Christmas Events for Kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 4 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu for 2026. The big one is the Défilé du père Noël, the Santa Claus parade that leaves Vieux-Saint-Jean at 4 pm on Saturday, December 12, with family activities on site from 1 pm. A week earlier, on Sunday, December 6, the city’s culture department brings roving carollers, hot chocolate and Christmas stories to Domaine Trinity. We confirm every date on the organizer’s own site and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

  • 2 Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  • Santa Claus parade: Saturday, December 12, 4 pm
  • Pre-parade activities: 1 to 4 pm in Vieux-Saint-Jean
  • Holiday carollers: Sunday, December 6, Domaine Trinity
  • Both are on official organizer pages

Free 1Ticketed and paid 1

Free Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Santa Claus paradeFree

Défilé du père Noël de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

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The Défilé du père Noël (Santa Claus parade) is billed by the city as one of the biggest Santa parades in Quebec, with floats from local partners rolling out of Vieux-Saint-Jean at 4 pm and heading across the river toward Iberville, where it arrives around 4:40 pm.

The organizers run family activities on the Vieux-Saint-Jean site from 1 to 4 pm before the floats leave, so kids can warm up with the pre-parade fun and then grab a curb spot for Santa’s arrival.

Parent tip: The 2026 route map was still to be posted in mid-November, so check the parade site the week before and pick a spot near the Vieux-Saint-Jean start if you want the 1 to 4 pm activities too.

Host
Chambre de commerce et de l’industrie du Haut-Richelieu (CCIHR) (opens in a new tab)
Address
Vieux-Saint-Jean, parade toward Iberville, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Chambre de commerce et de l’industrie du Haut-Richelieu (CCIHR) (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu event researched for you.

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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

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Carollers and cocoa

Plongez dans la magie des fêtes au Domaine Trinity

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Plongez dans la magie des fêtes (Dive into the holiday magic) is a Sunday afternoon put on by the city’s culture department at Domaine Trinity, with Les Caroles de Noël, a roving trio of singing actors, doing three 30-minute outdoor sets of holiday songs sprinkled with jokes and games.

Between sets there is hot chocolate and a cozy book corner where families can browse and listen to Christmas stories, and the city says the singing moves indoors if the weather turns.

Parent tip: Aim for the 1:30 pm set, then settle into the hot chocolate and story corner before the 2:30 show.

Host
Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Service de la culture (opens in a new tab)
Address
Domaine Trinity, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Service de la culture (opens in a new tab)

New Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

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-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas event for kids happens

Warm up with the carollers and hot chocolate at Domaine Trinity on December 6, then save Saturday afternoon, December 12, for the activities and the Santa Claus parade in Vieux-Saint-Jean.

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

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.

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

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 Amazon (opens in a new tab)

The story of Christmas in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Since 1861, volunteers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu have knocked on doors every December to collect food for neighbours in need, which makes the town's Guignolée one of its oldest Christmas customs. Much newer is the moment in 2022 when the Santa Claus parade crossed the Richelieu River for the first time, linking Vieux-Saint-Jean and Iberville.

December 3, 2022: the first Santa parade to cross the Richelieu

On December 3, 2022, the Défilé du père Noël, organized by the Chambre de commerce et de l'industrie du Haut-Richelieu with Le Canada Français Événements and the city's support, crossed from one side of the river to the other for the very first time, a nod to the heritage of both shores. The parade shared that day with the Marché de Noël d'antan, an old-fashioned Christmas market on the Place publique du Vieux-Saint-Jean with 24 exhibitors, two fire pits, and Santa on hand all four days to collect children's gift lists.

That year the Société de développement Vieux-Saint-Jean also set up "Souvenirs d'autrefois" displays at the Place publique and parc des Éclusiers, with a giant rocking horse and toboggans recalling childhood winters. Five Christmas shop windows themed "Noël d'antan" returned downtown from November 17 after their first edition, and the city launched its first Forêt enchantée contest, asking residents, schools and daycares to recreate the stars of its street decorations: Guy-Bou the owl, Comète the reindeer, Mitaine the gnome and Léonard the fox.

