Christmas Events for Kids in Stratford (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 3 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Stratford, Ontario for 2026, and both are free. The tree lights up on William Street at 4:45 pm on Sunday, November 29, right before Santa's Parade of Lights follows the Avon River, and Lights On Stratford returns with free light art from December 18 through January 10. We check every date on the host's own website and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Stratford

  • 2 free Christmas events for kids in Stratford
  • Tree lighting: Sunday, November 29, 4:45 pm, William Street at Haig Street
  • Santa's Parade of Lights: November 29, 5 to 6:30 pm
  • Sensory-friendly zone: Hillcrest Drive to Denison Street
  • Lights On Stratford: December 18 to January 10, Thursdays to Sundays, 5 to 10 pm

Free Christmas events for kids in Stratford

Evening paradeFree

Santa's Parade of Lights and Tree Lighting

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Stratford lights its Christmas tree on William Street at Haig Street at 4:45 pm, then Santa's Parade of Lights rolls along William Street beside the Avon River, crosses the Festival bridge and finishes on Lakeside Drive in front of the Tom Patterson Theatre.

The stretch from Hillcrest Drive to Denison Street is a sensory-friendly zone where floats skip sirens and strong flashing lights, which is a thoughtful spot for little ones who get overwhelmed. Bring a non-perishable food item, since donations are collected along the route.

Parent tip: Families with toddlers or sensitive kids should stand between Hillcrest Drive and Denison Street, and public washrooms are open inside the William Allman Arena.

Host
Stratford and District Saddle Club with the City of Stratford (opens in a new tab)
Address
William Street at Haig Street to Lakeside Drive, Stratford, ON (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Stratford and District Saddle Club with the City of Stratford (opens in a new tab)

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Rally’s Christmas research

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Light festivalFree

Lights On Stratford: Canada Northern Lights

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The seventh Lights On Stratford winter festival fills the heritage downtown and riverside parks with free light art, and the 2026/27 theme, Canada: Northern Lights, features installations by Canadian artists such as a glowing digital waterfall called As Water Falls.

It runs Thursday to Sunday evenings from 5 to 10 pm, so it pairs well with a holiday dinner downtown, and kids can hunt for the year-round Lightwall, Everbright and Heart pieces between the new works.

Parent tip: Go right at 5 pm on a Thursday or Sunday for the smallest crowds, and dress for a walk since the installations are spread between downtown and the parks.

Host
Destination Stratford (opens in a new tab)
Address
Downtown Stratford and the park system, Stratford, ON (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom Destination Stratford (opens in a new tab)

New Stratford events every week

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

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 Stratford Christmas event for kids happens

Start the season with the tree lighting and parade on November 29, then come back after school lets out for a Lights On Stratford evening walk once the festival opens on December 18.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford and Norfolk County. 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 Stratford

Stratford's Santa's Parade of Lights now ends beside the Avon River in front of the Tom Patterson Theatre, and since 2025 it has had a sensory-friendly stretch where floats skip sirens and strobes. A few weeks later the city lights up again with Lights On Stratford, a free winter light art festival that has brought artworks from the UK and Australia.

A Saddle Club parade that moved from City Hall to the Avon River shoreline

Santa's Parade of Lights is hosted by the Stratford and District Saddle Club with the City of Stratford, and in recent years with Bethel Pentecostal Church. In November 2019 the parade left the William Allman Memorial Arena, travelled Morenz Drive, Nile Street, Ontario Street and Downie Street, and brought Santa to City Hall around 6:15 pm, with more than 50 floats registered.

By December 4, 2022, the route had moved to the river: starting at Hillcrest Drive and William Street, running east along William Street to Lakeside Drive North, across the Festival Bridge and west past the Stratford Festival to the Tom Patterson Theatre. In 2026 Santa's Parade of Lights is on Sunday, November 29, with the tree lighting at 4:45 pm on William Street at Haig Street and the parade from 5 to 6:30 pm.

