Christmas Events for Kids in Smiths Falls (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 Smiths Falls for 2026, and two of them star Santa. The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario runs its North Pole Express on three Saturdays starting November 28, the Heritage House Museum hosts Santa, crafts and a wagon ride on December 6, and the same museum offers Christmas tours of its period rooms through December 20. We check every date on the museums’ own pages and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Smiths Falls

  • 3 Christmas events for kids in Smiths Falls
  • North Pole Express: November 28, December 5 and 12, 11 am to 5 pm
  • Holiday Heritage House: Sunday, December 6, 1 pm to 3 pm
  • Holiday Traditions Tour: December 1 to 20, by donation
  • Santa photos: in an 1899 railway dining car

Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Smiths Falls

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

Santa train day

North Pole Express at the Railway Museum

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The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario turns its historic Smiths Falls station into a Christmas wonderland for the North Pole Express, with rides on its own short line, Santa-grams sent from the old Telegraph Office, carollers, hot cocoa and a visit from the Grinch.

Santa sits for professional photos inside the museum’s 1899 dining car, which is the one chance to meet him during the event, and artisan vendors and the gift shop fill out the afternoon.

Parent tip: Book tickets early since the three Saturdays are the only dates; photos with Santa are sold separately, so budget for them if the kids want a print.

Host
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario (opens in a new tab)
Address
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, Smiths Falls, ON (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario (opens in a new tab)

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Santa and crafts

Holiday Heritage House

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The town’s 1860s Heritage House Museum kicks off its holiday season with a visit from Santa, and costumed guides lead families through period rooms decorated the way Eastern Ontario homes once were.

Kids can make seasonal crafts and write a letter to Santa, there is tea or apple cider with a homemade dessert, and the afternoon ends with a horse-drawn wagon ride on the museum grounds.

Parent tip: Dress for the wagon ride outside, and call the museum at 613-283-6311 ahead of time if you are bringing a larger group.

Host
Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum (Town of Smiths Falls) (opens in a new tab)
Address
Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, 11 Old Slys Road, Smiths Falls, ON K7A 3M3 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum (Town of Smiths Falls) (opens in a new tab)

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Victorian Christmas tour

Holiday Traditions Tour

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Through most of December, the Heritage House offers private tours of its period rooms dressed for Christmas, led by a costumed guide who explains where Eastern Ontario’s holiday traditions came from.

It is a calm, hands-off way to show kids how a family celebrated Christmas in the 1860s, and candlelit tour times are also offered for families who want to go after dark.

Parent tip: Pre-registration is required, so book a slot by phone at 613-283-6311 or by email before you go.

Host
Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum (Town of Smiths Falls) (opens in a new tab)
Address
Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, 11 Old Slys Road, Smiths Falls, ON K7A 3M3 (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum (Town of Smiths Falls) (opens in a new tab)

New Smiths Falls events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Smiths Falls daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Smiths Falls.

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 Smiths Falls Christmas event for kids happens

Pick one North Pole Express Saturday for the train ride and Santa photos at the railway museum, then come back on Sunday, December 6 for Santa, crafts and the wagon ride at the Heritage House, or book a quieter Holiday Traditions Tour on a weekday.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville and Peterborough. 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 Smiths Falls

In Smiths Falls, Santa poses for photos inside an 1899 railway dining car, and children can send him a Santa-gram from the telegraph office of a 1912 station. A few streets away, costumed guides open an 1860s house dressed for Christmas the way an Eastern Ontario family would have known it.

An 1861 house on Old Slys Road dressed for an 1870s Christmas

The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is the big frame house that mill owner Bates began building in 1861 beside Old Slys Rapids. He died in debt on January 1, 1864, before he could enjoy it, and the town bought the estate in 1977. Today its period rooms show the upper middle class life of the Bates family around 1865 to 1875, and every December those rooms are decorated for the season.

The museum's Christmas calendar is full. The Holiday Traditions Tour runs December 1 to 20, 2026, with a costumed guide explaining where Eastern Ontario's holiday customs came from. Holiday Heritage House on December 6 adds Santa, crafts, letters to Santa and a horse-drawn wagon ride, and Candlelit Christmas on December 10 opens the Victorian rooms after dark by candlelight.

