Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Village of Clarkston for 2026, and here is what he found: 4 family events. The magic runs from December 2 (Santa's Workshop) through December 13, with Christmas at the Farm (December 5), Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade (December 12) and DIY: Yule Log (December 13) along the way. We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Michigan Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Village of Clarkston
- 4 Christmas events for kids in Village of Clarkston
- Meet Santa: Santa's Workshop (December 2) and Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade (December 12)
- Parades and tree lightings: Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade (December 12)
- Also on the list: 1 Christmas light display and 2 craft workshops
- Season: December 2 (Santa's Workshop) to December 13 (DIY: Yule Log)
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
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Rally’s Christmas research
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Village of Clarkston
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Santa visit
Santa's Workshop
- When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 5 to 8 pm (Two sessions, 5:00 to 6:30 pm or 6:30 to 8:00 pm; choose one when you register)
- Where: Bay Court Park, 6970 Andersonville Road, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $15 residents, $17 non-residents; pre-registration required
Expand to see the parent tip
Bay Court Park turns into Santa's Workshop for one evening, with holiday crafts, hot cocoa and s'mores. Santa is there with his reindeer, and the Grinch makes an appearance too.
It is held on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, in two sessions, 5:00 to 6:30 pm or 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and you pick your session at registration. The fee is $15 for residents and $17 for non-residents. Pre-registration is required through Independence Township Parks, Rec and Seniors online or by phone at 248-625-8223.
Parent tip: You have to commit to one of the two 90-minute sessions when you register, and the 5:00 pm slot is the easier fit for early bedtimes on a school night. It is an evening at a park in December, so send kids in warm layers.
- Host
- Independence Township Parks, Recreation & Seniors (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Bay Court Park, 6970 Andersonville Road, Village of Clarkston, MI 48346 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Village of Clarkston events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Village of Clarkston daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Village of Clarkston.
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 3 more Village of Clarkston 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 Village of Clarkston.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Village of Clarkston 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
- 2 Crafts
- 1 Lights
- 1 Parades
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Village of Clarkston every week.
Holiday event
Christmas at the Farm
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 2:30 to 5:30 pm
- Where: Clarkston Family Farm, 6800 Hubbard Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Ticket details not yet posted on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
Clarkston Family Farm, a nonprofit educational farm, holds its annual Christmas celebration on a Saturday afternoon in early December. The farm is gathering donated raffle baskets for the event and is recruiting volunteers to help run it.
The farm's 2026 calendar lists Christmas at the Farm for Saturday, December 5, from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. The page asks visitors to check back for details and registration, and it has a tickets link, but no price was posted.
Parent tip: Registration and ticket details were still to come on the farm's page, so look again before December 5 and sign up once they open. The farm's calendar also says it shuts for the holidays later in December until mid-January, so this is a late chance to visit in 2026.
- Host
- Clarkston Family Farm (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Clarkston Family Farm, 6800 Hubbard Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Village of Clarkston events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Village of Clarkston daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Village of Clarkston.
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Holiday parade
Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade
- When: Saturday, December 12, 2026, 6 pm (Parade begins at 6:00 pm; no end time is listed)
- Where: Renaissance High School / Community Education Building (parade start), 6558 Waldon Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
Lighted floats built by local groups, clubs and businesses roll through downtown Clarkston after dark, and the 2026 theme, Let it Glow, asks for LED displays, moving parts, robots and music. Team RUSH has organized the parade since 2001 to share its enthusiasm for science and technology. Santa and Mrs. Claus ride at the very end.
The parade begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday, December 12, 2026. It leaves Renaissance High School on Waldon Road, follows Church Street, Main Street, Miller Road and Glenburnie Road, and ends at Calvary Lutheran Church, where tree lighting festivities, cookies and hot chocolate follow. The page lists no admission price for spectators and no end time.
Parent tip: The organizers call the route a dark venue and do not allow candy to be thrown, so keep children on the curb and let walkers hand treats to them. Renaissance High School is open for restrooms and warming up, which helps on a cold December night.
- Host
- Team RUSH 27 (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Renaissance High School / Community Education Building (parade start), 6558 Waldon Rd, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Village of Clarkston events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Village of Clarkston daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Village of Clarkston.
