Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Prince Albert for 2026. The Santa Claus Parade rolls down Central Avenue on Saturday morning, November 28, and the City lights its Christmas tree in Memorial Square on Wednesday, December 2. Both are free. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Prince Albert
- 2 free Christmas events for kids in Prince Albert
- Santa Claus Parade: Saturday, November 28, 11 am
- Tree lighting: Wednesday, December 2, at City Hall
- After the parade: Santa photos in the Gateway Mall
- Both downtown on Central Avenue
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Prince Albert 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 Prince Albert.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Prince Albert before they fill up.
- Start your magical Christmas season now Every event appears the moment you enter your email.
- 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.
Waiting inside
- 1 Santa
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
- 2 Free
Enter your email and all will appear instantly.
The Christmas magic awaits
Enter your email to get Christmas event notifications all season long and unlock the details on 1 Christmas event in Prince Albert.
- New events in Prince Albert every week
- Exclusive access to free events
- Your magical Christmas season starts now
- Christmas Eve Express and free advent calendar
- One-tap add to calendar
Free Christmas events for kids in Prince Albert
Morning paradeFree
Prince Albert Santa Claus Parade
- When: Saturday, November 28, 2026, starting at 11 am
- Where: Central Avenue, Downtown Prince Albert (9th Street East south to the Gateway Mall), Prince Albert, SK (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District sends the Santa Claus Parade down Central Avenue at 11 am, starting at 9th Street East and finishing at the Gateway Mall.
A late-morning parade is easy on little ones, and the fun keeps going afterwards with photos with Santa in the Gateway Mall, free hula hoop play and free Santa caricatures.
Parent tip: Bring a bag for candy, and head straight to the Gateway Mall after the last float to beat the line for Santa photos.
New Prince Albert events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Prince Albert daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Prince Albert.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Prince Albert 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 Prince Albert.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Prince Albert 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 Parades
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Prince Albert every week.
Tree lightingFree
Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
- When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026 (last year ran 6:30 to 8:30 pm with the lighting at 7 pm)
- Where: Memorial Square at City Hall, 1084 Central Avenue, Prince Albert, SK S6V 7P3 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The fourth annual tree lighting switches on the big evergreen beside City Hall in Memorial Square.
Last year kids wrote letters to Santa and coloured in the warm City Hall foyer, the Prince Albert Children's Choir sang, and firefighters ran a fire pit for marshmallows and s'mores.
Parent tip: Dress for a Saskatchewan December evening and use the City Hall foyer as your warm-up spot between the lighting and the s’mores.
- Host
- City of Prince Albert (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Memorial Square at City Hall, 1084 Central Avenue, Prince Albert, SK S6V 7P3 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Prince Albert events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Prince Albert daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Prince Albert.
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 Prince Albert Christmas event for kids happens
Start the season at the parade on November 28 and stay for Santa photos at the Gateway Mall, then come back downtown on December 2 for the tree lighting and letters to Santa at City Hall.
- Prince Albert Santa Claus ParadePrince Albert · Nov 28
- Community Christmas Tree Lighting CeremonyPrince Albert · Dec 2
Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Saskatoon and Regina. 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 AmazonThe story of Christmas in Prince Albert
In 2024, Prince Albert families stood on Central Avenue in a wind chill of minus 37 to watch Santa arrive, and the parade went ahead anyway. A year later the parade hit 50 entries for the first time, and Santa ended his ride under the skylight of the Gateway Mall.
Central Avenue's Santa Claus Parade and a City Hall tree lit for the first time in 2023
For years, Christmas in Prince Albert has begun with the Santa Claus Parade, run by the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District on the last Saturday of November. Floats travel south along Central Avenue to the Gateway Mall, where Santa climbs down to greet children. Back in 2018, organizer Carolyn Carleton described a route that started at the Historical Museum, with about 25 floats and a 10:30 am start, and the museum opened its Christmas Gifts of the Past display for free that day.