A sensory-friendly route on December 7 and a light festival opening December 12, 2025

For the Sunday, December 7 parade in 2025, the City added a new sensory-friendly area on William Street between Hillcrest Drive and Denison Street, where floats were asked not to use sirens, intense flashing lights or strobes, and moved the tree lighting to William Street across from Haig Street at about 4:45 pm. Santa rode on the last float, and food donations were collected along the route.

Five days later, on December 12, 2025, the sixth annual Lights On Stratford flipped its switch in Market Square with a grass dance by Chris Mejaki and the Canadian premiere of CHRONOHARP, an Australian light sculpture shaped like a giant harp. The crew installed it through freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow. That December the Stratford Festival also stayed open into the holidays for the first time, staging Annie.

Lights On Stratford since 2020, from EMERGENCE to Canada: Northern Lights

Lights On Stratford began with the 2020/21 season as a way to bring visitors to the city in the quiet winter months. In 2024/25 the theme was REIMAGINE, the light trail started at Market Square with EMERGENCE, the first artwork the UK artists behind it had ever shown in Canada, and families tried glow-in-the-dark curling called GLOW and THROW. The arches of the William Hutt Bridge on Waterloo Street were lit as part of the trail.

The seventh festival, Lights On Stratford: Canada Northern Lights, runs December 18, 2026, to January 10, 2027, Thursdays to Sundays from 5 to 10 pm, and it is free. It drew more than 50 proposals from Canadian artists.

Six gifts for $35 on the Christmas Trail, a Stratford tradition since 2014

Destination Stratford's Christmas Trail has run every holiday season since 2014. Shoppers buy a trail pass for $35 plus tax, then pick six gifts at participating shops, redeeming one voucher at each of six stops. In 2025 vouchers were good from November 1 to December 20, and 50 businesses took part, 34 in Stratford and 16 in St. Marys, Shakespeare and Mitchell, matching the record set in 2024.

The BIA's Outdoor Christmas Market in Market Square has been part of parade day too, reaching its fifth year in 2019, when it opened at 11 am before the Parade of Lights.

Traditions today

  • Santa's Parade of Lights: An evening parade by the Stratford and District Saddle Club along the Avon River, with a tree lighting just before it. In 2026 it is November 29, with the lighting at 4:45 pm.
  • Sensory-friendly parade zone: Since 2025, floats skip sirens and strong flashing lights between Hillcrest Drive and Denison Street, a calmer place for young or sensitive kids to watch.
  • Lights On Stratford: A free winter festival of light art across downtown and the park system, held every year since 2020/21. In 2026/27 it runs December 18 to January 10.
  • The Christmas Trail: A $35 pass that buys six gifts at local shops in Stratford and nearby towns, offered every holiday season since 2014.
  • Food donations on the parade route: Families bring non-perishable food to Santa's Parade of Lights, where donations are collected along the route.

A fact for kids

When the Australian crew building Stratford's giant light-up harp in December 2025 felt freezing rain for the first time in their lives, one of them asked, 'What magic is this?'

Questions about Christmas in Stratford

When is Santa's Parade of Lights in Stratford in 2026?

Santa's Parade of Lights is on Sunday, November 29, 2026. The Christmas tree lighting starts at 4:45 pm on William Street at Haig Street, and the parade runs from 5 to 6:30 pm down William Street along the river, finishing on Lakeside Drive in front of the Tom Patterson Theatre. Registration filled up by November 3.

Who organizes the Stratford Santa Claus parade?

Santa's Parade of Lights is hosted by the Stratford and District Saddle Club, which has led the Christmas parade since at least 2022, together with Bethel Pentecostal Church and the City of Stratford. The City recruits volunteers to marshal floats into position and staff barricades at road closures.

What is the sensory-friendly area at Stratford's Christmas parade?

Starting with the 2025 parade, the stretch of William Street from Hillcrest Drive to Denison Street is a sensory-friendly area. Floats are asked to avoid sirens and strong flashing lights or strobes there, so it is a good spot for little ones or anyone who gets overwhelmed by loud parade noise.

