Happy December and welcome to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! This month is chock-full of exciting holiday events to discover, including Santa sightings, spectacular light displays, holiday shows, and more.
New events are being added all the time, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in-the-know. You can also check for all the events listed each day on our monthly calendar.
Family Fun Events in December:
Shop a Handcrafted Haven at the Butterdome Craft Sale
November 30 – December 3 | We have a list of Holiday Markets and Craft Shows happening all month long, but this one deserves special mention. The Butterdome Craft Show is an Edmonton tradition and Alberta’s largest craft show with over 220 of the best artists, makers, crafters and designers.
Winter Fun at the Edmonton Christmas Market
November 30 – December 17 | XMAS MRKT YEG is back in Fort Edmonton Park with 100+ vendors, delicious food, captivating light displays, live theatre, family-friendly workshops, live holiday entertainment and roving performers, carousel rides, and, of course, visits with Santa!
Write Your Letter to Santa
December 1 – 7 | Get your letter to Santa in the mail before December 7 to ensure a reply from the North Pole! It’s fun and easy using our FREE printable template!
See Churchill Square aglow with a Holiday Tree and MoonGARDEN
Starting December 1 | The Holiday Tree is back in Churchill Square for 2023 and with it comes the interactive light display moonGARDEN, a spectacular outdoor display of 6 to 15 foot spheres filled with radiant light, dreamy soundscapes and captivating shadow puppets. You are definitely going to want to make some time this holiday season to come skate on the City Hall ice rink and enjoy the magical glow of lights!
Downtown Winterval
December 1 & 2 | Edmonton’s coolest new holiday festival on historic 104 Street will features a full range of deals, giveaways, FREE activities like live concerts, sleigh rides, glowing art installations, lantern & puppet making workshops, ice carving, maple taffy, roaming Santa, a Pawliday party for the dogs, and more!
Edmonton Oil Kings Promo Nights & Family Fun Sundays
December 1, 3, 9 & 17 | There are plenty of opportunities this month for fun and affordable live hockey action with your entire crew, including the ever popular Teddy Bear Toss Game on December 1 and a Star Wars Night on December 9!
Zoominescence Festival of Light at the Edmonton Valley Zoo
Weekends December 1 – 17, Daily December 18 – January 3 | Book your evening visit in December to see the zoo transformed into a magical and bright winter wonderland, complete with brilliant light displays, a nightly Creature Feature, roaming fairytale characters, and all your favourite zoo animals.
Polar Express IMAX Experience PJ Party at TELUS World of Science-Edmonton
Weekends December 1 – December 24 | Immerse yourself in the magic and wonder with a 3D viewing of The Polar Express on Alberta’s largest IMAX screen at the Telus World of Science – Edmonton. Pajamas are encouraged! It is just one of several fantastic activities happening at the Science Centre for the holidays!
Christmas in the Country in South Strathcona County
December 2 | South Rural Strathcona County will be bustling with Christmas markets set up at several locations, as well as other activities including kids’ crafts, skating, a live nativity with animals, music, and more! From 4 pm to 6 pm visit the Fire Station in South Cooking Lake for the Fireworks Celebration, which includes free refreshments, cookie decorating, and fireworks to kick off the season!
Stroll through Leduc Country Lights
Opens December 1 | Take a family stroll to enjoy some fresh country air at the popular Leduc Country Lights presented by the Kinsmen Club of Leduc. This 8 acre light display is completely outdoors at the Leduc West Antique Society and you can even bring along your beloved four-legged family member (as long as they remain on leash!). Admission is just $2 per person.
Edmonton Public Library Books2Buy Sale
December 1 – 3 | Book lovers rejoice! The Books2Buy is returning to Stanley A. Milner Library. Choose from thousands of quality used books and help raise funds for library programs like Ready. Set. READ!
Christmas at Reynolds…Hawaiian Style
December 2 | Don your favourite Hawaiian shirt and celebrate Christmas with the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin! You can have a Mele Kalikimaka with photos with tropical Santa, hula dance challenges, a Hawaiian holiday snow globe photo booth, cookie decorating, letters to Santa, beach games, make-and-take crafts, and Pig Races!
