Best Kids Christmas Activities in Raleigh + the Triangle (2025)

Downtown Raleigh Christmas Tree Lighting

📍 Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts – Lichtin Plaza
📅 Friday November 21st, 2025
🕠 5:30pm-8:00pm
💰 Free!
🌐 More info

The Downtown Raleigh Christmas Tree Lighting includes a vendor market, free pictures with Santa, live music, and more.

81st Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade

📍 Downtown Raleigh
📅 Saturday November 22nd, 2025
🕠 9:30am-12:00pm
💰 Free!
🌐 More info

The Raleigh Christmas parade is a magical annual holiday tradition that typically takes place at the end of November. It is the largest holiday parade between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. This year is the 81st anniversary of the parade.

Chinese Lantern Festival

📍 Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary, NC
📅November 15th, 2025 – January 11th, 2026
🕠 6:00pm-10:00pm
💰 $16+, Kids 2 and under are free. (Pro tip: The most affordable option is to buy date specific tickets.)
🌐 More info

The annual North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival is absolutely stunning. Huge, impressive lanterns illuminate the night with thousands of LED lights, captivating visitors on a one-hour walking tour.

In addition to the stunning lantern displays, the ticketed event offers a vibrant celebration of Chinese culture, featuring nightly performances with martial arts, traditional dances, acrobatics, drum shows, and more. In past years, they’ve also had swings and other fun interactive elements for kids.

Ice Skating at The RINK at Red Hat Amphitheatre

📍 Red Hat Amphitheatre
📅 November 22nd, 2025 – January 4th, 2026
🕠 Hours vary
💰 $15 skate admission (includes skate rental), $6 non-skater
🌐 More info

Enjoy skating in a winter wonderland in the heart of Downtown Raleigh. The RINK at Red Hat is an incredible festive experience. In addition to skating on the ice, guests will enjoy fire pits and Cozy Stations, a 20-foot decorated tree, a snack bar, giant Jenga, and more.

The RINK lasts into the new year, so if you miss it at Christmas, you can catch it for a few days in January 2026.

Want an extra special experience? Check out their private igloos!

The Dessertery

📍Kennedy Theatre, Martin Marietta Center for the Arts, Raleigh
📅TBA for 2025
🕠Dates/Hours vary, see website for more info
💰 $29 for those 7 & above | $15 for ages 2-6 | Children under two are free but must be registered as space is limited.
🌐 More info

Imagine a festively-decorated space filled with all-you-can-eat desserts and hot cocoa. That child’s dream is The Dessertery, a family-friendly holiday themed dessert café. In addition to all you can eat sweets and hot cocoa there is also live entertainment on select nights, plus Santa appearances.

Pullen Park Holiday Express (Sold Out)

📍520 Ashe Ave Raleigh, NC 27606
📅December 2nd – 18th, 2025
🕠5:00pm-9:30pm
💰 $17
🌐 More info

Pullen Park’s annual Holiday Express has become the event of the season in recent years. These days, tickets often sell out within hours of becoming available. If you’re lucky enough to snag tickets, you can expect a holiday train ride, Santa Clause, a Crafty Elves station, and beautiful Christmas lights all over the park.

While this year’s Pullen Park Holiday Express is indeed sold out, keep an eye on social media as many of the event sponsors run ticket giveaways leading up to the event.

Lake Myra Christmas Lights Show

📍 Corner of 3rd St and Cypress St, Wendell, NC, 27591
📅 TBA for 2025
🕠 5:30pm – 10:00pm
🎅 Santa Visits: TBA
💰 Free
🌐 More info: It is recommended to check their Facebook page before coming out!

This dazzling drive-in-style light show, featuring over 400,000 lights synchronized to festive music, is the masterpiece of the Williams family from Wendell. Every year, they carefully design and assemble this glowing spectacle, which keeps expanding. Visitors can park or stand in the designated viewing area to enjoy the show, which typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the year. Walkways also provide up-close views of some of the largest displays. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome to join the fun!

Evening with Elves at Marbles Kids Museum

📍 Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh
📅 Friday, December 5th
🕠 6:00pm – 8:30pm
💰 $27+
🌐 More info

This is an annual holiday event the whole family can enjoy. Come to Raleigh’s beloved children’s museum for a night of joy and delight. At Evening with Elves, you will immerse yourself into the magic of the holiday season with s’mores outdoors, arctic museum play, and a special visit from the Snowflake Fairy. You’ll also receive your own official elf name and dance the night away with the Marbles Elves.

Fenton Skate the Square

📍 Fenton NC – 201 Fenton Gateway Drive, Cary, NC 27511
📅 November 7th, 2025 – February 8th, 2026
🕠 Hours Vary
💰 $14+
🌐 More info

The elegant Fenton shopping mecca in Cary is an incredible venue for holiday fun. The main event is Fenton Skate the Square, when the open green transforms into a magical ice skating rink. Skating lasts through November and into February, so there is plenty of time to take advantage of this spot. You can even purchase a season ticket if you want to skate regularly!

