Christmas Events for Kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 3 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand for 2026, and both fall on Saturday, December 5. Kids 6 to 12 can build a LEGO Christmas village at the Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc in the afternoon, then the Défilé du père Noël rolls out at 6:30 pm with five illuminated floats, Basilou and elf letter carriers collecting notes for Santa. Both dates come from the town’s own calendar. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Saint-Basile-le-Grand

  • 2 Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  • Défilé du père Noël: Saturday, December 5, 6:30 pm
  • Route: about 1.9 km on the south side of Route 116
  • LEGO Christmas village: December 5, ages 6 to 12
  • Letters to Santa collected by elf letter carriers

Free 1Ticketed and paid 1

Free Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand

Evening Santa paradeFree

Défilé du père Noël

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Saint-Basile-le-Grand’s Défilé du père Noël (Santa Claus parade) lights up a route of about 1.9 km on a Saturday evening, with five illuminated floats, the town mascot Basilou, roaming entertainers and Santa with his elves.

A brigade of elf letter carriers walks the route to collect children’s letters to Santa, and volunteer elves gather money donations for the Guignolée food drive.

Parent tip: The town says the stretches away from the start and finish are less crowded with better views. Parking is banned along the route from 6 to 8 pm.

Host
Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Service des loisirs, de la culture et de la vie communautaire (opens in a new tab)
Address
South side of boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier (Route 116), starting at rues Principale and Préfontaine, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Service des loisirs, de la culture et de la vie communautaire (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Saint-Basile-le-Grand event researched for you.

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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand

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

LEGO workshop

Village de Noël en LEGO®

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At the Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc, kids team up to build a Christmas village out of LEGO bricks in a workshop led by KokoBrik, with creative challenges along the way.

The finished village is a group creation, so children leave having built one piece of a bigger festive scene with other young builders the same afternoon as the parade.

Parent tip: Register on Sport-Plus right away, since two of the three groups are already full, then head home for supper before the evening parade.

Host
Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc (opens in a new tab)
Address
Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc (opens in a new tab)

New Saint-Basile-le-Grand events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Saint-Basile-le-Grand daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Saint-Basile-le-Grand.

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 Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas event for kids happens

Make December 5 a full Christmas Saturday: LEGO building at the library in the afternoon, an early supper, then find a spot along Route 116 before the parade starts at 6:30 pm.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Montreal and Quebec City. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.

A story for the drive home

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Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

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Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

The story of Christmas in Saint-Basile-le-Grand

On December 5, 2015, a land surveyor stood in Saint-Basile-le-Grand's city hall and measured the town's Christmas yule log at 35.97 metres, and a notary made it official three days later. Today the town's Christmas centres on an evening Santa parade whose route switches neighbourhoods every year, followed by a miniature Christmas village inside the church.

A 35.97-metre yule log at the 2015 Marché champêtre de Noël

In 2015 Saint-Basile-le-Grand celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Marché champêtre de Noël, a country-style Christmas market. For the occasion, baker and pastry chef Mario Fortin made the city a bûche de Noël, the rolled yule log cake that ends many Quebec Christmas dinners. On December 5, 2015, at city hall at 204 rue Principale, land surveyor Roch Mathieu measured it in front of a lawyer, Jean-François Chabot: exactly 35.97 metres long.

Three days later, on December 8, notary Israël Gélinas of La Prairie recorded the lawyer's sworn statement in a notarial act, and the city still keeps a copy of that document on its website. A cake with its own notarial act is about as Saint-Basile-le-Grand as Christmas gets.

A December 6, 2025 parade with a brigade of mailbox elves

The 2025 Défilé du père Noël left from in front of the école de la Mosaïque at 6:30 pm on Saturday, December 6, and looped about 1.9 km along avenue de Montpellier, rue de la Montagne and rue de la Touraine before returning by the montée des Trinitaires. Sparkling floats, roaming performers and dancers from Arcade Studio filled the hour, and a brigade of elves walked through the crowd wearing backpacks that doubled as mailboxes, collecting children's wish lists for Santa.

