# Christmas and holiday events for kids in Jacksonville > 24 Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday events and programs for kids in the Jacksonville area through New Year’s Day, each linked to the organizer’s own page with the date we last checked it. Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/christmas Towns with listings: Jacksonville (16), Amelia Island (2), St. Augustine (2), Fernandina Beach (1), Orange Park (1), Saint Johns (1), St. Johns (1). ## Quick answers ### What free Christmas events are there for kids in Jacksonville? 4 listings: [Nights of Lights and Light-Up! Night in St. Augustine](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/nights-of-lights-and-light-up-night-in-st-augustine--listing-39aab74a4ff26da7c4d93b90) (Sat, Nov 21, Free); [Jacksonville Holiday River Fest and Light Boat Parade](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/jacksonville-holiday-river-fest-and-light-boat-parade--listing-8bee521e607e56ba78e93dbe) (Sat, Nov 28, Free); [Holiday Market and Free First Saturday at the Cummer Museum](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/holiday-market-and-free-first-saturday-at-the-cummer-museum--listing-b02d66634cd863ae3c8c6ff7) (Sat, Dec 5, Free); [Dickens on Centre Christmas Market and Festival](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/dickens-on-centre-christmas-market-and-festival--listing-b13d159a13c9aaa6bc4e356d) (Fri, Dec 11, Free). ## Dated events ### Jacksonville (16) - [Frosty: A Musical Adventure at the Florida Theatre](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/frosty-a-musical-adventure-at-the-florida-theatre--listing-26b4fa7d741e883301d58e7a) — Wed, Nov 18 · 10:30 AM · Florida Theatre · Paid · checked Oct 24. A 50-minute holiday musical in the Florida Theatre's young-audience series. An orphan named Billy finds a magic hat, puts it on a snowman and brings Frosty to life; together they… - [Jacksonville Holiday River Fest and Light Boat Parade](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/jacksonville-holiday-river-fest-and-light-boat-parade--listing-8bee521e607e56ba78e93dbe) — Sat, Nov 28 · 5:00 PM · Riverfront Plaza · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. One evening that bundles downtown Jacksonville's big holiday traditions. Holiday River Fest opens at Riverfront Plaza at 5 pm with hot cocoa, festive treats, food trucks and… - [Creative Kids: Holiday Ornament Painting](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/creative-kids-holiday-ornament-painting--listing-2cfd31b5901fb94c6aa53100) — Thu, Dec 3 · 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM · Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens · From $15 · checked Oct 24. December's Creative Kids session at the Cummer Museum, for kindergarten through fifth graders with a caregiver, takes its cue from the Tiffany or Ti-Phony? exhibition. Children… - [Holiday Pops with the Jacksonville Symphony](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/holiday-pops-with-the-jacksonville-symphony--listing-68594b51346870d337f15cc6) — Thu, Dec 3 (+3 more dates) · Jacoby Symphony Hall · All ages · Paid · checked Oct 24. The Jacksonville Symphony's annual Holiday Pops concerts fill the first weekend of December with seasonal favorites performed by the full orchestra. It is a popular family… - [Classic Christmas Treats Baking Class](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/classic-christmas-treats-baking-class--listing-65a937b504f925b5812ed38c) — Sat, Dec 5 (+1 more date) · 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM · JAX Cooking Studio · From $75 · checked Oct 24. A two-hour holiday baking class at JAX Cooking Studio that families can take together. The menu: baked peppermint mocha doughnuts with chocolate drizzle, melted snowman sugar… - [Festival of Lights 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/festival-of-lights-5k-and-1-mile-fun-run--listing-ca9319b2a5b4a5a1458c5455) — Sat, Dec 5 · 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM · San Marco Square · From $20 · checked Oct 24. The 31st annual Festival of Lights 5K, a nighttime holiday race through San Marco that benefits Children's Miracle Network of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia (UF Health… - [Holiday Market and Free First Saturday at the Cummer