Ps: Check out our video of Skate the Square for an inside look 🙂

You’ll also want to mark your calendar for Fenton’s other holiday offerings, including Santa in Wonderland and Light the Square.

Downtown Raleigh Illuminate Art Walk

📍 Downtown Raleigh/Fayetteville Street
📅 Friday December 5th – Monday January 5th
🕠 Evenings, best after dark!
💰 Pricing: Free!
🌐 More info here.

Downtown Raleigh comes to light every holiday season with the gorgeous Illuminate Art Walk. Since the winter of 2020, Downtown Raleigh Alliance has brought energy to Main Street–and beyond–with large-scale, interactive, and light-based art pieces.

Candy Cane Lane – Zebulon

📍 Downtown Zebulon (Arendell Avenue between Vance and Sycamore Streets)
📅 Saturday, November 22nd, 2025
🕠 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
💰 Free
🌐 Get more info here

Celebrate the season with an evening of holiday cheer in Downtown Zebulon! Stroll along Arendell Avenue, enjoy live entertainment, explore local shops, and connect with the community in a festive atmosphere.

Enjoy activities for the whole family, including:

• Meet-and-Greet with Santa 🎅
• Free Holiday Crafts 🎨
• Write Letters to Santa ✉️
• Fun Games 🎲
• Cozy Hot Chocolate ☕
• Variety of Food Trucks 🍔
• And so much more!

Park West Winter Wonderland

📍 Park West Village – Village Market Place, Morrisville, NC 27560
📅 Friday-Sunday November 21st-23rd
🕠 Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm – 8:30pm, Sunday: 2:00pm – 5:30pm
💰 Free
🌐 More info here

Get ready for a magical weekend at Park West Village’s Winter Wonderland! 🎅✨ Join us for three days of holiday fun, FREE for all ages! Hop on a train ride, meet Santa for storytime, cozy up with hot food & drinks, get creative with festive crafts, and more! ❄️ Don’t miss live music Friday night, a showing of The Polar Express on Saturday, and bounce down our inflatable slide on Sunday! Mark your calendar for November 22–24 – you won’t want to miss this festive kickoff to the holiday season!

Theatre in the Park’s A Christmas Carol

📍 Martin Marietta Center for the Arts, Raleigh
📅 December 5th-7th, 2025
💰 $30+
🌐 More info + tickets

📍 DPAC, Durham
📅 December 10th-14th, 2025
💰 $28.50+
🌐 More info + tickets

Attending a production of A Christmas Carol is always a holiday bucket list item, and especially so here in the Triangle, where Theatre in the Park has been presenting the show for more than 50 years.

Show creator Ira David Wood III performed the iconic character of Scrooge for 5 decades, ending his run last year. This year, the show is directed by him and will star his son Ira David Wood IV as Ebenezer Scrooge.

There will be two venues where you can catch this production: at the Martin Marietta Center in Raleigh December 5th-7th, and then at Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) December 10th-14th.

Great Raleigh Trolley Holiday Tours

📅Weekends November 29th – December 22nd, + Christmas Eve
💰 $42
🌐 More info

Here’s another of the best things to do in Raleigh at Christmas: a Great Raleigh Trolley Holiday tour! These tours sell out fast because of their popularity. They offer a few tour options, but the one you’ll probably want to check out if you have kids is The Santa Express.

On The Santa Express, you’ll enjoy a ride through Downtown and story time with the guest of honor himself…SANTA. The Big Guy in Red will visit with each kid personally to review their wish list and pose for pictures. Surprises, refreshments, holiday music, and more await those riding The Santa Express.

Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker

📍 Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
📅 December 11-24, 2025
💰 $28+
🌐 More info

The Nutcracker ballet is such a wonderful holiday tradition for families. There are many companies and dance schools putting on Nutcracker performances this season, so you’re bound to find one that suits you.

One of the outstanding options is our own Carolina Ballet’s version. This professional ballet company will bring The Nutcracker to life this December for 19 performances.

Santa’s Reindeer Roundup Express

📍 3900 Bonsal Rd, New Hill, NC 27562
📅 December 6th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 14th, and 20th
🕠 Times Vary
💰 $18.61+
🌐 More info

A train ride with Santa? Yes, please! This is a perfect kids Christmas activity in the Triangle, and the New Hope Valley Railway is where to find it.

Located in New Hill, The Triangle Train is located just around half an hour from Raleigh. On Santa’s Reindeer Roundup Express, you’ll hop aboard a real locomotive, decked out in festive decorations, and enjoy a 50-minute journey filled with holiday fun. Santa Claus will be on hand in the rail yard for family photos (bring your own camera), and young train enthusiasts can join the search for Santa’s nine missing reindeer, including Rudolph, during the ride.