Volunteer elves from the Centre de bénévolat de Saint-Basile-le-Grand collected cash for the annual Guignolée, and the next day, December 7, residents dropped off food at the Jean-Rougeau arena or the école de la Mosaïque. On Sunday, December 14, 2025, Santa joined a free skate at the arena. The 2026 parade, on December 5, moves to the south side of Route 116, with five lit floats, the town mascot Basilou and the Village de Noël en LEGO workshop at the library that afternoon.

A route that alternates every year and five kid elves on the floats

Saint-Basile-le-Grand's parade does not follow one fixed street. The city says the route alternates from year to year between the two sides of boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier (Route 116). In 2024, on Saturday, November 30, the lit parade covered nearly 2 km, starting at rues Dupras and de la Chanterelle and passing along rue des Pinsons, rue Bella-Vista, chemin Saint-Louis and avenue Corbeil. In 2026 it starts at rues Principale and Préfontaine. The city also asks families on the route to decorate their houses, since Santa and his elves like to admire them.

Local children get to be part of the show. In 2024 the city looked for 8 young elves aged 8 to 12, and in 2026 it recruited 5, who get a costume fitted to their size and meet at the école Jacques-Rocheleau at 5 pm on parade night. Photos the city published in 2017 show Basilou and a marching band in the parade, and children dressed up as elves.

Santa stepping off the train at the old station, and a miniature village in the church

Among the old photos the city has shared from local family collections is a black-and-white winter scene from the Yolande and Antonio Gagnon collection: Santa, in a fur-trimmed suit, steps off a passenger train onto the snowy platform of the Saint-Basile-le-Grand station, surrounded by bundled-up children, with the station's sign above them. The town's history notes that the village grew up beside the railway, and that its first station was built in 1893 near today's montée Robert.

The trains Santa uses now are smaller. The Paroisse Saint-Basile-le-Grand and the Société d'histoire de Saint-Basile-le-Grand presented a miniature Christmas village inside the church on Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm, from December 8, 2019, to January 5, 2020. In 2026 they invite families into the church right after the parade on December 5 to see the miniature village and meet Santa once more.

Traditions today

  • Défilé du père Noël: An evening Santa parade of lit floats, about 1.9 km long, whose route alternates each year. In 2026 it runs Saturday, December 5, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
  • Elf mail carriers: Elves walk the parade route collecting children's letters to Santa, and in 2025 they carried backpacks that worked as mailboxes.
  • The Guignolée with the Centre de bénévolat: Costumed volunteer elves gather cash donations along the parade route for families in need, with a food drop-off afterward.
  • Miniature Christmas village in the church: The parish and the Société d'histoire set up a tiny lit Christmas village inside the église Saint-Basile-le-Grand, open after the 2026 parade with Santa.
  • Skating with Santa: Santa trades his sleigh for skates at the Jean-Rougeau arena for a free family skate, on Sunday, December 13, in 2026.

A fact for kids

Saint-Basile-le-Grand once had a Christmas yule log cake almost 36 metres long, about as long as three school buses parked end to end, and a notary signed an official paper to prove it.

Questions about Christmas in Saint-Basile-le-Grand

When is the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Santa Claus parade in 2026?

The Défilé du père Noël is Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. It follows the south side of boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier (Route 116), starting at rues Principale and Préfontaine for a route of about 1.9 km, with five illuminated floats, Santa, his elves and the mascot Basilou.

Why does the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas parade route change every year?

The city alternates the route each year between the two sides of boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier (Route 116), so different neighbourhoods get Santa at their door. In 2024 it ran through rues Dupras, des Pinsons and Bella-Vista; in 2025 along avenue de Montpellier and rue de la Touraine; in 2026 it starts at rues Principale and Préfontaine.

