Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Powell for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience (December 6) and Family Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas Carol (December 9). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Powell
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Powell
- Meet Santa: Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience (December 6)
- Season: December 6 (Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience) to December 9 (Family Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Powell
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Santa visit
Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience
- When: Sunday, December 6, 2026, noon to 4 pm (Timed entry every 15 minutes)
- Where: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building, 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $5 group reservation fee; zoo admission not included
- Ages: All guests; designed for guests with sensory needs
Expand to see the parent tip
The Columbus Zoo sets aside an afternoon for guests with sensory needs to meet Santa in a calmer setting, with lower sound, softer lighting and smaller crowds. The visits happen inside the Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building, just outside the zoo's main entrance, and families enter on a timed schedule so each one gets unhurried time with Santa.
It takes place on Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, with entry times every 15 minutes and limited attendance. Reservations are required and cost a $5 fee per group. The zoo says the event is open to all guests and does not include zoo admission.
Parent tip: Slots are capped and released in 15-minute entries, so reserve early and pick the time of day when your child is usually most settled. The Santa visit is separate from a zoo ticket, since the building is outside the main entrance and the fee does not cover admission.
- Host
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building, 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Powell events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Powell daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Powell.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Powell 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 Powell.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Powell 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 Shows
- 1 Zoos and museums
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Powell every week.
Holiday show
Family Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas Carol
- When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 5 to 7 pm
- Where: Liberty Branch Library, Liberty Learning Stairs, 7468 Steitz Road, Powell, OH 43065 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
- Ages: Toddlers, preschoolers, children and families
Expand to see the parent tip
The Liberty Branch Library shows The Muppet Christmas Carol on its Liberty Learning Stairs, where families settle in for the G-rated retelling of the Dickens story with Kermit the Frog as the miser's loyal clerk. Kids are invited to come in pajamas with a blanket and a stuffed animal.
Movie night is on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the branch on Steitz Road. The film runs about 85 minutes, and families bring their own snacks. The listing does not mention a fee or registration.
Parent tip: Seating is on the library's learning stairs, so the blanket the library suggests doubles as a cushion. Pack a snack that can stand in for dinner, because the showing starts at 5:00 pm and none is provided.
- Host
- Delaware County District Library, Liberty Branch Library (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Liberty Branch Library, Liberty Learning Stairs, 7468 Steitz Road, Powell, OH 43065 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Powell events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Powell daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Powell.
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 Ohio Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Powell Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience in Powell on December 6; the last runs to December 9. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Sensory-Friendly Santa ExperiencePowell · Dec 6
- Family Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas CarolPowell · Dec 9
Looking further afield? Our Ohio Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Columbus, OH, New Albany, OH, Reynoldsburg and Pickerington. 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 Powell
Powell got its name from a judge: when the village then known as Hall's Corner applied for a post office in 1857, it renamed itself for the judge who approved the request. Today this Columbus suburb between the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers marks Christmas with a quiet Santa visit at the zoo and a pajama movie night at its newest library.
How Powell celebrates
Two organizers anchor the confirmed 2026 season. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, on West Powell Road, hosts its Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience on December 6 inside the Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building, with timed entry, softer lighting and limited crowds for guests with sensory needs. The Delaware County District Library follows on December 9 with Family Movie Night at its Liberty Branch Library, showing The Muppet Christmas Carol on the Liberty Learning Stairs. The branch says it opened in March 2023 to serve the greater Powell and Liberty Township community, the same township where Delaware County's first settlement took root.
Fun facts about Christmas in Powell
The first settlers arrived in present-day Powell on May 1, 1801, and by 1813 the settlement was known as Middlebury. It was renamed Hall's Corner in 1850 for general store owner Thomas R. Hall, then Powell in 1857. The Columbus and Toledo Railroad arrived in 1872, mainly to carry coal from Appalachia. Powell was incorporated in 1947, officially became a city in 2000, and had 14,163 residents at the 2020 census.
Traditions today
- Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience: The Columbus Zoo offers a calm, timed-entry Santa visit for guests with sensory needs on December 6, 2026.
- Family Movie Night at Liberty Branch: The Liberty Branch Library shows The Muppet Christmas Carol for families in pajamas on December 9, 2026.
- The Liberty Learning Stairs: The library's Liberty Learning Stairs serve as the seating for movie night inside the three-level branch on Steitz Road.