A Holiday Train stop on November 28 and a parade on December 13, 2025

The 2025 season opened on November 28 with the CPKC Holiday Train at the Station Theatre, with a pre-party at 5 pm and the show at 6:30 pm. The Official Tree Lighting followed on November 29 at 5 pm in Town Square, on the same day as a Christmas Cookie Crawl through downtown. Tourism, Arts and Culture Coordinator Jeff Murphy said Town Square and Centennial Park would both be lit for the season.

The railway museum ran the North Pole Express on November 29, December 6 and December 13, 2025, from 10 am to 6 pm, with tickets at $20 plus fees, tractor rides, fire pits, carollers and face painting. The Heritage House held Holiday Heritage House on December 7 and Candlelight Christmas on December 11, and the Santa Claus Parade closed the season on December 13.

A Legion parade from the Youth Arena, live reindeer and a Holiday Glow-Off

The Smiths Falls Santa Claus Parade is organized by the Smiths Falls Legion. The town's published route leaves the Youth Arena, travels Elmsley Street to Beckwith Street, continues down Brockville Street and ends at the Settler's Ridge Mall. The December 14, 2024 parade had a Winter Sports theme, and the Legion also hosts a Pancake Breakfast with Santa on the Sunday after the parade.

Before the floats roll, the Downtown Smiths Falls Business Association has run Sleigh the Holidays in Town Square at 77 Beckwith Street North, with live reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides and a hot chocolate bar at Davidson's Courtyard. The town's Celebration of Lights season also includes the Holiday Glow-Off, a contest for the best decorated homes.

Santa in an 1899 dining car at a 1912 station saved by its neighbours

The North Pole Express takes place at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, inside a station the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway built in 1912. When CN planned to tear it down after 1979, local resident Bill LeSurf led a Save Our Station campaign, and Parks Canada declared it a National Historic Site in October 1985. Each Christmas the restored waiting rooms become a holiday wonderland, Santa sits in the 1899 dining car, and elves send Santa-grams from the telegraph office.

Christmas trains suit this town. Smiths Falls became a Canadian Pacific division point in 1885, and by the late 1890s about 23 trains a day ran through it. That Canadian Pacific line is why the CPKC Holiday Train, with its lit-up cars and live music, stops here in late November.

Traditions today

  • North Pole Express: Three Saturdays of train rides, Santa photos in an 1899 dining car, Santa-grams, carollers and the Grinch at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. In 2026 it runs November 28, December 5 and December 12.
  • Victorian Christmas at the Heritage House: Costumed guides lead families through the decorated 1860s rooms of the Bates house on Old Slys Road, with tours from December 1 to 20 and a candlelit evening in early December.
  • The Legion Santa Claus Parade: An evening parade organized by the Legion from the Youth Arena to the Settler's Ridge Mall, followed by a Pancake Breakfast with Santa the next morning.
  • CPKC Holiday Train: The lit-up Canadian Pacific Kansas City train stops at the Station Theatre in late November. In 2025 it arrived on November 28 at 6:30 pm.
  • Tree lighting in Town Square: The town tree is lit in Town Square at 77 Beckwith Street North, and in 2025 the lighting was on November 29 at 5 pm, with Centennial Park also lit for the season.

A fact for kids

At the Smiths Falls railway museum, the telegraph office can still tap out messages in Morse code, the way Canadian railways sent messages until 1972, and at Christmas the elves use it to send Santa-grams straight to the North Pole.

Questions about Christmas in Smiths Falls

Where does Santa sit for photos at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario?

During the North Pole Express, Santa sits inside the museum's historic 1899 dining car in Smiths Falls. Professional photos with him are available to buy, and the museum says this is the one chance to meet Santa during the event. In 2026 the North Pole Express runs on Saturdays, November 28, December 5 and December 12, from 11 am to 5 pm.

What is a Santa-gram at the Smiths Falls railway museum?

A Santa-gram is a Christmas message sent from the old Telegraph Office at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario during the North Pole Express. Families bring their wish lists, and the elves send them to the North Pole. The museum's telegraph operators can tap out Morse code, the same method Canadian railways used to send messages until 1972.

How old is the station that hosts the North Pole Express in Smiths Falls?