In 2023 the city added a second downtown tradition, the Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Memorial Square beside City Hall. On December 5, 2023, the Prince Albert Children's Choir led the carols, the Mintos, Timberjacks and Northern Bears hockey teams posed for photos, Ukrainian newcomers handed out hot chocolate, and the big evergreen glowed with more than 8,000 lights sponsored by Beau 'Lac' Funeral Home.
November 29, 2025: 50 parade entries, carols on the Margo Fournier steps and a third tree lighting
The 2025 Santa Claus Parade left at 11 am on Saturday, November 29, with 50 entrants, a milestone executive director Rhonda Trusty was proud to reach. Thousands of people lined Central Avenue in the cold. Calvary United Church sang carols on the steps of the Margo Fournier Arts Centre, Prince Albert Baptist Church sang at 12th Street and Central Avenue, and volunteers handed out hot chocolate. The Grinch hitched a ride on a Coca-Cola truck, and one entry towed a skier behind a pickup.
Inside the Gateway Mall afterward, kids found Santa under the skylight, free Santa caricatures by Jasen Bellamy of Jux Art Studio and a Hula Hoopster. On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, the third annual tree lighting switched on the evergreen at 7 pm, with letters to Santa in the City Hall foyer, horse and wagon rides, hot chocolate from Lake Country Co-op and s'mores over a fire pit run by the Prince Albert Firefighters.
Minus 37 in 2024 and a parade director who teared up behind Santa's sleigh
Prairie weather is the biggest worry for a winter parade. The 2024 parade on November 30 went ahead in a minus 37 degree wind chill, and Rhonda Trusty later said the turnout is always better when the weather is kind. Before that parade she remembered walking behind Santa's sleigh the year before, hearing children call out "Santa I love you, Merry Christmas," and tearing up. Churches have become part of the day, with Calvary United Church and Bethel Christian Fellowship singing carols before the 2024 start.
Other December customs fill the weeks after. The Prince Albert Band plays a Christmas concert at the John M. Cuelenaere Library, with an original setlist that is not only Christmas music, and in 2025 it was on December 20. Glow, a Christmas concert by the Prince Albert Concert Choir, filled Calvary United Church on December 14, 2025. On Christmas Day 2025, Ricky's All Day Grill served free soup, grilled cheese and coffee for anyone having a hard time.
A mall train through Whoville and the Optimists' Santa Anonymous, started in 1961
Prince Albert's best holiday train ride is indoors. In 2022 the Optimist Club of Prince Albert turned the empty Staples store in the Gateway Mall into Winter Wonderland, entered through a tunnel of lights. Kids rode a little train around the displays, listened to Mrs. Claus read stories, and found Santa stuck in a fireplace and the Grinch stuck in a Christmas tree. It opens each year right after the Santa Claus Parade.
The themes change each year: Cowboy Christmas in 2024, its third year, and Whoville in 2025, its fourth, with the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who and Max. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people visited in 2023, and more than 4,000 came in 2024, including over 900 school children. Every dollar helps local kids, a Christmas habit that goes back to the club's beginnings in 1961, when its original project was Santa Anonymous.
Traditions today
- The Santa Claus Parade on Central Avenue: A downtown parade on the last Saturday of November, ending at the Gateway Mall, where Santa meets families. In 2026 it starts at 11 am on November 28.
- Tree lighting in Memorial Square: The big evergreen beside City Hall is lit at 7 pm on an early December evening, with the Prince Albert Children's Choir singing. 2026 is its fourth year.
- Optimist Club Winter Wonderland: A themed Christmas walk-through with a train ride at the Gateway Mall, open on December weekends since 2022.
- Carols along the parade route: Church groups sing on the Margo Fournier Arts Centre steps and at 12th Street while families wait for Santa.
- Gingerbread house contest: Schools decorate gingerbread houses for judging at Winter Wonderland, with around 200 expected in 2023.
A fact for kids
At Prince Albert's Winter Wonderland, Santa once got stuck in a fireplace and the Grinch got stuck in a Christmas tree, and kids could ride a little train right past them.
Questions about Christmas in Prince Albert
What is the route of the Prince Albert Santa Claus Parade?