- The Four Corners: The intersection of State Route 750 and Liberty Street, which residents call the Four Corners, is the center point of Powell.
A fact for kids
Powell has had three different names. It was called Middlebury first, then Hall's Corner, and finally Powell, after a judge who said yes to the town's post office.
Questions about Christmas in Powell
When was Powell founded?
The first settlers arrived in what is now Powell on May 1, 1801, when the land was deeded to Thomas R. Hall. Powell was incorporated as a municipality in 1947 and officially became a city in 2000 after rapid growth that began in the late 1980s.
How did Powell get its name?
In 1857 the village, then called Hall's Corner, applied for an official post office, which needed a judge's approval. The village was renamed Powell in honor of the judge who approved the request. Before that it had been known as Middlebury.
Why are there streets named Middlebury in Powell?
By 1813 the settlement was known as Middlebury, possibly because early settlers had come from Middlebury, Connecticut. Powell keeps that heritage alive today, with multiple streets and housing developments using the Middlebury name.
When did the railroad come to Powell?
The Columbus and Toledo Railroad arrived in Powell in 1872. Its main purpose was hauling coal from Appalachia to regions beyond Columbus. It later became part of the Hocking Valley Railway, and much of the line still runs as a CSX freight route.
What happens at Christmas for kids in Powell?
Two family events are confirmed for 2026: the Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience at the Columbus Zoo on Sunday, December 6, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, and Family Movie Night with The Muppet Christmas Carol at the Liberty Branch Library on Wednesday, December 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Where are Powell's Christmas events held?
The Santa visit is in the Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building, just outside the main entrance of the Columbus Zoo on West Powell Road. The movie night is on the Liberty Learning Stairs at the Liberty Branch Library, 7468 Steitz Road.
Who organizes Christmas events in Powell?
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium runs the Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience, and the Delaware County District Library runs Family Movie Night at its Liberty Branch. Powell has two branches of the Delaware County District Library, and Liberty is the system's newest.
What does the zoo's sensory-friendly Santa visit cost?
The Columbus Zoo lists a $5 group reservation fee, and reservations are required. Attendance is limited, with timed entry every 15 minutes. The zoo notes the experience is open to all guests and that the fee does not include zoo admission.
How new is the Liberty Branch Library?
The library system says the Liberty Branch opened on Monday, March 27, 2023, making it the newest branch of the Delaware County District Library. It sits just west of Liberty High School and has 42,000 square feet on three levels.
How big is Powell?
Powell covers 4.93 square miles and had 14,163 residents at the 2020 census. It grew quickly: the population rose from 378 to more than 6,000 in about 20 years starting in the late 1980s, then nearly doubled again between 2000 and 2010.
Sources
- Powell, Ohio, Wikipedia
- Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Family Movie Night, Delaware County District Library
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 Ohio city.
Powell Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Powell to start with?
Two are confirmed for 2026. The Columbus Zoo holds its Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience on Sunday, December 6, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, and the Liberty Branch Library shows The Muppet Christmas Carol at Family Movie Night on Wednesday, December 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Powell?
The Liberty Branch Library's Family Movie Night on December 9 lists no fee and no registration, though the page does not use the word free. The zoo's Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience on December 6 has a $5 group reservation fee.
Where can kids meet Santa in Powell?
Santa is at the Columbus Zoo's Suzie Edwards Conservation Education building on Sunday, December 6, 2026, for the Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience. The setting has reduced sound, softer lighting and limited crowds, and families enter in timed slots every 15 minutes between 12:00 and 4:00 pm.
Is there a Santa visit in Powell for children with sensory needs?
Yes. The Columbus Zoo designs its Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience on December 6 for guests with sensory needs, with a quieter room, gentler lighting and capped attendance. The zoo notes it is open to all guests, and reservations with a $5 group fee are required.
Which Powell Christmas events need tickets or reservations?
The Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience at the Columbus Zoo on December 6 requires a reservation, with a $5 group fee and timed entry. Zoo admission is not included. The library's Family Movie Night on December 9 does not mention registration on its listing.
Is there a Christmas movie showing for kids in Powell?
The Liberty Branch Library on Steitz Road screens The Muppet Christmas Carol, rated G, on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, starting at 5:00 pm. The film is about 85 minutes long, and kids are encouraged to wear pajamas and bring a blanket, stuffed animal and snack.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Powell?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Ohio Christmas train rides guide. This Powell 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.