Museum](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/holiday-market-and-free-first-saturday-at-the-cummer-museum--listing-b02d66634cd863ae3c8c6ff7) — Sat, Dec 5 · 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM · Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. On the first Saturday of December the Cummer Museum's Front Lawn Market becomes a Holiday Market: an open-air market of local artisans and makers selling handcrafted gifts. It… - [Winter Wonderland Kids Cooking Party](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/winter-wonderland-kids-cooking-party--listing-3654527a6f44e73c39d62d03) — Mon, Dec 7 · 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM · JAX Cooking Studio · Ages 7+ · From $68 · checked Oct 24. A hands-on kids' cooking class at JAX Cooking Studio, billed as a homeschool party with all kids welcome. Young chefs make a winter party spread: crispy pesto arancini, flaky… - [Claus Cause 5K and Elf Dash Fun Run](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/claus-cause-5k-and-elf-dash-fun-run--listing-d21f488020ba5ff2f607d83e) — Sat, Dec 12 · 8:00 AM · The Avenues Mall · Paid · checked Oct 24. A first-year holiday race at The Avenues Mall that raises money for Girls on the Run of Northeast Florida. Grown-ups and older kids can run or walk the chip-timed 5K, and every… - [Conqueror 5K: Jingle Jog Edition and Kids Fun Run](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/conqueror-5k-jingle-jog-edition-and-kids-fun-run--listing-6741e69b7bf1bf08fa799ebe) — Sat, Dec 12 · 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM · Trinity Christian Academy · From $15 · checked Oct 24. Trinity Christian Academy's holiday-themed fundraiser run on its Westside Jacksonville campus. The 5K run/walk starts at 8 am, and a 1-mile Kids Fun Run follows at 9 am, so… - [First Coast Nutcracker](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/first-coast-nutcracker--listing-39210547f01eb140243a1ef9) — Fri, Dec 18 (+2 more dates) · Moran Theater, Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts · All ages · Paid · checked Oct 24. The Jacksonville Symphony's First Coast Nutcracker, a North Florida tradition for more than 50 years, is a fully staged ballet with Tchaikovsky's score played live by the… - [Run Santa Run 5K and One Mile Fun Run](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/run-santa-run-5k-and-one-mile-fun-run--listing-60e3e93311deaee9b8dd983a) — Sat, Dec 19 · 5:30 PM · Klutho Park · From $15 · checked Oct 24. A nighttime holiday race in Springfield's Klutho Park on a lit-up course packed with Christmas lights, inflatables and music, through themed zones such as Hershey Kiss Kingdom… - [Family Fun: Holiday Cookie Decorating at Sur La Table](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/family-fun-holiday-cookie-decorating-at-sur-la-table--listing-25441120960486156c5f2031) — Sun, Dec 20 · 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM · Sur La Table St. Johns Town Center · Ages 7+ · From $69 · checked Oct 24. A two-hour hands-on family cooking class at the Sur La Table store in St. Johns Town Center, where kids and their grown-ups learn to decorate gingerbread and sugar cookies with… - [Disney Inspired Holiday Baking Class](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/disney-inspired-holiday-baking-class--listing-887d8aab39546501b826390c) — Mon, Dec 21 · 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM · JAX Cooking Studio · From $70 · checked Oct 24. A winter-break baking class at JAX Cooking Studio that recreates holiday treats from Disney parks: a red velvet wreath (a baked doughnut with buttercream and sprinkles)… - [Cookies for Santa Baking Workshop](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/cookies-for-santa-baking-workshop--listing-fc8c843f826059c9a2aaaec9) — Wed, Dec 23 (+1 more date) · 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM · JAX Cooking Studio · From $70 · checked Oct 24. A Christmas-week cookie workshop at JAX Cooking Studio: families bake hot chocolate crinkles with a gooey caramel center, walnut snowball cookies, and holiday sugar cookie… - [Jen Kramer's Magical Holiday Show](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/jen-kramer-s-magical-holiday-show--listing-65eddcd4186d666d92a40c37) — Wed, Dec 23 · 3:00 PM · The Florida Theatre · Paid · checked Oct 24. A winter-break afternoon magic show at the Florida Theatre with Las Vegas headliner Jen Kramer, known