Rally is researching the season
Christmas with kids in Yuma
Yuma's first American Christmas began with a cannon blast over the Colorado River in 1850. Today the desert city celebrates with an electric light parade, a downtown ice rink and a Main Street tree lighting.
2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
We are confirming this season's Christmas events in Yuma with every host. Subscribe and we'll email you the day they are released.
Free. One email a week with new events in Yuma. Unsubscribe anytime.
The story of Christmas in Yuma
How Yuma celebrates
Yuma's holidays have changed a lot since Camp Yuma in 1850, when soldiers marked Christmas with cannon fire, eggnog and bean soup. By 1882, schoolchildren enjoyed a Christmas Tree Festival with carols and gifts, and in 1887 Santa Claus visited Gandolfo's Store. Today the city's big night is Downtown Christmas on Main Street, a free event with an ice skating rink, music, refreshments and a Santa photo booth. The annual Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade, which Visit Yuma calls one of Yuma's favorite traditions, lights up downtown too.
Christmas last year in Yuma
The 2025 season included the free Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade in downtown Yuma, which a local radio show promoted for Saturday, December 13. Downtown Christmas on Main Street follows a familiar pattern each year, with a tree lighting in front of the Yuma Art Center after sunset, Santa arriving for the lighting and elves reading letters to Santa beforehand. Families also find ice skating, live community performances, food vendors, photos with Santa at the Children's Museum and a large inflatable kids zone.
Fun facts about Christmas in Yuma
Yuma has tried some surprising ways to bring winter to the desert. For the 2011 Centennial Christmas Village at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, organizers promised enough snow to blanket a sledding hill, plus a trackless train that toured decorated historic buildings. An earlier village there had a town square of kid-sized playhouses around an ice rink, with free daily story time from the library. Back in the 1880s, Christmas night dances were held at the courthouse and later at the Southern Pacific Hotel on Madison Avenue.
Trains and Christmas near Yuma
Yuma grew up with the railroad, and the Southern Pacific Hotel on Madison Avenue hosted Christmas night dances in the 1880s. Yuma itself has no railroad museum on our list, so families usually go farther. The Phoenix Trolley Museum preserves the city's original streetcars, and the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler has Southern Pacific steam engine 2562. The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum in Tucson sits at the historic Southern Pacific depot with locomotive 1673 on display.
- Phoenix Trolley Museum: A volunteer museum preserving Phoenix's original streetcars, open Saturdays from October through May.
- Arizona Railway Museum: A yard museum where kids can walk through Santa Fe passenger cars and see Southern Pacific steam engine 2562.
- Southern Arizona Transportation Museum: A free museum at Tucson's historic Southern Pacific depot with a steam locomotive and a busy main line outside.
Traditions today
- Downtown Christmas: A free Main Street evening with ice skating, music, refreshments and a Santa photo booth, ending with a tree lighting.
- Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade: A free annual light parade in downtown Yuma that Visit Yuma calls one of the city's favorite traditions.
- Tree lighting at the Yuma Art Center: After sunset Santa arrives and elves read letters to him before the tree lights up.
- Old Town Christmas Festival: Historic Old Yuma at Madison Avenue and Main Street has hosted a free evening with wreaths on the light poles, holiday music, treats and a free photo with Santa.
- Ice skating downtown: Skating is described as a staple of Downtown Christmas, which makes a snowy-feeling treat in the desert.
- Christmas villages at the Quartermaster Depot: Past villages at the historic park have added playhouses, ice skating, snow sledding and story time.
A fact for kids
Yuma is a desert, but its Christmas villages have brought in ice rinks and enough snow for a sledding hill. In 2011 organizers at the old Quartermaster Depot promised enough snow for a sledding hill.
Questions about Christmas in Yuma
What was the first Christmas in Yuma like?
The first American Christmas in the Yuma area came on December 25, 1850, at Camp Yuma. Major Samuel Heintzelman wrote that the day began with cannon fire, then soldiers shared eggnog, bean soup and a pie. He called the day unpleasant and homesick, so it was very different from today's cheerful celebrations.
Did Yuma have Christmas trees in the 1800s?
Yes, Christmas trees appeared in Yuma by the late 1800s, when the town was still small and young. An 1879 Arizona Sentinel editorial urged wealthier residents to remember a little Christmas tree for the poor, and an 1882 Christmas Tree Festival at school included carols and gifts.
When did Santa first visit Yuma stores?
An 1887 account shows Santa Claus visiting Gandolfo's Store in Yuma, so Santa has been greeting local children for well over a century. Stores of that era advertised only in December, with gift ideas like turkeys, jewelry and picture frames, as one 1883 merchant's ads show.
What did Yuma schoolchildren get at Christmas in 1882?
In 1882, Yuma held a Christmas Tree Festival at the school with carols and gifts. The school board reported that 128 students each received a gift, worth about $100 in total. That meant roughly 80 cents per child, a nice surprise in a frontier town.
Where did Yuma families dance on Christmas night?