The station where the North Pole Express and its Christmas wonderland take place was built in 1912 by the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway. It was saved from demolition by a local Save Our Station group starting in 1979, and Parks Canada declared it a National Historic Site in October 1985. Its old waiting rooms, telegraph office and baggage room are all part of the museum.

How much were North Pole Express tickets in Smiths Falls in 2025?

For the 2025 Christmas season, North Pole Express tickets were $20 plus fees, and the event ran on November 29, December 6 and December 13, 2025, from 10 am to 6 pm at 90 William Street West. That year included train rides, tractor rides, fire pits, carollers and face painting. For 2026, tickets are sold through the museum's Eventbrite link and Santa photos cost extra.

Can kids ride a Christmas train in Smiths Falls?

Yes. The North Pole Express at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario includes rides on the museum's own short line in festively decorated vintage cabooses. The holiday event also has Santa in an 1899 dining car, hot cocoa, carollers and a visit from the Grinch. It runs on three Saturdays each Christmas season, and tickets tend to sell quickly.

Does the CPKC Holiday Train stop in Smiths Falls?

Yes. In 2025 the CPKC Holiday Train stopped at the Station Theatre in Smiths Falls on November 28, with a pre-party from 5 pm and the train show at 6:30 pm. The town has been a Canadian Pacific division point since 1885, which is why the holiday train passes through. Check the CPKC schedule each fall for the new date.

When was the 2025 Smiths Falls Santa Claus Parade?

The 2025 Smiths Falls Santa Claus Parade was held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, as the last big event of a holiday lineup that began with the CPKC Holiday Train on November 28. The year before, the parade ran on December 14, 2024, at 5 pm with a Winter Sports theme.

Who organizes the Santa Claus Parade in Smiths Falls?

The Smiths Falls Legion organizes the town's Santa Claus Parade. The Legion also hosts a Pancake Breakfast with Santa on the Sunday after the parade, so families can see Santa twice in one weekend. Before the parade, the Downtown Smiths Falls Business Association has run Sleigh the Holidays in Town Square.

What route does the Smiths Falls Santa Claus Parade follow?

On the town's Celebration of Lights page, the Christmas parade leaves the Youth Arena, travels down Elmsley Street to Beckwith Street, continues down Brockville Street and finishes at The Settler's Ridge Mall. Families often watch along Beckwith Street near Town Square, where Sleigh the Holidays activities have been held before the floats arrive.

Are there live reindeer in Smiths Falls at Christmas?

Yes, at Sleigh the Holidays, a pre-parade Christmas event run by the Downtown Smiths Falls Business Association in Town Square, 77 Beckwith Street North. It has featured live reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides and a hot chocolate bar at Davidson's Courtyard. Watch the town's Celebration of Lights page for the 2026 date.

What is the Holiday Glow-Off in Smiths Falls?

The Holiday Glow-Off is a Christmas home decorating contest that is part of the town's Celebration of Lights season, alongside the Santa Claus Parade, holiday markets and shopping promotions. It encourages residents to light up their houses, which gives families a good reason for an evening drive around town in December.

When is the Christmas tree lighting in Smiths Falls?

In 2025 the Official Tree Lighting was held on Saturday, November 29, at 5 pm in Town Square, the same day as the downtown Christmas Cookie Crawl and the first North Pole Express of the season. The town had not posted the 2026 tree lighting date when we last checked, so watch the Smiths Falls events calendar in November.

What is the Christmas Cookie Crawl in Smiths Falls?

The Christmas Cookie Crawl is a downtown holiday event where families walk between shops in Smiths Falls collecting cookies. In 2025 it started at 10 am on November 29, the same day as the Official Tree Lighting in Town Square, so many families made a full Christmas day of it.

Who built the Smiths Falls Heritage House, where the Christmas tours are held?

The Heritage House was begun in 1861 by Bates, the founder of nearby Farmersville (now Athens), who ran mills beside Old Slys Rapids. He died in debt on January 1, 1864. The town bought the estate in 1977, and its period rooms are now decorated each Christmas to show the Bates family's life around 1865 to 1875.

What is Candlelit Christmas at the Smiths Falls Heritage House?