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Holiday crafts
DIY: Yule Log
- When: Sunday, December 13, 2026, 1 to 3 pm
- Where: Wint Nature Center, 9501 Sashabaw Road, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $20 per log, preregistration with payment required
- Ages: Ages 8 and up
Expand to see the parent tip
Participants build a Yule log centerpiece to take home at Wint Nature Center. While everyone crafts, staff share the history behind the Yule log tradition, and all the supplies are provided.
The program runs from 1:00 to 3:00 pm on Sunday, December 13, 2026. It is suitable for ages 8 and up and costs $20 per log. Preregistration with payment is required online or by phone at 248-858-0916 on weekdays, or at 248-625-6473 during nature center hours.
Parent tip: The fee is charged per log and is due when you preregister, so decide how many centerpieces your family wants to make before you sign up. The program is set for ages 8 and up, so plan something else for younger siblings.
- Host
- Oakland County Parks (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Wint Nature Center, 9501 Sashabaw Road, Village of Clarkston, MI 48348 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Village of Clarkston events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Village of Clarkston daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Village of Clarkston.
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 Michigan Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Village of Clarkston Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Santa's Workshop in Village of Clarkston on December 2; the last runs to December 13. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Santa's WorkshopVillage of Clarkston · Dec 2
- Christmas at the FarmVillage of Clarkston · Dec 5
- Clarkston Holiday Lights ParadeVillage of Clarkston · Dec 12
- DIY: Yule LogVillage of Clarkston · Dec 13
Looking further afield? Our Michigan Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Ortonville, Rochester, MI, Rochester Hills and Hartland, MI. 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 Village of Clarkston
Clarkston's official name is the City of the Village of Clarkston, and with 0.44 square miles of land it is the smallest city by land area in Michigan. Each December that small downtown becomes a parade route, when lighted floats roll down Main Street after dark.
How Village of Clarkston celebrates
The centerpiece of the season is the Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade, which Team RUSH has organized for the community every year since 2001. On December 12, 2026, floats leave Renaissance High School on Waldon Road, travel Church Street and Main Street, and finish at Calvary Lutheran Church, where tree lighting festivities, cookies and hot chocolate follow. Earlier in the month, Santa's Workshop brings Santa, reindeer and the Grinch to Bay Court Park, with registration through Independence Township, and Clarkston Family Farm holds its annual Christmas at the Farm on December 5. Oakland County Parks adds a Yule log crafting program at Wint Nature Center on December 13.
Fun facts about Christmas in Village of Clarkston
The first house in Clarkston, a shanty, was built in 1830 by Linux Jacox, and in 1842 the Clark brothers platted a village and gave it their name. Clarkston was incorporated as a village in 1884 and as a city in 1992, and the 2020 census counted 928 residents. The Village of Clarkston was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Henry Ford kept a summer home on Main Street and owned a mill on what is now called Mill Pond.
Traditions today
- Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade: Team RUSH has organized this annual nighttime parade of lighted floats since 2001, with a new theme each year.
- Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end of the parade: No other float may carry a Santa, because Mr. and Mrs. Claus are saved for the tail end of the Holiday Lights Parade.
- Tree lighting at Calvary Lutheran Church: The parade finishes at Calvary Lutheran Church, where tree lighting festivities, cookies and hot chocolate follow.
- Santa's Workshop at Bay Court Park: Families register for an evening session of crafts, cocoa and s'mores with Santa, reindeer and the Grinch.
- Christmas at the Farm: Clarkston Family Farm describes its early December gathering as its annual Christmas celebration.
- Yule log crafting at Wint Nature Center: Oakland County Parks invites ages 8 and up to build a Yule log centerpiece while learning the history of the tradition.
A fact for kids
Clarkston is the smallest city in Michigan by land area, less than half a square mile. Henry Ford, who started the Ford Motor Company, once had a summer home on its Main Street.
Questions about Christmas in Village of Clarkston
When was Clarkston founded?
The first house, a shanty, was built in 1830 by Linux Jacox, a squatter from New York. Butler Holcomb added a second house and a sawmill in 1832. The Clark brothers platted the village in 1842, and it was incorporated as a village in 1884.
How did Clarkston get its name?
In 1842 the Clark brothers platted a tract of land for a village and named it Clarkston. Two years earlier, on December 12, 1840, the Independence post office had been moved to the community, which is surrounded by Independence Township today.
Why is it called the City of the Village of Clarkston?