Meet Santa on the Kiwi Nurseries Christmas Trail
December 2, 6 & 16| Come discover the snow covered trails and enjoy an outdoor visit with Santa in his sleigh.
The Blank Who Stole Christmas
December 2, 9, 16 & 23 | Rapid Fire Theatre is excited to continue their tradition of giving the beloved Christmas classic an improvised twist with the cast of characters not knowing who the “blank” is until the performance begins live on stage! Family-friendly performances take place on Saturday afternoons.
A Prairie Christmas & Winter Wonderland at Prairie Gardens
December 4, 11 & 18, 2022 CHANGE DATES | Enjoy a delicious farm-to-table breakfast, then bundle up to meet Santa on his sleigh, spend time with the animals, go on a train or wagon ride, explore the Frightmare Before Christmas Haunted House, play Holiday Games and enjoy delicious hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows around the bonfire.
Head out of Town to see the CPKC Holiday Train
December 7 | Edmonton is not among the stops on this year’s Holiday Train route, but if this live festive concert is a big part of your annual Christmas traditions, you can plan a short road trip to one of the three nearest stops in Camrose, Wetaskiwin, or Ponoka.
The Style Experience FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup
December 9 | Be at Commonwealth Stadium to witness all the big-air snowboarding action, epic live music, lifestyle activations, sports demos, and other insane snowboarding experiences.
Leduc Country Christmas Convoy
December 9 | The young and young at heart are going to love seeing big wheelers decked out in festive Christmas lights during the annual Leduc Country Christmas Convoy! The trucks will be meeting at Blackjacks Roadhouse from 12 pm to 4 pm, and will roll out at 4:30 pm to make their way through Leduc and on to the Leduc Country Lights.
Snowshoe and Stargaze at Elk Island Park
December 9, 16, 23, 30 | Enjoy the quiet beauty of nature and learn more about the stars with a guided evening showshoe walk in Elk Island Park. Snowshoes provided.
Santa Skate at Glen Allen Recreations Complex
December 10 | Take to the ice and enjoy a Santa Skate at the Glen Allen Recreation Complex in Sherwood Park. On December 10 from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, skaters can look forward to a festive Christmas atmosphere with lights, decorations, and, of course, SANTA! Event is free of charge and there will be free skate rentals, photo opportunities, cookie decorating, and hot chocolate to enjoy.
Friday Fun Skate at Leduc Recreation Centre
December 15 | Enjoy a fun Ugly Christmas Sweater themed skate with music, activities, prizes, games, and fun.
Bright Light Skate Night
December 16 | Be at Churchill Square there to enjoy free skating on the City Hall Plaza Rink, a DJ, warming fire pits, Indigenous and cultural performers, and the beautiful glow of the holiday light installations! Free skate rentals will be available.
Santa Swim at Emerald Hills Leisure Centre
December 23 | Dive into Christmas with the Santa Swim at Emerald Hills Leisure Centre. Take some time to have some fun in the water with the family and enjoy a visit with Santa just before he needs to head back to the North Pole for Christmas Eve!
Celebrate with Cirque do Soleil: Corteo
December 27 – 31 | Cirque du Soleil returns to Edmonton’s Rogers Place this December with the festive and theatrical show Corteo! Come be part of this joyous parade of acrobatic feats, comedy, and spontaneity that follows a nostalgic clown who imagines his own funeral taking place in the mysterious space between heaven and earth.
Experience an Enchanted Forest in Fort Saskatchewan
Throughout December | Visit the city’s Enchanted Forest – a free, indoor Christmas tree collection located at City Hall, the Fort Saskatchewan Public Library, Dow Centennial Centre and Shell Theatre.
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Feature Pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory
All Month | Have fun Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree in the Muttart Conservatory’s newest feature pyramid! Get into the Christmas spirit with a visit to this pointsettia-filled display. You can even see Santa Claus at the Muttart on select dates in December!
Love seeing the Family Fun Events in Edmonton in December, but want MORE? Sign up for the monthly Family Fun Edmonton enewsletter! Also, keep tabs on everything happening in #YEG with our calendar, and stay tuned to all the best local family events through our Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
