 tickets with a set return time, sold from a booth outside Templars Hall starting at 3:30 pm.
Who do I contact about Poway holiday events?
Old Poway Park staff at oldpowaypark@poway.org.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in California?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s California Christmas train rides page.
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 Poway 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.