A December 13, 2025 parade and a sound-and-light Christmas at the cathedral

The city's winter 2026 Complicité magazine laid out the 2025 season: the Marché de Noël d'antan from November 21 to 23 at the Place publique, Noël illuminé at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste from December 5 to 21, and the Santa Claus parade on December 13 between Vieux-Saint-Jean and Vieux-Iberville. The Guignolée went door to door on Sunday, December 7, 2025, and after the holidays residents could drop their natural trees at 24 sites and two ecocentres until January 11, 2026, to be chipped and composted.

For 2026 the Défilé du père Noël is on Saturday, December 12, with site activities in Vieux-Saint-Jean from 1 to 4 pm and floats leaving at 4 pm for Iberville. The market comes first, November 20 to 22, with more than forty exhibitors in a setting designed by local floral artist Jean Guillet, plus a free photo booth with Santa.

A Guignolée since 1861 and the parade's many dates

The city traces the Guignolée to 1861: from early December, volunteers walk the neighbourhoods and shops door to door gathering money and food for the poorest families. In 2025 it was led by the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul groups of Saint-Jean and Saint-Luc, the Centre d'Action Bénévole d'Iberville et de la région and the Comité de Dépannage de L'Acadie, and the drive remains their main source of food. Homemade food, even in sealed jars, cannot be accepted.

The parade itself has moved around the calendar. It was a Saturday in 2022, Sunday, December 17, in 2023, and Sunday, December 8, in 2024, when it started at 11 am and closed the Gouin Bridge for the morning. In 2025 and 2026 it settled into Saturdays in mid-December, and the 2026 edition is an afternoon parade timed to arrive in Iberville around 4:40 pm.

Magic train rides at the 2023 Christmas market and carols at Domaine Trinity

Saint-Jean's Christmas train is a small one. At the 2023 Marché de Noël d'antan, held November 25 and 26 and December 2 and 3, magic train rides ran from 10 am to 4 pm on the first weekend, Santa visited every day from noon to 4 pm, and on the second weekend Le Safari de Joanie brought birds of prey. About thirty merchants from across the Montérégie sold under new wooden cabins while the Cercle philharmonique de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, several choirs and local dance schools performed, all for free.

Across the river, Domaine Trinity at 360 rue McGinnis in Vieux-Iberville has its own holiday habit. In 2021 its "Flocons de magie" Sundays began on December 5 with a cappella Christmas carols by the Quatuor vocal Carte Blanche on the church forecourt, fires, bird feeders and special lighting after dark. In 2026 the city's Plongez dans la magie des fêtes afternoon on December 6 brings roving carollers, hot chocolate and a Christmas story corner.

Traditions today

  • The Guignolée: A door-to-door food and money drive held every December since 1861. In 2026 it is Sunday, December 6, with drop-off points and volunteer routes in each sector.
  • Marché de Noël d'antan: An old-fashioned Christmas market on the Place publique du Vieux-Saint-Jean, beside the Richelieu River. In 2026 it runs November 20 to 22 with more than forty exhibitors.
  • Défilé du père Noël: The Santa Claus parade between Vieux-Saint-Jean and Vieux-Iberville, which first crossed the river in 2022. In 2026 it leaves at 4 pm on December 12.
  • Noël illuminé at the cathedral: A December light show at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste, held December 5 to 21 in 2025.
  • Forêt enchantée characters: The city's street decorations feature Guy-Bou the owl, Comète the reindeer, Mitaine the gnome and Léonard the fox, and residents have been invited to recreate them.

A fact for kids

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu's Christmas decorations have names: an owl called Guy-Bou, a reindeer called Comète, a gnome called Mitaine and a fox called Léonard.

Questions about Christmas in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

When is the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Santa Claus parade in 2026?

The 2026 Défilé du père Noël is on Saturday, December 12. Family activities run on the Vieux-Saint-Jean site from 1 to 4 pm, the floats leave at 4 pm and head across the river toward Iberville, arriving around 4:40 pm. The event can be cancelled for bad weather.

When did the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Santa parade first cross the river?

On December 3, 2022. That year the Défilé du père Noël, run by the Chambre de commerce et de l'industrie du Haut-Richelieu with Le Canada Français Événements, crossed from one shore of the Richelieu to the other for the first time, to highlight the heritage of both Vieux-Saint-Jean and Iberville.

