Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Salem for 2026. The city tree lights up at the Salem Public Library on Friday, December 4, with the Kiwanis Christmas Parade right behind it on Main Street, and the Gingerbread Festival brings a holiday train and Santa to the Salem Museum on Saturday, December 5. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Salem
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Salem
- Tree Lighting: Friday, December 4, 6 pm, Salem Public Library
- Christmas Parade: Friday, December 4, 6:30 pm, Main Street
- Gingerbread Festival: Saturday, December 5, 10 am to 2 pm
- One weekend: all three on December 4 and 5
What are you looking for?
All 3 events
Nothing matches yet. Try another kind of event, or .
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Salem events 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 Salem.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Salem 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 2 Christmas events in Salem.
- New events in Salem 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 Salem
Tree lightingFree
Lighting of the City Christmas Tree
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, 6 pm
- Where: Salem Public Library lawn, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The City of Salem lights its Christmas tree on the Salem Public Library lawn to open the first weekend of December downtown.
Families then spill onto Main Street to see the decorations and grab a curb spot, since the Christmas Parade steps off half an hour later.
Parent tip: Stay put after the lighting and walk a block to Main Street, where the parade starts at 6:30 pm.
- Host
- Salem Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Salem Public Library lawn, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Salem events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Salem daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Salem.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Salem events 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 Salem.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Salem 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 Salem every week.
Night paradeFree
Salem Christmas Parade
- When: Friday, December 4, 2026, 6:30 pm
- Where: Main Street, Downtown Salem, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The Kiwanis Club of Salem sends its Christmas Parade down Main Street right after the tree lighting, a crowd favorite that fills downtown on a Friday night.
Floats, bands and community groups roll past the decorated storefronts, so kids get the tree, the lights and the parade in one evening.
Parent tip: Bring a blanket or folding chairs and claim a Main Street spot before the 6 pm tree lighting.
- Host
- Kiwanis Club of Salem (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Main Street, Downtown Salem, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Salem events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Salem daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Salem.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Salem
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
Gingerbread, Santa and train
Gingerbread Festival
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm
- Where: Salem Museum and Longwood Park, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Cost: See Salem Parks and Recreation for details
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Salem Parks and Recreation, the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Museum fill the museum and Longwood Park with gingerbread creations, vendors and children’s activities.
Kids can ride the holiday train and visit with Santa, and the Salem Crafty Christmas market runs the same morning at the farmers market nearby.
Parent tip: Go early for the train before lines build, then walk the gingerbread displays inside the museum.
- Host
- Salem Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Salem Museum and Longwood Park, Salem, VA (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Salem events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Salem daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Salem.
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 Virginia Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Salem Christmas event for kids happens
All three fall on the first weekend of December. Do the tree lighting and parade on Friday night, then the Gingerbread Festival on Saturday morning.
- Lighting of the City Christmas TreeSalem · Dec 4
- Salem Christmas ParadeSalem · Dec 4
- Gingerbread FestivalSalem · Dec 5
Looking further afield? Our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Roanoke, Vinton, Shawsville and Blacksburg. 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 Virginia city.
Salem Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Salem this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Salem, Virginia, for 2026: the city Christmas tree lighting and the Christmas Parade on December 4, and the Gingerbread Festival on December 5.
When is the Salem Christmas Parade?
Friday, December 4, 2026, at 6:30 pm on Main Street in Downtown Salem, right after the 6 pm tree lighting at the Salem Public Library.
When is the Salem tree lighting?
Friday, December 4, 2026, at 6 pm on the Salem Public Library lawn. It is free.
What is the Salem Gingerbread Festival?
A holiday festival at the Salem Museum and Longwood Park on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 am to 2 pm, with gingerbread creations, children’s activities, vendors, a holiday train and visits with Santa.
Who do I contact about Salem holiday events?
Salem Parks and Recreation special events at specialevents@salemva.gov or (540) 375-3057, and the Kiwanis Club parade committee at salemvachristmasparade@gmail.com.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Virginia?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Virginia 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 Salem 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.