Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Tappan for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are South Orangetown Holiday Bash (December 1) and Breakfast with Santa (from December 12). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our New York Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Tappan
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Tappan
- Meet Santa: South Orangetown Holiday Bash (December 1) and Breakfast with Santa (from December 12)
- Season: December 1 (South Orangetown Holiday Bash) to December 20 (Breakfast with Santa)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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All 2 events
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Tappan
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Santa visit
South Orangetown Holiday Bash
- When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 5 to 6:30 pm
- Where: Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington St, Tappan, NY 10983 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page; drop in, no registration
- Ages: Preschoolers and children
Expand to see the parent tip
Four neighboring libraries (Tappan, Blauvelt, Orangeburg and Palisades) team up for one shared holiday party, and they hold it at the Tappan firehouse rather than in any of their own buildings. Kids can make crafts, warm up with hot cocoa and say hello to Santa.
The bash runs on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at the Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington Street. It is a drop-in program for preschoolers and children with no registration needed, and the library says parking is available in the grass lot across the street.
Parent tip: It is a 90-minute drop-in on a school night, so you can arrive after pickup or an early dinner and still fit in a craft, cocoa and Santa. Head for the grass lot across the street to park, and wear shoes that can handle a damp field in December.
- Host
- South Orangetown Libraries (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington St, Tappan, NY 10983 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Tappan events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Tappan daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Tappan.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Tappan 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 Tappan.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Tappan 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
- 2 Santa
- 1 Crafts
- 1 Breakfast and treats
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Tappan every week.
Breakfast with Santa
Breakfast with Santa
- When: Sat December 12 and Sun December 20, 2026, 11:30 am to 3 pm (Two dates: Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 20)
- Where: The '76 House, 110 Main St, Tappan, NY 10983 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
The '76 House, the tavern on Main Street in Tappan, puts Breakfast with Santa on its events calendar twice this December. The restaurant's listing is brief and says more details are still to come, so the menu and format have not been posted yet.
The calendar shows Saturday, December 12, 2026, and Sunday, December 20, 2026, each from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. No price, age range or reservation policy is given on the page, so check with the restaurant before you go.
Parent tip: Despite the name, this runs from late morning into mid-afternoon, so plan it as brunch or lunch rather than an early breakfast. Because the listing still says more details are to come, call ahead to ask about seating times and whether you need to book a table.
- Host
- The '76 House (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- The '76 House, 110 Main St, Tappan, NY 10983 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Tappan events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Tappan daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Tappan.
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 New York Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Tappan Christmas event for kids happens
The first is South Orangetown Holiday Bash in Tappan on December 1; the last runs to December 20. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- South Orangetown Holiday BashTappan · Dec 1
- Breakfast with SantaTappan · Dec 12 to Dec 20
Looking further afield? Our New York Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Orangeburg, Yonkers, Pleasantville and Bronx. 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 Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Tappan
Tappan takes its name from the Tappan people, a Lenape group, and from a Lenape word thought to mean "cold water." In this small Rockland County hamlet, where George Washington once kept his headquarters, Christmas for kids centers on a library party at the firehouse and breakfast with Santa at a Main Street tavern.
How Tappan celebrates
Christmas in Tappan is small and close to home. The Tappan, Blauvelt, Orangeburg and Palisades libraries join forces for the South Orangetown Holiday Bash, a drop-in evening of crafts, hot cocoa and a Santa visit held at the Tappan Fire Department on Washington Street. On Main Street, The '76 House fills its December calendar with seasonal dates, including a Christmas Princess Brunch, a gingerbread decorating night and two Breakfast with Santa sittings. That restaurant occupies the building Wikipedia identifies as Mabie's Inn, a tavern since the 18th century, so a Santa breakfast here happens inside one of the hamlet's best known landmarks.
Fun facts about Christmas in Tappan
Tappan is a hamlet in the town of Orangetown, and the 2020 census counted 6,673 residents. The first Orange County courthouse was built here in 1691, and the first schoolhouse in Rockland County followed in 1711 and stayed in use until 1860. The DeWint House, built in 1700, is described as the oldest existing structure in Rockland County, and George Washington used it as his headquarters four times between 1780 and 1783. The Tappan Fire Department marked its 100th anniversary in 2007 with a parade that included the Budweiser Clydesdale horses.
Traditions today
- South Orangetown Holiday Bash: Four local libraries host a drop-in party with crafts, hot cocoa and Santa at the Tappan Fire Department on December 1, 2026.
- Breakfast with Santa at The '76 House: The Main Street tavern lists Breakfast with Santa on December 12 and December 20, 2026, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.
- Christmas Princess Brunch: The '76 House calendar also shows a Christmas Princess Brunch on Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.
