Vermont Christmas events 2026:
10 family favorites.
A horse-drawn parade around Woodstock's green, a free kids' train looping a 30-foot tree on Church Street, and a nature center's forest strung with lights. Kyle grew up in Wallingford, and we're back visiting his family around Rutland and Killington all year, so Vermont in December is familiar ground.
All 10, at a glance.
| Event | Where | 2026 dates | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Forest of Lights | VINS, Quechee | 26 nights, Nov 20–Jan 2 | $15 adult, $9 youth ($20/$12 Thanksgiving wknd) |
| Winter Lights | Shelburne Museum | Nov 27–Jan 3, Thu–Sun | $20 adult, $10 ages 3–17 online |
| Kids Train on Church Street | Church Street Marketplace, Burlington | Sundays, Nov 29–Dec 20, 10am–2pm | Free |
| Very Merry Middlebury | Middlebury | Month-long; 2026 schedule not posted | Mostly free |
| Vermont Holiday Festival | Killington Grand Hotel | Usually first weekend of Dec; 2026 not posted | Some events ticketed |
| A Traditional Christmas in Stowe | Stowe | Dec 4–6 | Free to stroll; meals and shows extra |
| Grafton Village Holiday Festival | Grafton | Usually first Saturday of Dec; 2026 not posted | Free to stroll |
| St. J Sparkles | St. Johnsbury | Dec 11–12 | Mostly free; a few paid extras |
| Wassail Weekend | Woodstock | Dec 11–13; parade Sat 2pm | Mostly free; Billings Farm ticketed |
| Highlight (New Year's Eve) | Burlington | Dec 31; 2026 details not posted | $18–20 in 2025 |
Verified October 30, 2026 against each event's own site. Middlebury, the Killington festival, Grafton and Burlington's Highlight hadn't posted 2026 dates, so those rows say when they usually happen and give last year's dates.
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Stowe, VT vacation rentals for a holiday weekend
Stowe village is the base for A Traditional Christmas in Stowe, and an easy drive to the rest of this list. For a Woodstock, VT Christmas, the second button opens Woodstock on Wassail Weekend. We haven’t stayed in these, but they pass our filters: two real bedrooms, a full kitchen, and 8.5 or better from 25+ reviews.
- 2 bedrooms
- 2 baths
- Full kitchen
- Laundry
- Rec path to the village
The Stowe Recreation Path runs right outside, and guests walk it into the village. About $300 a night when we checked.
- 3 bedrooms
- 2.5 baths
- Kitchen
- Washer and dryer
- A/C
- Steps off Main Street
In the village historic district, a short walk to Main Street shops and restaurants, with a small grocery steps away. About $355 a night, over our budget.
Ratings and amenities were checked on Vrbo in October 2026. The buttons open Vrbo for 2 adults and 2 kids on the event weekend, so you see live prices for that weekend. The rec path condo opens on Dec 4 to 6 too. The Riverview house was already booked that weekend when we checked on November 2, 2026, so its link opens with no dates.
Woodstock puts you on the green for Wassail Weekend, with VINS next door in Quechee. Search Vrbo rentals, already set to Woodstock. Look for two bedrooms and a full kitchen. Where we would stay. Affiliate link, our disclosure.
Vermont at Christmas,
in calendar order.
Christmas in VT bunches up on two weekends: December 4 to 6 (Stowe, Killington) and December 11 to 13 (Woodstock, St. Johnsbury). The light shows run for weeks around them.
