THURSDAY
12
NOVEMBER
Christmas in Washington, DC with Kids
Christmas in Washington is mostly free: both great trees, the Botanic Garden's train display and the Dupont Circle market cost nothing. What is scarce is dates. Mount Vernon by Candlelight runs seven evenings and is already on sale, and tree-lighting tickets come through Recreation.gov, not a box office.
Season: Nov–Jan 1 · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Pathway of Peace: The Ellipse — free, no ticket; no 2026 dates posted yet
- Tree Lighting tickets: Free, by Recreation.gov lottery October 28 – November 4 — ceremony Thursday, December 3
- Season's Greenings: Botanic Garden — free, no tickets: model trains and DC landmarks built from plants
- Mount Vernon by Candlelight: Nov 27 – Dec 22, seven evenings; tickets on sale now
- ZooLights: National Zoo — November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027; $10
Tree-lighting tickets, and why to skip the ceremony
Tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting are free and come through Recreation.gov, not a box office. With young children the better plan is to skip the ceremony and visit the site once it opens.
- The 2026 ceremony is Thursday, December 3
- The lottery opens October 28 at 10am ET and closes November 4 at 3pm ET; winners hear November 12
- Up to five tickets per household, and every attendee needs one whatever their age
- Tickets are free, so anyone selling you one is running a scam
- The ceremony itself is a long evening of standing in security lines
The two trees, free and open
Both trees are free, need no ticket and stand a short walk apart. The Pathway of Peace is the one that keeps a child busy.
The National Christmas Tree and Pathway of Peace — WashingtonVisit official site →
Smaller trees line the path around the National Christmas Tree, carrying ornaments designed by students from the states and territories and from Bureau of Indian Education and Defense Department schools.
Dates
- No 2026 visiting dates posted yet
Tickets
Free — there is no fee to visit the site.
Know before you go
- Flat, short and stroller-friendly, with the trees at child eye level
- Hunting for your own state's tree keeps a four-to-nine-year-old busy for twenty minutes
Who it's for
Any age, and the better option than the ceremony with small children
The Capitol Christmas Tree — Washington
The 2026 tree comes from Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and makes whistle-stops in Idaho towns on its way east.
Dates
- No 2026 lighting date posted yet
Who it's for
Anyone already near the Capitol — it is free and needs no ticket
Season's Greenings: free trains and plant-built landmarks
The Botanic Garden's holiday show is free, needs no ticket of any kind and sits a three-minute walk from the Capitol Christmas Tree. Free is not uncrowded: the Garden says it is busiest on holidays and the weekends around them.
Season's Greenings — WashingtonVisit official site →
Model trains circling national parks and historic places built from plant parts in the outdoor gardens, plus twenty-odd DC landmarks made of dried plants inside the Conservatory.
Dates
- November 26, 2026 – January 3, 2027, 10am–5pm daily; closed December 25
- Open until 8pm, with live music, on December 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 29
Tickets
Free — the Garden charges no admission and requires no tickets for any area, the train display included. There is no timed pass and no reservation.
Know before you go
- Go on a weekday morning at opening
- The 2026 theme is national parks and historic places, for America's 250th
- The outdoor trains may not run in bad weather; the Conservatory is indoors
- The landmarks include the Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial
Who it's for
Train-age toddlers, and eight-to-twelve-year-olds who have just done the monuments and can play name-that-building
Mount Vernon by Candlelight
Mount Vernon is the scarcest ticket on this page. Seven evenings across a whole season is not many.
Mount Vernon by Candlelight — Mount Vernon, VAVisit official site →
A candlelit guided tour of the Mansion and lantern-lit grounds set at Christmas 1776, with colonial dancing, costumed interpreters and Aladdin the camel.
Dates
- November 27 and 28, December 11 and 12, December 18, and December 21 and 22
- Tours start as early as 5pm; tour times vary by day
- The visit takes about two hours from entry; the guided tour itself is 45 minutes
Tickets
$41 adults 12 and over, $33 youth 6 to 11, free ages five and under; members $32.80 and $26.40. Each ticket carries a tour time
Know before you go
- On sale now
- Guests enter the main gate 15 minutes before their tour time
- Parking is free on site, first come, first served
- Oversized strollers and wagons are not allowed, and the 12-acre field has no paved paths
- Aladdin carries on a 1787 tradition, when Washington paid 18 shillings to bring a camel for Christmas
Who it's for
Seven and up gets the most from it
Skip if
Your youngest is four — two hours after dark on uneven, unpaved ground is a stretch even though the ticket is free
Lights, the market and skating
Three more anchors round out a DC December. The market and ZooLights have 2026 dates; the rinks have not posted opening days.
- ZooLights at the National Zoo runs November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 — an animal-lantern walk, with live music on select December nights
- ZooLights tickets are $10, free for 2 and under; event parking is $30 bought a day ahead, $40 on the day
- The DC Holiday Market is at Dupont Circle, November 12 to December 23, 35-plus vendors, noon–8pm weekdays and 11am–8pm weekends, closed November 26 and November 30
- The Wharf's ice rink on Transit Pier returns in December and runs through February; no 2026 opening date posted yet
- Washington Harbour's rink in Georgetown has no 2026–27 opening date posted yet
Upcoming holiday events in Washington, DC
The next 9 of 27 upcoming Christmas & holiday events in Washington, DC and nearby, refreshed daily.
Open-air holiday market featuring 35+ local artisans and food vendors on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW, one block from Dupont Circle Metro, free admission.
FRIDAY
13
NOVEMBER
Open-air holiday market featuring 35+ local artisans and food vendors on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW, one block from Dupont Circle Metro, free admission.
SATURDAY
14
NOVEMBER
CityCenterDC Annual Holiday Tree Lighting 2026 lights the downtown park, marking the season’s start.
13th annual tree lighting ceremony at The Park at CityCenter, Washington.
Open-air holiday market featuring 35+ local artisans and food vendors on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW, one block from Dupont Circle Metro, free admission.
Opening reception showcases resident artists' glass, ceramics, photography, painting, jewelry, holiday ornaments, and more across three galleries, free, for all ages.
SUNDAY
15
NOVEMBER
Open-air holiday market featuring 35+ local artisans and food vendors on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW, one block from Dupont Circle Metro, free admission.
MONDAY
16
NOVEMBER
Open-air holiday market featuring 35+ local artisans and food vendors on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW, one block from Dupont Circle Metro, free admission.
TUESDAY
17
NOVEMBER
Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy share an interactive ballet tale with Tchaikovsky music, photo opportunities, and holiday crafts; registration required, for ages 3–10.
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FAQ
What's free at Christmas in DC with kids?
The National Christmas Tree and the smaller trees around it on the Ellipse, the Capitol Christmas Tree on the West Front Lawn, Season's Greenings and its model trains at the Botanic Garden, and walking into the Dupont Circle market. That is a full December afternoon for two Metro fares.
Can you see the National Christmas Tree without ceremony tickets?
Yes, and with young children it is the better option. The site on the Ellipse opens to the public after the December 3 lighting ceremony, with no fee and no ticket. No 2026 visiting dates posted yet.
What is the best indoor stop on a cold day?
Season's Greenings at the Botanic Garden: the Conservatory is free, unticketed, warm and a three-minute walk from the Capitol Christmas Tree; the trains are outside. Go on a weekday morning — the Garden says it is busiest on holidays and the weekends around them.
When do Mount Vernon by Candlelight tickets go on sale?
They are on sale now. It runs seven evenings between November 27 and December 22, with tours from 5pm, and every ticket carries a tour time. Seven evenings is not many, so pick a date now rather than in December.