In the 1880s, Yuma held a Christmas night dance at the courthouse in 1883, and later at the Southern Pacific Hotel on Madison Avenue. They were a grown-ups' tradition of the early railroad days, and one of the ways the town gathered on Christmas night.
What is Downtown Christmas in Yuma?
Downtown Christmas is a free City of Yuma holiday celebration on Main Street, held in the afternoon and evening for all ages. It includes an ice skating rink, festive music and community performances, refreshments and a Santa photo booth. The night finishes with a tree lighting. Dates change, so see our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page.
Where is the tree lighting in Yuma?
The downtown tree lighting happens in front of the Yuma Art Center after sunset as part of Downtown Christmas. Santa arrives for the lighting, and elves read letters to Santa beforehand. A separate Main Street tree has also lit up at the Old Town Christmas Festival in Historic Old Yuma.
What is the Old Town Christmas Festival?
The Old Town Christmas Festival is a free evening in Historic Old Yuma, at Madison Avenue and Main Street. It features wreaths on the light poles, Christmas music, festive food, sweet treats and a free photo with Santa. In 2022, it also included the lighting of the Main Street Christmas tree.
What is the Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade?
It is a free annual parade in downtown Yuma, and Visit Yuma calls it one of Yuma's favorite traditions. In 2025 a local radio show promoted it for Saturday, December 13. As an electric light parade, it is best seen after the sun goes down, so plan an evening outing.
Does it snow in Yuma at Christmas?
No, Yuma is a desert city, and natural snow is not part of the season. People bring it in: the 2011 Centennial Christmas Village at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot promised enough snow to blanket a sledding hill, with six sled rides for $5 and a free snow play area for kids under three.
What was Yuma's Christmas Village?
Yuma's Christmas Village was a holiday attraction at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. In 2010 it had a town square of kid-sized playhouses around an ice rink, Santa's Workshop, daily story time and holiday crafts. In 2011, a Centennial edition added snow sledding and a trackless train called the Heritage Express.
Is there ice skating in Yuma at Christmas?
Yes, ice skating is described as a staple of Downtown Christmas on Main Street, and past Christmas Villages at the Quartermaster Depot also had rinks. It is a fun treat for kids in a place where winter days are mild. Check our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page for this year's rink details.
Where can kids meet Santa in Yuma?
Past Downtown Christmas events have offered a Santa photo booth, photos with Santa at the Children's Museum and Santa's arrival at the tree lighting. The Old Town Christmas Festival has also included a free photo with Santa. See our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page for what is planned this year.
How do I explain the cannon story to my kids?
You can tell kids that more than 170 years ago, soldiers far from home fired a cannon to start Christmas Day at Camp Yuma. They missed their families and shared eggnog and soup. It is a good way to talk about how Christmas comforts people, even in a faraway desert camp.
When is Downtown Christmas on Main Street?
The pages we read show dates from 2024 and no start year, and no 2026 date was confirmed. Downtown Christmas is held on Main Street, with the tree lighting in front of the Yuma Art Center after sunset. Check the City of Yuma page, and see our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page, before planning your evening.
Where did Yuma worship at Christmas in the 1880s?
In the 1880s, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, an adobe building with a dirt floor on Main Street, was Yuma's only church, and it welcomed both Catholics and Protestants. In 1887 its midnight Mass was well attended, so it served the whole small town.
Is the Dorothy Young parade the same as Downtown Christmas?
No. The Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade is a free annual light parade in downtown Yuma, while Downtown Christmas is a separate free City of Yuma celebration on Main Street with ice skating, music, a Santa photo booth and a tree lighting. In 2025 the parade was announced for Saturday, December 13. Check our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page.
Is there a train museum near Yuma?
Yuma does not have a railroad museum on our list. The nearest ones are in the Phoenix area: the Phoenix Trolley Museum, which preserves the city's original streetcars, and the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler, which has Southern Pacific steam engine 2562. Both are a long drive from Yuma, so plan a day trip.
Where can kids see a steam engine in Arizona?
The Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler has Southern Pacific steam engine 2562, copper mine locomotives and Santa Fe passenger cars you can walk through. It is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm, September to May. In Tucson, the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum displays steam locomotive 1673.
Does Yuma have trains at Christmas?
Past Christmas Villages in Yuma have used trains as part of the fun: the 2011 Centennial village had a trackless Heritage Express that toured decorated historic buildings. Real rail history is easy to find nearby, as Yuma was a Southern Pacific town. Check our Yuma Christmas events guide on this page for what is on now.
Sources
- When Arizona was young: simplicity marked early Yuma yules, Yuma Sun
- Downtown Christmas, City of Yuma
- Old Town Christmas Festival, City of Yuma
- What's Up Yuma Radio: Dorothy Young Electric Light Parade, KAWC
- Yuma celebrates together at Downtown Christmas, Yuma Sun
- Yuma's Christmas Village debuts Friday, Yuma Visitors Bureau
- Snow way: Yuma's Christmas Village adds sledding, Yuma Visitors Bureau
- Phoenix Trolley Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Arizona Railway Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Rally Takes the Train