Where did the 2025 Saint-Basile-le-Grand Santa parade go?

On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the parade started in front of the école de la Mosaïque at 6:30 pm, followed avenue de Montpellier, climbed rue de la Montagne, took rue de la Touraine and returned to the school by the montée des Trinitaires, about 1.9 km in all. Dancers from Arcade Studio performed along the way.

When was the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Santa parade in 2024?

The 2024 parade was Saturday, November 30, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The lit parade covered nearly 2 km, starting at rues Dupras and de la Chanterelle, passing along rue des Pinsons, rue Bella-Vista, chemin Saint-Louis and avenue Corbeil, and ending back near the école de la Chanterelle.

Can my child be an elf in the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas parade?

Yes, if they live in town and are 8 to 12. Each fall the city recruits young elves: 8 in 2024 and 5 in 2026. Parents apply through the recreation department by early November with the child's size for the costume, then bring them to a school at 5 pm on parade night and stay until the end.

How do kids give Santa their letter at the Saint-Basile-le-Grand parade?

Elves collect letters right along the route. In 2025 a brigade of elves wore backpacks that served as mailboxes and moved through the crowd collecting wish lists, and in 2026 a brigade of elf letter carriers walks the 1.9 km route. Have the letter ready in a mitten-friendly envelope.

What is the record yule log in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

On December 5, 2015, during the fifth anniversary of the Marché champêtre de Noël, land surveyor Roch Mathieu measured the city's yule log, made by baker and pastry chef Mario Fortin, at 35.97 metres. Notary Israël Gélinas recorded it in a notarial act on December 8, 2015.

What was the Marché champêtre de Noël in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

It was the town's country-style Christmas market. A notarial act from December 2015 says that year's festivities marked its fifth anniversary and centred on a giant yule log measured at city hall, 204 rue Principale. Today the city's big Christmas event is the Défilé du père Noël in early December.

Is there a miniature Christmas village in the Saint-Basile-le-Grand church?

Yes. The Paroisse Saint-Basile-le-Grand and the Société d'histoire de Saint-Basile-le-Grand presented a miniature Christmas village in the church on Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm between December 8, 2019, and January 5, 2020. After the December 5, 2026 parade, families are invited into the church to see it and meet Santa.

Did Santa arrive by train in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

An old black-and-white photo from the Yolande and Antonio Gagnon collection, shared on the city website, shows Santa stepping off a passenger train onto the snowy platform of the Saint-Basile-le-Grand station, surrounded by children in winter coats. The town's first station was built in 1893 near today's montée Robert.

Who is Basilou at the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas parade?

Basilou is Saint-Basile-le-Grand's town mascot and a regular in the Santa parade. City photos from 2017 show Basilou with a marching band and with an elf, and the 2026 program lists Santa, his elves and Basilou among the highlights, along with five lit floats and roaming performers.

How do I donate to the Guignolée at the Saint-Basile-le-Grand parade?

Volunteer elves from the Centre de bénévolat de Saint-Basile-le-Grand, wearing the group's bibs, walk the route collecting cash for the Guignolée, so keep some money handy. In 2025 food donations were taken the next day, December 7, from 10 am to 3 pm at the Jean-Rougeau arena and the école de la Mosaïque.

Can we skate with Santa in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

Yes. The city's themed skate "Le père Noël chausse ses patins" brings Santa onto the ice at the Jean-Rougeau arena, 10 rue Bella-Vista, with Christmas music and entertainment. It is free and open to all. In 2026 it is on Sunday, December 13; in 2025 it ran December 14 from 2 to 3:20 pm.

What is the LEGO Christmas village in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

On Saturday, December 5, 2026, the Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc hosts a Village de Noël en LEGO workshop led by KokoBrik, where children aged 6 to 12 build a Christmas village together. It is free for residents with registration, and it falls on the same day as the evening Santa parade.