The parade starts at 9th Street East and travels south along Central Avenue to the Gateway Mall, where Santa leaves his float to greet families. Entrants have started from Ninth Street and Central Avenue since at least 2023. Bring a bag for the candy that parade entries hand out along the way.
Who organizes the Santa Claus Parade in Prince Albert?
The Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District, known as PADBID, organizes the Santa Claus Parade with community partners. Rhonda Trusty is the executive director. Businesses, churches, sports teams and community groups apply to enter floats, and the parade is free to watch.
How many floats are in the Prince Albert Santa Claus Parade?
The 2025 parade on November 29 had 50 entrants, the first time it reached that mark, and Rhonda Trusty expected it to take about 45 minutes to pass. Back in 2018, organizers counted about 25 floats. The length changes each year depending on how many groups sign up.
Where did the Prince Albert Santa parade start in 2018?
In 2018 the parade started at the Prince Albert Historical Museum and went up Central Avenue to the Gateway Mall, where Santa got off his float to greet children at the mall's Christmas Village. It began at 10:30 am, and the museum opened its Christmas Gifts of the Past display for free that day.
How cold has the Prince Albert Santa Claus Parade been?
The 2024 parade on November 30 took place in a wind chill of minus 37 degrees Celsius. Organizers said weather is the biggest challenge in planning a winter parade, and that turnout is strongest when the weather is nice. Dress in layers and bring warm drinks for little ones.
When did the Prince Albert Christmas tree lighting at City Hall start?
The Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Memorial Square began in 2023, when it was held on December 5. The 2025 edition on December 3 was billed as the third annual, which makes the 2026 ceremony on December 2 the fourth. The tree is the big evergreen beside City Hall.
How many lights are on the Prince Albert City Hall Christmas tree?
At the 2023 ceremony, the tree outside City Hall was decorated with more than 8,000 lights, sponsored by Beau 'Lac' Funeral Home. Beau 'Lac' has continued to sponsor the ceremony in partnership with the City of Prince Albert, and Northern Light Installs was listed among the 2025 partners.
What happens at the Prince Albert tree lighting ceremony?
At the 2025 ceremony the tree was lit at 7 pm, followed by carols from the Prince Albert Children's Choir. Kids wrote letters to Santa and coloured in the City Hall foyer, families posed with the Optimist Club's winter characters, rode a horse and wagon, drank Lake Country Co-op hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows at a firefighters' fire pit.
Where do kids see Santa after the Prince Albert parade?
After the parade, Santa heads into the Gateway Mall. In 2025 he sat under the mall skylight, and families could also get free Santa caricatures by Jasen Bellamy of Jux Art Studio, play with the Hula Hoopster, shop the farmers market and visit the Optimist Club's Winter Wonderland in the old Staples store.
What is the Optimist Club Winter Wonderland in Prince Albert?
Winter Wonderland is a Christmas walk-through display created by the Optimist Club of Prince Albert inside the former Staples store at the Gateway Mall. It first opened after the parade in November 2022 and has train rides, story time, crafts, photo stations and characters. It is the club's biggest fundraiser for local youth projects.
What was the 2025 Winter Wonderland theme in Prince Albert?
The 2025 theme was Whoville, from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who and Max. It opened on November 29, 2025, after the parade and ran weekends until December 21. Admission was $5 for children, $13 for adults, $10 for seniors and $35 for a family.
Is there a train ride at Christmas in Prince Albert?
Yes. A small train carries riders around the Optimist Club's Winter Wonderland at the Gateway Mall, and it has been part of the display since its first year in 2022. Photos from 2023 and 2025 show the train circling past the Christmas displays. Winter Wonderland opens each year right after the Santa Claus Parade.
How many people visit Winter Wonderland in Prince Albert?
Organizers counted between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors in 2023. In 2024 more than 4,000 people came, including over 900 school children on days set aside for school groups. In its first year, 2022, the event raised about $5,000 for the Optimist Club's work with kids.
What was Santa Anonymous in Prince Albert?
Santa Anonymous was the original project of the Optimist Club of Prince Albert, which has served young people in the city since 1961. The club, which now runs the Winter Wonderland at the Gateway Mall, listed Santa Anonymous as its first project in a 2012 look back at its 50 years of service.