- Gingerbread decorating night: A gingerbread decorating evening appears on The '76 House calendar for Thursday, December 17, 2026, with details still to come.
- The Tappan firehouse: The Tappan Fire Department, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007, is the setting for the libraries' holiday party.
A fact for kids
Tappan once had a lookout tree. During the Revolutionary War, a flaming tar barrel was meant to be hoisted to the top of a big elm on Oak Tree Road as a signal, and it was used just once, in 1783.
Questions about Christmas in Tappan
How did Tappan get its name?
The name comes from the Tappan, a Lenape people who lived in the region around the Hudson Palisades when Europeans arrived in the 17th century. According to Wikipedia, "Tappan" derives from the Lenape word "tuphanne," which is thought to mean "cold water."
Is Tappan a town or a village?
Neither. Tappan is a hamlet and census-designated place inside the town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. It sits right on the New Jersey line, bordering Old Tappan, Northvale and Rockleigh, and had 6,673 residents in the 2020 census.
How old is Tappan?
Wikipedia does not give a single founding date, but the hamlet's record goes back to the 1600s. The first Orange County courthouse was built in Tappan in 1691, the Reformed Church of Tappan was organized in 1694, and the DeWint House dates to 1700.
What is Tappan known for in American history?
Tappan is tied closely to the American Revolution. The Orangetown Resolutions were adopted here on July 4, 1774. In 1780 British Major John André was held at Mabie's Inn, tried at the Reformed Church of Tappan and hanged nearby. George Washington used the DeWint House as headquarters four times.
What happens in Tappan at Christmas for kids?
For 2026, the listed events are the South Orangetown Holiday Bash on December 1, with crafts, hot cocoa and Santa at the Tappan Fire Department, and Breakfast with Santa at The '76 House on December 12 and December 20. The tavern's calendar also shows a Christmas Princess Brunch on December 6.
Who organizes the Holiday Bash in Tappan?
The Tappan, Blauvelt, Orangeburg and Palisades libraries present it together, and it appears on the South Orangetown Libraries calendar. It is held offsite at the Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington Street, and is open to preschoolers and children with no registration needed.
What is special about The '76 House?
Wikipedia identifies the restaurant at 110 Main Street as the house once known as Mabie's Inn, where Major John André was confined in 1780 and where George Washington dined during the Revolution. It has been a tavern since the 18th century, and this December it hosts Breakfast with Santa.
Did trains ever stop in Tappan?
Yes. The New York Central ran passenger trains on the West Shore Railroad through the western part of Tappan until the late 1950s, and the Erie Railroad ran service on the Northern Branch through the eastern part of the hamlet up to 1966.
How old is the Tappan library building?
Wikipedia lists the Tappan Free Library building as dating to 1750, with four additions made since. The Tappan Library is one of the four libraries behind the South Orangetown Holiday Bash, though the party itself is held at the firehouse on Washington Street.
Sources
- Tappan, New York, Wikipedia
- South Orangetown Holiday Bash, South Orangetown Libraries
- Music Calendar, The '76 House
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 New York city.
Tappan Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What Christmas events for kids are happening in Tappan in 2026?
Two are on the calendar so far. The South Orangetown Holiday Bash brings crafts, hot cocoa and Santa to the Tappan Fire Department on Tuesday, December 1, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. The '76 House on Main Street lists Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 20, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Where can kids meet Santa in Tappan?
Santa visits the South Orangetown Holiday Bash at the Tappan Fire Department, 123 Washington Street, on December 1. He is also the guest at Breakfast with Santa at The '76 House, 110 Main Street, on December 12 and December 20. That gives families three dates across the first three weeks of December.
Do we need to sign up for the Holiday Bash at the firehouse?
No. The libraries describe the South Orangetown Holiday Bash as a drop-in program with no registration necessary. You can arrive any time between 5:00 and 6:30 pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. It is aimed at preschoolers and children, and the listing does not mention any charge.
Who runs the Holiday Bash in Tappan?
It is a joint program of the Tappan, Blauvelt, Orangeburg and Palisades libraries, listed on the South Orangetown Libraries calendar. The party is held offsite at the Tappan Fire Department instead of at a library, and the contact given on the listing is at the Tappan Library.
What do we know about Breakfast with Santa at The '76 House?
The restaurant's calendar lists it for Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 20, 2026, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, with a note that more details are to come. Price, menu and booking information have not been posted, so contact the restaurant directly before making plans.
Where do we park for the Holiday Bash?
The library listing points families to the grass lot across the street from the Tappan Fire Department at 123 Washington Street. The event falls on a Tuesday evening, December 1, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm, so it will be dark when you arrive. Give yourself a few extra minutes to walk small children across.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Tappan?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s New York Christmas train rides guide. This Tappan guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
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 every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
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.