When was the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas parade in 2025?

The city's winter 2026 Complicité magazine listed the 2025 Santa Claus parade on December 13, running between Vieux-Saint-Jean and Vieux-Iberville. It was part of a season that also included the Marché de Noël d'antan in November and Noël illuminé at the cathedral from December 5 to 21.

What day was the Santa parade in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 2023 and 2024?

In 2023 the parade was on Sunday, December 17, with streets including rue Richelieu and the Gouin Bridge closed from 9 am. In 2024 it was Sunday, December 8, starting at 11 am. Since then it has moved to a Saturday in mid-December, with an afternoon start in 2026.

Who organizes the Défilé du père Noël in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

The Chambre de commerce et de l'industrie du Haut-Richelieu (CCIHR) organizes the parade. In 2022 it partnered with Le Canada Français Événements, with support from the city's team. The CCIHR is a non-profit business group of more than 600 companies that also runs the Marché de Noël d'antan.

How old is the Guignolée in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

The city says volunteers have collected donations for people in need every December since 1861, more than 164 years as of 2025. They go door to door through neighbourhoods and shops gathering money and non-perishable food, and it remains the main source of food aid for the local Saint-Vincent-de-Paul groups.

When is the Guignolée in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 2026?

The 2026 Guignolée is Sunday, December 6. In the Saint-Jean sector, donations go to Saint-Vincent-de-Paul drop-offs such as 150 rue Laurier from 9 am to 3 pm. In Saint-Luc, volunteers pick up food left outside doors marked GUIGNOLÉE from 10 am to 3 pm, and L'Acadie volunteers go door to door.

What can we give to the Christmas Guignolée in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

Money, non-perishable food, personal hygiene products and cleaning products are all welcome. Volunteers ask that food be sealed and within its best-before date. Homemade food, including sealed jars, cannot be redistributed. Donations of $20 or more given online to the Saint-Jean Saint-Vincent-de-Paul receive a tax receipt.

When is the Marché de Noël d'antan in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 2026?

The Marché de Noël d'antan runs November 20 to 22, 2026, on the Place publique du Vieux-Saint-Jean by the Richelieu River. More than forty exhibitors sell jewellery, pastries, gourmet food and decorations in a setting by local floral artist Jean Guillet, with outdoor fires, a choir, dance shows and a free photo booth with Santa.

When did the Marché de Noël d'antan begin in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

The old-fashioned Christmas market was running by 2022, when it was held December 3, 4, 10 and 11 with 24 exhibitors and two fire pits on the Place publique. In 2023 it grew to about thirty merchants under new wooden cabins, and by 2026 it has more than forty exhibitors.

Is there a Christmas train ride in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

There has been. At the 2023 Marché de Noël d'antan, magic train rides ran from 10 am to 4 pm on the first weekend, November 25 and 26, and all activities were free. Check the 2026 market program from the CCIHR to see if the train returns.

Can kids meet Santa at the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas market?

Yes. In 2022 Santa came all four days of the Marché de Noël d'antan and collected children's gift lists, and in 2023 he was there every day from noon to 4 pm. The 2026 market, November 20 to 22, offers a free photo booth with Santa, as well as face painting and creative workshops.

What is Noël illuminé in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

Noël illuminé is a holiday light show at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste in Vieux-Saint-Jean. In 2025 it ran from December 5 to 21, and the city's magazine called it a grand spectacle, one of the four big events of its winter season with the market, the parade and the Carnaval Iber-Neige.

Who are Guy-Bou, Comète, Mitaine and Léonard in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

They are the characters in the city's Christmas decorations: Guy-Bou the owl, Comète the reindeer, Mitaine the gnome and Léonard the fox. In 2022 the city launched its first Forêt enchantée contest, inviting residents, shops, schools, daycares and non-profits to recreate them and add more holiday magic around town.

Are there Christmas shop windows in Vieux-Saint-Jean?

Yes. In 2022 the Christmas windows came back from November 17 after a successful first edition. Local set designers Signé Guillet, Carte Blanche and Production Jador decorated five windows on the theme "Noël d'antan", brightening downtown walks and showing off empty storefronts to future tenants.