When was Stratford's Santa's Parade of Lights in 2025?

The 2025 Christmas parade was held on Sunday, December 7, starting at 5 pm at Hillcrest Drive and William Street, with the tree lighting at about 4:45 pm across from Haig Street. That year brought a new sensory-friendly area and a new tree lighting location, and Santa rode in the last float.

What route does the Stratford Parade of Lights take?

Recent Christmas parades start at Hillcrest Drive and William Street, head east along William Street beside the Avon River to Lakeside Drive North, cross the Festival Bridge, then go west along Lakeside Drive past the Stratford Festival, ending in front of the Tom Patterson Theatre. The 2026 parade follows William Street to Lakeside Drive.

Did the Stratford Christmas parade used to end at City Hall?

Yes. In 2019 the Parade of Lights left the William Allman Memorial Arena at 5 pm, travelled Morenz Drive and Nile Street to Ontario Street, then along Downie Street to Stratford City Hall, where Santa was expected around 6:15 pm. More than 50 floats registered that year. By 2022 the parade had moved to the riverside route.

Where is the Christmas tree lighting in Stratford?

The tree lighting happens just before Santa's Parade of Lights on William Street at Haig Street. In 2026 it starts at 4:45 pm on November 29, fifteen minutes before the floats roll. The City moved the lighting to this spot for the 2025 parade.

Can we bring a food donation to the Stratford Christmas parade?

Yes. Non-perishable food donations are collected along the route of Santa's Parade of Lights, so bring a can or a box of pasta for each child to hand over. It is an easy way to make the parade part of a family's Christmas giving.

When is Lights On Stratford 2026?

The seventh annual Lights On Stratford runs from December 18, 2026, to January 10, 2027, on Thursdays to Sundays from 5 to 10 pm. The winter light festival is free, and the 2026/27 theme is Canada: Northern Lights, featuring Canadian artists across the heritage downtown and park system.

When did Lights On Stratford start?

Lights On Stratford's first season was the 2020/21 winter, and the festival has returned every holiday season since, reaching its sixth year in 2025/26 and its seventh in 2026/27. It was envisioned as an anchor festival for Stratford's quiet winter tourism season and is hosted by Destination Stratford.

What happened at Lights On Stratford in 2025?

The sixth Lights On Stratford opened on December 12, 2025, and ran to January 18, 2026. Opening night in Market Square included a grass dance by Chris Mejaki and the Canadian premiere of CHRONOHARP, an Australian light sculpture of a harp with interactive colour and sound. Festival director Zac Gribble said winter storms made it the hardest setup the team had faced.

What was EMERGENCE at Lights On Stratford?

EMERGENCE opened the light trail at Market Square during the 2024/25 Lights On Stratford holiday festival, which ran December 13, 2024, to January 19, 2025, under the theme REIMAGINE. Lead artist Alan Hayes said it was the piece's Canadian debut and the first time the UK artists had shown any work in Canada.

Is there glow curling at Lights On Stratford?

There was in the 2024/25 winter festival. GLOW and THROW was a glow-in-the-dark curling experience on Saturday and Sunday days, with evening sessions on Friday and Saturday nights. Check the Lights On Stratford website for the activities planned around the 2026/27 Christmas season.

Are there local artists in Lights On Stratford 2026?

Yes. Besides the main Canadian installations, the 2026/27 Lights On Stratford holiday festival hosts three Community Spotlight artworks at the Destination Stratford Welcome Centre. One is Starlit Night by Stratford artist Sara Nieto, which began as spontaneous automatic drawings and became a three-act story about the universe we carry inside us.

Why does Stratford hold a light festival in winter?

Lights On Stratford was created as an anchor festival for the winter shoulder season, when the city's busy theatre tourism slows down. Festival director Zac Gribble said in December 2025 that about 80 per cent of Stratford's tourism economy happens in four months, and the free holiday festival draws visitors downtown to shops and restaurants between December and January.

