Rally the corgi has sniffed out 2 Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco for 2026, both from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Santa pulls up to City Hall on a fire engine for free photos on December 5, and the SSF Civic Ballet performs The Nutcracker on December 19 and 20, with kids 12 and under admitted free. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our California Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in South San Francisco
- 2 Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco
- Santa Comes to Town: Saturday, December 5, 10 am to 2 pm, City Hall, free
- The Nutcracker: December 19 at 1 and 7 pm, December 20 at 1 pm
- Kids 12 and under see The Nutcracker free
- Every date checked on the City of South San Francisco site on Nov 11
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more South San Francisco event researched for you.
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Free Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco
Santa photosFree
Santa Comes to Town
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm, rain or shine
- Where: South San Francisco City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa rolls up to City Hall on a South San Francisco fire engine at 10 am to open the Parks and Recreation Department’s yearly holiday visit downtown.
Families line up along Grand Avenue for one free photo with Santa per group. It goes ahead rain or shine, so bring umbrellas and dress the kids for the weather.
Parent tip: Be on Grand Avenue a little before 10 am to watch Santa arrive on the fire engine, then join the photo line right away.
- Host
- South San Francisco Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- South San Francisco City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New South San Francisco events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in South San Francisco daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in South San Francisco.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more South San Francisco event 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 San Francisco.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in South San Francisco 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 Shows
- 1 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in South San Francisco every week.
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco
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
Nutcracker ballet
SSF Civic Ballet: The Nutcracker
- When: Saturday, December 19, 2026, at 1 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday, December 20, at 1 pm
- Where: South San Francisco High School Auditorium, 400 B Street, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $10 adults, $6 ages 13 to 17, free for kids 12 and under
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
The city’s own SSF Civic Ballet stages The Nutcracker, following Clara through her dream with festive costumes and all the familiar characters, in three performances the weekend before Christmas.
At $10 for adults and free for kids 12 and under, it is one of the most affordable ways in the Bay Area to introduce children to the ballet. Proceeds support the Civic Ballet program.
Parent tip: The 1 pm shows fit naps and early bedtimes best. Ticket sales details are still to come, so watch the event page.
- Host
- South San Francisco Parks and Recreation (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- South San Francisco High School Auditorium, 400 B Street, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New South San Francisco events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in South San Francisco daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in South San Francisco.
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 California Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each South San Francisco Christmas event for kids happens
Catch Santa’s fire engine arrival on December 5, then book a Nutcracker matinee for the weekend before Christmas.
- Santa Comes to TownSouth San Francisco · Dec 5
- SSF Civic Ballet: The NutcrackerSouth San Francisco · Dec 19 to Dec 20
Looking further afield? Our California Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for San Bruno, San Francisco, Foster City and Oakland. 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 California city.
South San Francisco Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 Christmas events for kids in South San Francisco for 2026, both from South San Francisco Parks and Recreation: Santa Comes to Town and the SSF Civic Ballet’s The Nutcracker.
When does Santa come to South San Francisco in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 am to 2 pm at City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue. Santa arrives on a fire engine at 10 am, and photos are free, rain or shine.
When is the South San Francisco Nutcracker?
December 19, 2026, at 1 pm and 7 pm, and December 20 at 1 pm, at the South San Francisco High School Auditorium, 400 B Street.
How much are SSF Nutcracker tickets?
$10 for adults, $6 for ages 13 to 17, and free for children 12 and under. Ticket purchasing details are still to be posted.
Who do I contact about South San Francisco holiday events?
South San Francisco Parks and Recreation at web-rec@ssfca.gov or (650) 829-3800.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in California?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s California 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 San Francisco 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.