Is there a gingerbread house contest in Prince Albert?
Yes. For Winter Wonderland, the Optimist Club takes gingerbread houses out to schools, then brings them back to be judged for prizes. In 2023 organizers expected about 200 gingerbread houses, and a giant Barbie-themed gingerbread house donated by Sweet Stells Cakes and More was offered as a prize.
Do churches sing carols at the Prince Albert Santa parade?
Yes. In 2024 Calvary United Church and Bethel Christian Fellowship sang Christmas carols before the parade started. In 2025 Calvary United sang on the steps of the Margo Fournier Arts Centre and Prince Albert Baptist Church sang at 12th Street and Central Avenue, while church groups also sang on the Gateway Mall stage.
What funny things have been in the Prince Albert Santa parade?
In 2025, the Grinch hitched a ride on the back of a Coca-Cola truck, Fresh Air Experience towed a man on skis behind a pickup truck, and Buckland Fire and Rescue showed off a new fire truck. Entries handed out candy and even new pencils along Central Avenue.
Is there a Christmas concert in Prince Albert for families?
The Prince Albert Band plays an annual Christmas concert at the John M. Cuelenaere Library, held on December 20 in 2025 at 2 pm, with an original setlist that mixes in more than Christmas songs. The Prince Albert Children's Choir also sings at the City Hall tree lighting each December.
When is the 2026 Prince Albert Community Christmas Tree Lighting?
The fourth annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, in Memorial Square at City Hall, 1084 Central Avenue. In past years it ran from 6:30 to 8:30 pm with the tree lit at 7 pm. It is free, and Rally Takes the Train will update the time once the city posts it.
What did Rhonda Trusty say about Prince Albert's Santa parade?
The PADBID executive director said the excitement and joy the Santa Claus Parade creates for children is magical. She recalled tearing up while walking behind Santa's sleigh as children shouted "Santa I love you, Merry Christmas," and called the parade the downtown's kickoff to Christmas and a free event families can share.
Sources
- Downtown ready for 50-entry Santa Parade on Saturday, Prince Albert Daily Herald
- Santa Parade set for Saturday, Prince Albert Daily Herald
- PHOTOS: P.A. braves the cold to give Santa Claus a warm welcome, paNOW
- 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, City of Prince Albert
- Tree lighting ceremony brightens up City Hall: Photo Gallery, Prince Albert Daily Herald
- Santa Claus Parade returns to Prince Albert, paNOW
- December starts with full slate of holiday activities, paNOW
- P.A. families are walking in a winter wonderland indoors this Christmas, paNOW
- Winter Wonderland brings Whoville to Prince Albert, Prince Albert Daily Herald
- Winter Wonderland returns to Gateway Mall, paNOW
- Optimist Club of Prince Albert 50 years of service, paNOW
- Santa Claus Parade, Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District
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 Canada city.
Prince Albert Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Prince Albert this year?
We have confirmed 2 free Christmas events for kids in Prince Albert for 2026: the Santa Claus Parade on November 28 and the Community Christmas Tree Lighting at City Hall on December 2.
When is the Prince Albert Santa Claus Parade in 2026?
Saturday, November 28, 2026, at 11 am. It starts at 9th Street East and travels south on Central Avenue to the Gateway Mall.
When is the Prince Albert tree lighting?
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, in Memorial Square at City Hall, 1084 Central Avenue. Last year it ran 6:30 to 8:30 pm with the tree lit at 7 pm.
Can kids see Santa after the parade?
Yes. Downtown lists photos with Santa in the Gateway Mall after the parade, plus free hula hoop play and Santa caricatures.
Who do I contact about Prince Albert holiday events?
For the parade, the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District at events@princealbertdowntown.ca or 306-763-1802. For the tree lighting, the City contact listed was Councillor Dawn Kilmer at dkilmer@citypa.com.
Are there more Christmas events near Prince Albert?
Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events in cities across Canada, including Saskatoon, 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 publication. We last checked Prince Albert on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms 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.