A Forest of Lights
A light walk through the woods at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, with a Snowflake Dome, a glowing spider web, the Canopy Walk and a campfire. Entry is timed at 4:30 and 5:30pm, and VINS itself recommends 4:30 for young kids. It's $15 for adults and $9 for ages 4 to 17 ($20 and $12 over Thanksgiving weekend), free under 4. Public tickets go on sale November 10 at 9am and can't be refunded. We've done Quechee with the girls, though not this event yet. Official site →
Winter Lights
The museum's grounds lit up for a half-mile walk, Thursday to Sunday from 4:30pm, with entry closing at 7. Online tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 3 to 17, or $25 and $12 at the door. The route is gravel with hills, and the museum warns strollers can be hard going in snow or mud, so a carrier is easier. There are Sensory Friendly nights on November 30 and December 14. Official site →
Kids Train on Church Street
A free train that loops the 30-plus-foot tree on the Top Block, Sundays from 10am to 2pm. Santa is at Homeport, 52 Church Street, during the same hours, and parking is free on Sundays. The tree lighting and Santa parade are Friday, November 27, with the lights on at 6pm. We've done Burlington and Lake Champlain with the girls, and Church Street is an easy, walkable stop. Official site →
Very Merry Middlebury
A month of small-town holiday events. The 2026 schedule wasn't posted when we checked. Last year had Thursday night Midd Night Strolls (December 4 and 11, 5 to 8pm), a tree lighting at Triangle Park on December 4, Santa at the Town Hall Theater and carriage rides on December 6, and a lit-up cement truck parked at Cannon Park during the strolls. Expect the same Thursday pattern. Official site →
Vermont Holiday Festival
A Festival of Trees plus a craft station where kids decorate cookies and make ornaments, with storytime and Santa. The 2026 dates weren't posted when we checked; last year it ran Thursday to Saturday, December 4 to 6, 2025, and the Saturday Santa breakfast was ticketed. Kyle grew up skiing Killington and Pico, so this one is in familiar country for us. Official site →
A Traditional Christmas in Stowe
Stowe's village weekend: a children's lantern parade, ornament and cookie decorating, holiday skating, wagon rides, and Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving in town. Walking around is free, and meals and theater cost extra. Times weren't posted yet when we checked. We've done Stowe with the girls, and the village is easy to walk with kids. Official site →
Grafton Village Holiday Festival
A very small village doing a very small-village Christmas. The 2026 date wasn't posted; last year it was Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 10am to 8pm. Last year the Nature Museum had kids making holiday cards, its Magic Forest playscape, snowshoes for the trails, and a night hike with a campfire. Local coverage describes a Dogs of Grafton parade and a Santa visit. Official site →
St. J Sparkles
The Northeast Kingdom's holiday weekend. The dates are posted, but the schedule on the site was still last year's when we checked. That one had free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Friday evening, a kids' playspace and scavenger hunt, Friday fireworks at 8pm, and a Howliday Party at Dog Mountain on Saturday. Most of it is free. Official site →
Wassail Weekend
The postcard version of a Vermont Christmas. On Saturday, December 12, the horse-drawn parade circles the village green at 2pm, the tree lighting and Yule log bonfire follow at 3, and luminaries go up at 4. Friday has children's stories at Norman Williams Library at 3:30pm, and Sunday has cookies and cocoa with Santa from 11 to 2. Billings Farm (ticketed) does candle dipping and butter making. A Saturday shuttle runs from Woodstock Union High School. We've done Woodstock with the girls. Official site →
Highlight (New Year's Eve)
Burlington's all-day New Year's Eve festival, which replaced First Night in 2018. The 2026 edition wasn't posted when we checked. Last year ran noon to midnight on December 31, 2025, with a $18 button ($20 on the day), a Circus Smirkus family show and fireworks on the waterfront. Local press reported kids 5 and under were free. Families with young kids can do the daytime part and skip midnight. Official site →
You won't do all 10.
Here's how we'd choose.
If you're picking a few:
The Church Street train, Stowe, Grafton, St. Johnsbury and most of Wassail Weekend cost nothing to walk around. You pay for extras like Billings Farm or a Santa breakfast.
The Church Street Kids Train is a short, free outing, and A Forest of Lights at 4:30pm is built for small legs. Winter Lights is longer and hillier, so bring a carrier.
Base in Woodstock for December 11 to 13: Wassail Weekend on the green, Billings Farm, and A Forest of Lights in Quechee on Friday or Saturday night. Our Vermont with kids guide covers the rest.
Stay near Killington the first weekend of December for the holiday festival, or near Stowe for the village weekend. Kyle grew up skiing Killington, Pico and Okemo.
Looking beyond
Vermont?
This list is one state in our holiday series. The New England roundup adds Newport, Mystic and Ice Castles, or skip the research and have us plan the trip.
What families ask about
a Vermont Christmas.
What is Vermont like at Christmas?
Snowy villages and short days. Most town events cluster on the first two weekends of December: Stowe on December 4 to 6, and Woodstock's Wassail Weekend and St. Johnsbury on December 11 to 13. The light shows at VINS and Shelburne Museum run from late November into early January.
Where should we go for a Vermont Christmas vacation with kids?
Woodstock, for Wassail Weekend on December 11 to 13, with Billings Farm and A Forest of Lights in Quechee nearby. Stowe is the other strong base, especially if you ski.
What are the best Christmas lights in Vermont?
A Forest of Lights at VINS in Quechee, open 26 nights from November 20, 2026 to January 2, 2027, and Winter Lights at Shelburne Museum, open Thursday to Sunday from November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Both need tickets.
Are these Vermont holiday events free?
Most town events are free to walk around: Stowe, Grafton, St. Johnsbury, Wassail Weekend, Middlebury and the Church Street Kids Train. A Forest of Lights, Winter Lights, Billings Farm and Burlington's Highlight charge admission.
What happened to Burlington's First Night celebration?
Highlight replaced it in 2018. It's an all-day New Year's Eve festival downtown with one button for every venue, ending in fireworks on the waterfront. Families with younger kids can do the daytime events and skip midnight.