Should we decorate our house if the Saint-Basile-le-Grand parade passes by?

The city encourages it. Each year it asks residents on the route to bring out their Christmas decorations and light up their façades, saying Santa and his elves will be happy to see them. Parking is banned on route streets from 6 to 8 pm on parade night, so plan to park nearby.

Where is the best place to watch the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas parade?

The city advises settling along the route well away from the start and finish points. Those stretches are usually less crowded and give a better view of the floats, Santa and the entertainers. Streets close progressively as the parade advances, and the event may be cancelled for bad weather.

What happens if it storms on Saint-Basile-le-Grand parade night?

The Défilé du père Noël can be cancelled in bad weather. The city asks families to check its activity status line at 450 461-8000, option 4, extension 5, the evening of the parade before heading out. Dress warmly either way, since the parade runs after dark in early December.

Who sponsors the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Santa parade?

The parade is put on by the City of Saint-Basile-le-Grand's recreation department, with local elected representatives as Silver partners. In 2024 and 2025 that included Jean-François Roberge, member for Chambly, and in 2025 and 2026 Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba, member for the Mont-Saint-Bruno to L'Acadie riding.

Is there a Christmas story time with the mayor in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

The library has long held Christmas story times in pyjamas. City photos from 2018 show then-mayor Yves Lessard reading a Christmas story to children at the library, and the library continues to post holiday programs each fall, so check its calendar in November for this year's sessions.

What is a good Christmas day out with kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

Make Saturday, December 5, 2026, the day: build a LEGO Christmas village at the library in the afternoon, watch the 6:30 pm Santa parade with a letter in hand, then walk into the church to see the miniature Christmas village and meet Santa again. Come back on December 13 to skate with him.

Sources

  1. Défilé du père Noël : Préparez-vous à vivre une soirée magique !, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  2. Défilé du père Noël (2026 calendar listing), Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  3. Défilé du père Noël : Cinq lutins recherchés pour une mission très spéciale!, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  4. Communiqué : Défilé du père Noël, 6 novembre 2025, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  5. Communiqué : Défilé du père Noël, 8 novembre 2024, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  6. Communiqué : Appel de lutins, Défilé du père Noël 2024, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  7. Acte notarié, record de la bûche de Noël (2015), Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  8. Affiche : Village de Noël, église Saint-Basile-le-Grand (2019), Paroisse et Société d'histoire de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  9. Photo : le père Noël arrive en train (fonds Yolande et Antonio Gagnon), Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  10. Histoire et patrimoine, Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand
  11. Patinage thématique « Le père Noël chausse ses patins », Ville de Saint-Basile-le-Grand

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.

Saint-Basile-le-Grand Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Saint-Basile-le-Grand for 2026, both run by the town on Saturday, December 5: the Village de Noël en LEGO workshop and the Défilé du père Noël.

When is the Saint-Basile-le-Grand Santa Claus parade in 2026?

Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 6:30 pm. It is free and runs about 1.9 km along the south side of boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier (Route 116), starting at rues Principale and Préfontaine.

Can kids give Santa a letter at the parade?

Yes. A brigade of elf letter carriers walks the parade route collecting children’s letters to Santa, so have them written before you go.

How do I sign up for the LEGO Christmas village?

Register on the town’s Sport-Plus platform. The workshop is on December 5, 2026, at the Bibliothèque Roland-LeBlanc for ages 6 to 12, free for residents and $5 for non-residents if space allows. When we checked, only the 2:30 pm parent-child group had spots left.

Who do I contact about Saint-Basile-le-Grand holiday events?

For the parade, the Service des loisirs, de la culture et de la vie communautaire at loisirs@villesblg.ca. For the LEGO workshop, the library at bibliotheque@villesblg.ca or 450 461-8000, poste 8500.

Are there more Christmas events near Saint-Basile-le-Grand?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events and Santa trains 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 Saint-Basile-le-Grand 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.

Kelsey Cecil
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