That is the city's official name. Clarkston was incorporated as a village in 1884 and then as a city in 1992, and it has been administered independently of the surrounding Independence Township since then. Most people simply call it Clarkston.
How small is Clarkston?
Very small. The city covers 0.44 square miles of land, which makes it the smallest city by land area in Michigan, and the 2020 census counted 928 residents. It sits about 34 miles northwest of downtown Detroit in Oakland County.
Is downtown Clarkston historic?
Yes. The Village of Clarkston was named a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The historic district includes Main Street, Church Street, Miller Road and Waldon Road, all streets the Holiday Lights Parade uses.
Did Henry Ford have a connection to Clarkston?
Yes. Henry Ford kept a summer home and weekend cottage on Main Street and owned a mill that ran on water from what is now called Mill Pond. Part of that building still stands and has been turned into a small mall with art galleries and offices.
What is the Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade?
It is an annual winter parade that Team RUSH has organized since 2001. Community groups, clubs and businesses build lighted floats around a yearly theme. The 2026 parade is on Saturday, December 12, at 6:00 pm, and the theme is Let it Glow.
Where does the Holiday Lights Parade go?
Floats leave Renaissance High School on Waldon Road, pass through the parade gate onto Church Street and turn onto Main Street, where a DJ reviewing stand is set up. The route continues along Miller Road and Glenburnie Road and ends at Calvary Lutheran Church.
Where can kids see Santa in Clarkston?
Santa is at Santa's Workshop at Bay Court Park on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, along with reindeer and the Grinch, and families must register ahead. Santa and Mrs. Claus also ride at the very end of the Holiday Lights Parade on December 12.
Who organizes Christmas events in Clarkston?
Several groups share the season. Team RUSH runs the Holiday Lights Parade, registration for Santa's Workshop goes through Independence Township, the nonprofit Clarkston Family Farm hosts Christmas at the Farm, and Oakland County Parks runs the Yule log program at Wint Nature Center.
What do Christmas events in Clarkston cost?
Santa's Workshop is $15 for residents and $17 for non-residents, and the Yule log workshop is $20 per log. Both need preregistration. Clarkston Family Farm had not posted ticket details for Christmas at the Farm, and the parade page does not mention any admission price.
Sources
- Clarkston, Michigan, Wikipedia
- Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade, Team RUSH 27
- Santa's Workshop, business.clarkston.org
- Events, Clarkston Family Farm
- DIY: Yule Log, Oakland County Parks
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 Michigan city.
Village of Clarkston Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
Which Christmas event in Clarkston is best to start with?
The Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6:00 pm is the one most families can simply show up for. Lighted floats travel Main Street through downtown, Santa and Mrs. Claus close out the parade, and tree lighting festivities with cookies and hot chocolate follow at Calvary Lutheran Church.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Clarkston?
None of the organizer pages uses the word free. The Holiday Lights Parade page on December 12 lists no admission price for spectators. Santa's Workshop on December 2 costs $15 for residents and $17 for non-residents, the Yule log workshop on December 13 is $20 per log, and Christmas at the Farm ticket details were not yet posted.
Where can kids meet Santa in Clarkston?
Santa's Workshop at Bay Court Park on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, has Santa, reindeer and the Grinch along with crafts, cocoa and s'mores, and it requires pre-registration. Santa and Mrs. Claus also appear at the tail end of the Holiday Lights Parade on Saturday, December 12.
Are there Christmas lights or a tree lighting in Clarkston?
Yes. The Holiday Lights Parade on December 12, 2026, is built around lights, with this year's Let it Glow theme calling for LED displays and synchronized light shows on the floats. The parade ends at Calvary Lutheran Church, where the floats move through the lot ahead of the tree lighting festivities.
Which Clarkston Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?
Santa's Workshop on December 2 requires pre-registration, and you choose a 5:00 or 6:30 pm session when you sign up. The Yule log workshop on December 13 needs preregistration with payment. Clarkston Family Farm says registration for Christmas at the Farm on December 5 is coming. The parade page asks nothing of spectators.
Can kids collect candy at the Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade?
Candy may not be thrown from floats, because the route is dark and organizers do not want children running into the street. Parade walkers are allowed to hand out candy and other items instead, so kids on the curb on December 12 may still come home with treats.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Village of Clarkston?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Michigan Christmas train rides guide. This Village of Clarkston 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.