What were the Souvenirs d'autrefois decorations in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

In 2022 the Société de développement Vieux-Saint-Jean set up temporary winter installations on the theme "Souvenirs d'autrefois" at the Place publique and parc des Éclusiers from December 1 to March 31. They included a giant rocking horse and toboggans, recalling childhood winters and making popular photo spots.

What is there for families at Domaine Trinity at Christmas?

On Sunday, December 6, 2026, the city's Plongez dans la magie des fêtes brings three outdoor carol sets with hot chocolate and a book corner. Back in 2021, Domaine Trinity's Flocons de magie Sundays opened on December 5 with a cappella carols on the church forecourt and special lighting at night.

Where do I put my Christmas tree after the holidays in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

After Christmas 2025, residents could leave natural trees at 24 signed parks and sites, or at the ecocentres on rue Lucien-Beaudin and rue Gaudette, until January 11, 2026. Trees had to be stripped of all decorations, including tinsel and hooks. They are chipped and composted at the regional composting centre.

Were there birds of prey at the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas market?

Yes. On the second weekend of the 2023 Marché de Noël d'antan, December 2 and 3, Le Safari de Joanie showed off its birds of prey. The first weekend had magic train rides, and roaming entertainers and face painting ran all four days, all free of charge.

Who performs at the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas market?

In 2023 the line-up included Les Caroles de Noël, the Cercle philharmonique de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the Chœur Do-Ré-Mi, the Chœur Les Nénuphars, the Chorus Trio and the Trio Birds from Paradise, plus the Maureen McDonald, Denise Bonneau and Studio Movin'Up dance schools. The 2026 market promises dance shows and a choir.

What winter events follow Christmas in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

After the holiday market, Noël illuminé and the Santa parade, the city's season continues with the Carnaval Iber-Neige at parc multisport Bleury. In the 2025 to 2026 winter it was held January 24, 25 and 31 and February 1. The city groups all four events on its sjsr.ca/emotions page.

Sources

  1. Un vent de nostalgie souffle sur le Vieux-Saint-Jean pour les Fêtes, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  2. Le Marché de Noël d'antan vous convie à la Place publique du Vieux-Saint-Jean, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  3. L'hiver chez nous, on le vit en grand! (Complicité, hiver 2026), Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  4. La Guignolée 2025 : une tradition d'entraide et de partage, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  5. Le temps est à la générosité (Guignolée 2026), Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  6. Défilé du père Noël : entraves et fermetures temporaires le 8 décembre, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  7. Défilé du père Noël : entraves et fermetures de rues (2023), Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  8. Flocons de magie au Domaine Trinity : zone d'ambiance hivernale, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  9. Retournez votre sapin à la terre : 24 sites de cueillette, Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  10. Le Marché de Noël d'antan du Vieux-Saint-Jean les 20, 21 et 22 novembre 2026, Chambre de commerce et de l'industrie du Haut-Richelieu
  11. Défilé de Noël (official parade site), CCIHR

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-Jean-sur-Richelieu Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu for 2026: the Défilé du père Noël (Santa Claus parade) on December 12 and Plongez dans la magie des fêtes, a carollers and hot chocolate afternoon at Domaine Trinity on December 6.

When is the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Santa Claus parade in 2026?

Saturday, December 12, 2026. Activities run on the Vieux-Saint-Jean site from 1 to 4 pm and the parade leaves at 4 pm, heading toward Iberville around 4:40 pm.

Who organizes the Défilé du père Noël?

The parade site lists the Chambre de commerce et de l’industrie du Haut-Richelieu as the contact: g.dunn@ccihr.ca or 450 346-2544.

What happens at Plongez dans la magie des fêtes?

Les Caroles de Noël sing three 30-minute roving sets at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm, with hot chocolate and Christmas stories between them. It is Sunday, December 6, 2026, at Domaine Trinity.

Who do I contact about city holiday events in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

The city’s Service de la culture: culture@sjsr.ca or 450 357-2111.

Are there more Christmas events near Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in 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-Jean-sur-Richelieu 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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