Are the bridges lit at Christmas in Stratford?

During Lights On Stratford 2024/25, the arches of the William Hutt Bridge on Waterloo Street were turned into an illuminated installation as part of the light trail. The festival spreads across Stratford's heritage downtown and park system each holiday season.

What is the Stratford Christmas Trail?

The Christmas Trail is a holiday shopping tradition run by Destination Stratford since 2014. You buy a trail pass for $35 plus tax and choose six gifts, one at each of six participating shops. In 2025 the vouchers were valid November 1 to December 20 at 50 businesses in Stratford, St. Marys, Shakespeare and Mitchell.

Where can you buy a Stratford Christmas Trail pass?

In 2025 Christmas Trail passes were sold at Destination Stratford, at Bradshaws and at The Wine Lab in St. Marys. Details for each holiday season are posted at visitstratford.ca/christmastrail, usually by early November.

Does the Stratford Festival have Christmas shows?

For the first time in its history, the Stratford Festival extended its season into December in 2025, staging Annie at the Festival Theatre while Lights On Stratford was running. Destination Stratford's 2025 Christmas Trail release also mentioned extended Festival shows during the holiday season.

Is there an outdoor Christmas market in Stratford?

Yes. The Stratford City Centre BIA has held an Outdoor Christmas Market in Market Square, which reached its fifth year in 2019, when it opened at 11 am on parade day. Market Square is also the starting point of the Lights On Stratford light trail in December.

How do we register a float for Stratford's Parade of Lights?

Float and walking group registration for Santa's Parade of Lights opens in mid October. In 2026 it opened October 14 at 9 am and closed by November 3 because every spot was filled, so set a reminder if your school, team or club wants a place in next year's Christmas parade.

What is a good Christmas plan for kids in Stratford?

Watch Santa's Parade of Lights on November 29, 2026, from the sensory-friendly stretch if your child prefers it quieter, then come back after December 18 for an evening walk on the Lights On Stratford trail. More dates nearby are in our Canada Christmas events guide.

Sources

  1. Santa's Parade of Lights, City of Stratford
  2. Santa's Parade of Lights set for Dec. 7, City of Stratford
  3. Volunteers being sought to help put on Santa's Parade of Lights in Stratford, My Stratford Now
  4. Santa Claus is coming to Stratford, My Stratford Now
  5. Lights On Stratford, Destination Stratford
  6. 6th annual Lights On Stratford opens for 'ambitious' season, Stratford Times
  7. Mesmerizing life-sized light installations will take over an Ontario city for the holidays, Curiocity
  8. Christmas Trail Press Release 2025, Destination Stratford

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.

Stratford Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Stratford, Ontario this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 free Christmas events for kids in Stratford for 2026: the tree lighting and Santa's Parade of Lights on Sunday, November 29, and the Lights On Stratford winter light festival from December 18, 2026 to January 10, 2027.

When is the Stratford Santa Claus parade in 2026?

Santa's Parade of Lights is on Sunday, November 29, 2026. The Christmas tree lighting is at 4:45 pm on William Street at Haig Street, and the parade runs from 5 to 6:30 pm, ending on Lakeside Drive at the Tom Patterson Theatre.

Is there a sensory-friendly spot at the Stratford parade?

Yes. The City of Stratford says the route from Hillcrest Drive to Denison Street is a sensory-friendly area where floats avoid sirens and strong flashing lights.

When is Lights On Stratford 2026?

December 18, 2026 to January 10, 2027, Thursdays to Sundays from 5 to 10 pm. It is free, and this season's theme is Canada: Northern Lights.

Who do I contact about Stratford holiday events?

For the parade, the Stratford and District Saddle Club at mkreyger@hotmail.com. For Lights On Stratford, Destination Stratford at kaileigh@lightsonstratford.ca.

Are there more Christmas events near Stratford?

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 Stratford on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms 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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