Candlelit Christmas is an after-hours evening when the Victorian museum at 11 Old Slys Road is lit and decorated for the holidays. In 2026 it is on December 10. Guides lead tours in staggered time slots to explain Christmas traditions, or guests can wander on their own and see the house by candlelight. In 2025 it was held on December 11.

Is there a Christmas market at the Heritage House Museum in Smiths Falls?

Yes. The Candlelit Christmas Market fills the museum with vendors surrounded by Victorian Christmas decor and warm lighting, and shoppers get complimentary apple cider. In 2026 it is on November 26, and admission is free. Vendors have included a local bakery, pen makers and other handmade crafters.

How did families celebrate Christmas in Smiths Falls in the 1800s?

The best place to find out is the Holiday Traditions Tour at the Heritage House Museum, where a costumed guide walks you through period rooms decorated for the season and explains where Eastern Ontario's holiday traditions came from. The house shows how an upper middle class family lived around 1865 to 1875. Tours run December 1 to 20, 2026, by donation, with pre-registration.

Where can we see Christmas lights in Smiths Falls?

Town Square and Centennial Park are lit up for the holiday season, according to the town's tourism coordinator in 2025. The Christmas tree in Town Square is lit in late November, and the Holiday Glow-Off contest encourages homes around town to decorate. The railway museum also glows on North Pole Express Saturdays.

Does the Grinch visit Smiths Falls at Christmas?

Yes. A visit from the Grinch is part of the North Pole Express at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, along with carollers, artisan vendors, hot cocoa and Santa-grams. Santa stays in the 1899 dining car for photos, so the Grinch is the one you are more likely to bump into around the station grounds.

What else can kids do at the Smiths Falls railway museum at Christmas?

Besides Santa and the North Pole Express, the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario has the S.T.E.A.M. Car, launched in 2025, with magnet boards, multi-tiered train sets and a cozy reading nook inside a real railway car. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, which makes a quieter December visit easy.

Why is Smiths Falls a good place for a Christmas train outing?

Smiths Falls has deep railway roots for a holiday trip. The first train reached town in February 1859, Canadian Pacific made it a division point in 1885, and about 23 trains a day once ran through it. Today that history comes alive at Christmas with the North Pole Express at the 1912 station and the CPKC Holiday Train stop.

What is a good Christmas weekend plan for kids in Smiths Falls?

Pick a North Pole Express Saturday for the train ride, Santa photos and Santa-grams at the railway museum, then spend Sunday, December 6, 2026, at Holiday Heritage House for Santa, crafts and a horse-drawn wagon ride. Rally Takes the Train lists every confirmed date in our Canada Christmas events guide.

Sources

  1. Special Events, Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
  2. Museum History, Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
  3. Smiths Falls Railway History, Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
  4. Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead, Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
  5. About Us, Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, Town of Smiths Falls
  6. Heritage House Museum Events, Town of Smiths Falls
  7. Celebration of Lights, Town of Smiths Falls
  8. What's good? Holiday spirit lights up Smiths Falls, Lanarkleedstoday.ca
  9. There's a holiday train experience in Ontario featuring a festive vintage caboose, Curiocity

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.

Smiths Falls Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Smiths Falls this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Smiths Falls for 2026: the North Pole Express at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, Holiday Heritage House on December 6, and the Holiday Traditions Tour at the Heritage House Museum from December 1 to 20.

When is the North Pole Express in Smiths Falls in 2026?

On Saturdays, November 28, December 5 and December 12, 2026, from 11 am to 5 pm at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. Tickets are sold through the museum’s Eventbrite link, and Santa photos are sold separately.

Where can kids meet Santa in Smiths Falls?

Santa poses for photos in the 1899 dining car during the North Pole Express, and he visits the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, 11 Old Slys Road, on Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 1 pm to 3 pm.

What happens at Holiday Heritage House?

Families tour the decorated period rooms with costumed guides, make seasonal crafts, write letters to Santa, enjoy tea or cider with a homemade dessert and finish with a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Who do I contact about Smiths Falls holiday events?

For the North Pole Express, the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario at info@rmeo.org. For Holiday Heritage House and the Holiday Traditions Tour, the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum at heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca or 613-283-6311.

Are there more Christmas events near Smiths Falls?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists confirmed events across Canada, 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 town or tourism calendar. We last checked Smiths Falls 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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