for sleight-of-hand and named Female Magician of the Year by the… ### Other towns in the Jacksonville area (8) - [Nights of Lights and Light-Up! Night in St. Augustine](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/nights-of-lights-and-light-up-night-in-st-augustine--listing-39aab74a4ff26da7c4d93b90) — Nov 21 – Jan 18 · 4:00 PM · Plaza de la Constitución and historic downtown St. Augustine · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. St. Augustine's Nights of Lights season wraps the historic downtown in about 3 million white lights. It opens on Light-Up! Night, Saturday, November 21, in the Plaza de la… - [Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island Christmas Tree Lighting](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/ritz-carlton-amelia-island-christmas-tree-lighting--listing-8847931d92a99dcb4ef500aa) — Wed, Nov 25 · 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM · The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island (Courtyard) · checked Oct 24. The annual lighting of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island's 45-foot Christmas tree, held the night before Thanksgiving in the resort courtyard. The program includes live holiday… - [Build-A-Gingerbread House with a Ritz-Carlton Pastry Chef](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/build-a-gingerbread-house-with-a-ritz-carlton-pastry-chef--listing-5a9955615c03781ac1cb6dc1) — Sat, Nov 28 (+2 more dates) · 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM · The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island (Cumberland Room) · Paid · checked Oct 24. A family gingerbread-house workshop at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, where a resort pastry chef guides each family through building and decorating its own gingerbread house, a… - [Hope for Lillian Grace Reindeer Run 5K and Kids Mile](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/hope-for-lillian-grace-reindeer-run-5k-and-kids-mile--listing-badb50a63dec941c39aaa09d) — Sat, Dec 5 · 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM · Race start, 140 Landing Street, Saint Johns · From $15 · checked Oct 24. The 10th annual Reindeer Run in the St. Johns area raises money for Hope for Lillian Grace, a charity helping a local family whose two daughters live with the kidney disease… - [Dickens on Centre Christmas Market and Festival](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/dickens-on-centre-christmas-market-and-festival--listing-b13d159a13c9aaa6bc4e356d) — Fri, Dec 11 (+2 more dates) · 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Historic downtown Fernandina Beach (Centre Street) · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. For one weekend historic downtown Fernandina Beach turns into a Victorian Christmas village inspired by A Christmas Carol. The 12th annual festival is free to wander, with… - [Holiday Night Market at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/holiday-night-market-at-the-st-augustine-alligator-farm--listing-9dcdf286a874e6c65cccc64d) — Fri, Dec 11 · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park · From $10 · checked Oct 24. A one-night, three-hour holiday market at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm where local artists and craft vendors sell their work, a chance for families to shop for handmade gifts… - [Nutcracker in a Nutshell (The Florida Ballet)](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/nutcracker-in-a-nutshell-the-florida-ballet--listing-05a6c9f729ec2dff3d8d1c1d) — Sat, Dec 12 · 12:00 PM · Thrasher-Horne Center, Orange Park · From $23 · checked Oct 24. A sweet, shortened 50-minute Nutcracker for families with younger children, presented by The Florida Ballet at the Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park. It features Act 1 of the… - [Jingle Bell Jog 5K and Reindeer Glow Run](https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/jingle-bell-jog-5k-and-reindeer-glow-run--listing-74a31a922eb678540986ef3d) — Fri, Dec 18 · 6:00 PM · Saint Johns Golf and Country Club, St. Johns · All ages · From $20 · checked Oct 24. An evening holiday race through the Christmas-lit streets of Saint Johns Golf and Country Club. Choose the chip-timed 5K or the 1-mile fun walk, both starting at 6 pm after dark… More for families in Jacksonville: https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville.md