Every Christmas parade, lighting, Santa visit and market we could confirm for 2026, with the date, time, place and cost. Each one drops off the morning after it happens.
Parades & lightings3 confirmed
The City's Christmas lighting ceremony at City Hall. It's also the night the Rufus the Elf scavenger hunt starts.
Friday, Dec 4. Parade line-up at 5:30 PM at the Onalaska VFD; the parade starts at 6 PM. Movie night follows at 7 PM at Garland Pavilion.
The Friday-night start of Onalaska's 27th annual Christmas In Our Town. After the parade, The Polar Express plays at Garland Pavilion in Onalaska City Park, with hot cocoa and cookies. The parade route isn't published. Trade days and a bicycle giveaway follow on Saturday (see Christmas In Our Town below).
Saturday, Dec 12, noon to 8 PM. The lighted Christmas parade starts at 6 PM.
Livingston's downtown Christmas festival: arts, crafts, food and gift vendors, live entertainment and the Christmas Train Village. The kids area has face painting, a photo booth, a holiday dry slide and robo snowboarding. The parade route isn't published yet.
Santa visits2 confirmed
Santa comes to the Indian Springs fire station. Free cookies and hot chocolate for the kids with Santa, chicken & sausage gumbo bowls, a 50/50 cash draw raffle, a bike giveaway, door prizes and a silent auction. No end time is published.
Santa visits at Miss Effie's Cottage, diagonal from the courthouse, the night before Hometown Christmas. Bring your Santa letters.
Tree farms, lights & villages2 confirmed
Fri Nov 27 and Saturdays Nov 28, Dec 5 and Dec 12: 10 AM–5 PM. Sundays Nov 29, Dec 6 and Dec 13: 1–5 PM.
Cut-your-own Christmas tree farm. Hayride, playhouse, fort, sandbox, bounce house, games, a fire pit when the weather allows, and a duck race.
Opens Fri Nov 27, through Sun Dec 27. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 5–7 PM; Sundays noon–4 PM. On Hometown Christmas (Sat Dec 12) it's open noon–8 PM.
A model train Christmas village set up indoors at Good Golly Miss Molly's, put on by the Polk County Heritage Society.
Christmas markets & shop local5 confirmed
A downtown Livingston shop-local evening listed on the Chamber calendar. No times are posted yet.
Shop-local day at participating Livingston businesses, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Friday, Dec 4 and Saturday, Dec 5, 9 AM to 2 PM both days.
A two-day Christmas bazaar in the Activity Center at Escapees Park. Vendor booths are free; to sell, call Ann L'Heureux or Nancy Shoemake at the numbers above. No price is published for shoppers.
Saturday, Dec 5. Trade days 10 AM to 4 PM (vendor set-up at 8 AM). Bicycle giveaway at 3 PM.
The City of Onalaska's 27th annual Christmas In Our Town: a day of trade-days vendors at Garland Pavilion in Onalaska City Park, with a bicycle giveaway in the afternoon. The Christmas parade and Polar Express movie night are the night before (see Parades & lightings).
A Christmas vendor market at Lagoon Ranch in Onalaska.
More Christmas events5 confirmed
Starts Tuesday, Nov 24. No end date posted.
A town-wide hunt for Rufus the Elf; follow the clues around Livingston. Rufus is best seen in the dark.
Friday Dec 4 through Sunday Dec 6, 6–8 PM each night.
An outdoor walk-through of Bethlehem on the night of Jesus' birth, put on by First Baptist Church of Livingston.
A free winter festival for the whole community at Polunsky Park, down Mangum Road: games, activities and family fun. Donations are welcome: money, small prizes for the children, or games for the children to play. To donate or ask questions, email the address on the flyer.
Saturday, Dec 12. The 1-mile race starts at 11:15 AM; the 2-mile and 5K start at noon.
A 1-mile, 2-mile and 5K run and walk that kicks off Hometown Christmas. Register Nov 2 through Dec 11 at the Trade Days office at Pedigo Park. The first 200 registered get a t-shirt and bells.
A free, public Christmas Eve party for family and friends, with music, dancing and food. Adults can join a White Elephant gift exchange (sign up to be added to the list); kids bring a gift to open from you to them. No end time is published.
Know a Christmas event we missed?Parade, tree lighting, Breakfast with Santa, Christmas market, toy drive or Christmas Eve service anywhere in Polk County: send it to us and we'll add it. It's free.
We look for these events in local Facebook groups, public Facebook events and the Polk County Chamber calendar, then check each one against the organizer's own post, flyer, page or Chamber listing before it moves up to a confirmed card. Flyers are the organizer's own, shown with credit to them; if you're the organizer and want yours changed or taken down, tell us and it comes down. Nothing here is paid for or ranked. Last full check November 3, 2026.
Got a photo from last year's event, or your event's flyer? Send it here. You choose the credit.
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