Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in South Riding, Virginia, for 2026. South Riding Proprietary lights up the Enchanted Light Stroll all December, hosts Selfies with Santa on Friday, December 11, and opens the Winterfest Market and Ice Rink with a holiday train on Saturday, December 12. 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 South Riding
- 3 Christmas events for kids in South Riding
- Enchanted Light Stroll: December 1 to 31, South Riding Center, free
- Selfies with Santa: Friday, December 11, 4 to 9 pm, with a craft
- Winter Market and Ice Rink: Saturday, December 12, 11 am to 7 pm, holiday train
- Every date checked on the South Riding Proprietary site on Nov 11
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All 3 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more South Riding events researched for you.
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The Christmas magic awaits
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Free Christmas events for kids in South Riding
Light strollFree
Winterfest Enchanted Light Stroll
- When: Every day December 1 to 31, 2026
- Where: South Riding Center, SRC Stage area at Ulysses Street and Riding Center Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
All month long, South Riding Proprietary turns the park around the South Riding Center into a winter wonderland with thousands of lights and festive displays.
It is an easy after-dinner walk with little ones and a ready-made backdrop for holiday family photos.
Parent tip: Pair a stroll with Selfies with Santa on December 11 or the Winter Market on December 12, since both are right at the South Riding Center.
- Host
- South Riding Proprietary (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- South Riding Center, SRC Stage area at Ulysses Street and Riding Center Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New South Riding events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in South Riding daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in South Riding.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more South Riding 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 South Riding.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in South Riding 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
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in South Riding every week.
Santa visit and craftFree
Selfies with Santa
- When: Friday, December 11, 2026, 4 to 9 pm
- Where: South Riding Center (SRC), 42420 Unicorn Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: Kids and families
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa takes a break from the North Pole to visit the South Riding Center, where kids can share their wish lists and families snap their own selfies with him.
While you wait in line, Santa’s Workshop has a holiday craft for kids to make and take home.
Parent tip: Visits are first come, first served, and the organizers warn there are no guarantees in the last half hour, so arrive before 8:30 pm.
- Host
- South Riding Proprietary (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- South Riding Center (SRC), 42420 Unicorn Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New South Riding events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in South Riding daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in South Riding.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in South Riding
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
Ice rink and holiday train
Winterfest Market and Ice Rink
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 11 am to 7 pm
- Where: South Riding Center (SRC), 42420 Unicorn Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free to browse; check South Riding for skating details
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The South Riding Center becomes a holiday village for a day, with an outdoor ice rink, artisan vendors and local food trucks.
Kids can lace up for a skate and take a ride on the holiday train while parents shop handmade gifts.
Parent tip: Bring gloves for the ice, and do the holiday train early before the afternoon crowd arrives.
- Host
- South Riding Proprietary (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- South Riding Center (SRC), 42420 Unicorn Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New South Riding events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in South Riding daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in South Riding.
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 South Riding Christmas event for kids happens
Make December 11 and 12 your South Riding weekend: Santa and a craft on Friday night, then skating and the holiday train on Saturday, with a light stroll either evening.
- Winterfest Enchanted Light StrollSouth Riding · Dec 1 to Dec 31
- Selfies with SantaSouth Riding · Dec 11
- Winterfest Market and Ice RinkSouth Riding · Dec 12
Looking further afield? Our Virginia Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Chantilly, Centreville, Ashburn and Manassas. 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.
South Riding Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in South Riding this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in South Riding for 2026, all from South Riding Proprietary: the Enchanted Light Stroll, Selfies with Santa and the Winterfest Market and Ice Rink.
When is Selfies with Santa in South Riding in 2026?
Friday, December 11, 2026, from 4 to 9 pm at the South Riding Center, 42420 Unicorn Drive. It is first come, first served, with a Santa’s Workshop craft while you wait.
Is there a train ride at the South Riding Winter Market?
Yes. The Winterfest Market and Ice Rink on Saturday, December 12, from 11 am to 7 pm includes a holiday train ride, an outdoor ice rink and artisan vendors.
When is the Enchanted Light Stroll?
Throughout December 2026 at the South Riding Center, around the SRC Stage at Ulysses Street and Riding Center Drive.
Who do I contact about South Riding holiday events?
South Riding Proprietary’s events team at events@southriding.net.
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 South Riding 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.