75+ FREE Things to do in Edmonton with Kids - December

Looking for fun, free things to do with kids in Edmonton this December? You’re in the right place! Edmonton is bursting with family-friendly holiday activities all month long—from festive crafts and outdoor adventures to magical Santa experiences and sparkling light displays. Whether you want to explore the city, stay cozy indoors, or enjoy budget-friendly holiday fun, this guide highlights the top ongoing and one-day free events happening in December.

From drop-in play sessions, story times, and holiday workshops, to community celebrations, free skating, and Edmonton’s iconic Candy Cane Lane, you'll find plenty of ways to make the season memorable without spending a dime. Here’s your curated list of the very best free December events for families in Edmonton. Let’s make this holiday season magical—minus the cost!

Ongoing, FREE Fun Things to do with Kids in Edmonton in December

• Drop in Play at the Toy Cafe & Library
  December 4, 11, 18
  Welcome to Play Cafe, the ultimate free hangout spot for families and caregivers with little ones aged 0-6! Swing by for a chat, sip on some coffee, and let your kiddos make new pals while diving into a treasure trove of fun toys. Thursdays from 10 am- 12 pm.

• FREE City of Edmonton Play Rangers Outdoor Programming
  December 6, 13, 20

• FREE Ornament Painting at Michaels Stores
  Saturdays until Christmas

• Visit the Best Christmas Lights in Edmonton
  Every day until New Year’s

• Drop in for Solar Observing at University of Alberta Observatory
  Thursdays
  Enjoy different views of the Sun as seen with the telescopes on the balcony on the 5th Floor of CCIS. The Observatory is located in CCIS 5-240, in the Southwest corner of the 5th floor. Everyone is welcome, and there is no admission fee or ticket required. 

• Mascot Meet & Greets at West Edmonton Mall
  Until December 31, 2025
  Get ready to meet your favourite Hasbro characters at Galaxyland!  Say hello to the iconic Mr. Monopoly, the lovable Mr. Potato Head, and the magical My Little Ponies. Don’t miss this Meet & Greet—snap amazing photos, share smiles, and create lasting memories.

• Drop in Strathma Saturdays at Strathcona County Archives & Museum
  Saturdays
  Join in on the fun at the museum every Saturday for Strathma Saturdays, a free, drop-in program featuring hands-on, curriculum-based activities adaptable for children of all ages! Each month, we offer a new theme with a variety of engaging activities that explore different aspects of history, culture, nature, and community. Perfect for families and individuals, Strathma Saturdays make learning an exciting and memorable experience!

Here’s what to do for FREE with Kids in Edmonton in December

• Write a Letter to Santa with Stitch
  December 3, 2025
  Kids can write their very own Letters to Santa, with help from our special holiday visitors, a cheerful Hula Girl and her playful Blue Alien Mascot who’ve travelled from a tropical Christmas adventure.

• Explore Wabamun Winterfest
  December 5, 2025
  Parkland County invites you to kick off the holiday season at Wabamun Winterfest (Jubilee Hall to Wabamun Commons area) on Friday, December 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This festive evening is packed with activities for all ages, bringing the community together in celebration and support.

• Christmas Light up Celebration at Alberta Legislature
  December 3, 2025
  Join families, friends, and visitors from across Alberta as thousands of sparkling lights transform the historic Legislature grounds into a winter wonderland.

• Christmas Light up at Alberta Legislature
  December 3, 2025
  Join families, friends, and visitors from across Alberta as thousands of sparkling lights transform the historic Legislature grounds into a winter wonderland.

• Crayola Drop in Cool Maker Make & Take at Staples
  December 3, 2025
  Create stylish heishi bracelets in a snap with the Cool Maker Stack’d Heishi Bracelet Studio. Kids can easily find their wrist size using the measuring guide, matching the symbol with the one on the pen to make the right size bracelet. Pick up beads with the pen and watch the design stack inside, then release the beads in the studio, right onto the string. Slide the wrist through the studio and press the button to make the bracelet magically clasp together.

• Crayola Drop in Make a Winter Village Make & Take at Staples
  December 3, 2025
  Drop in to Staples for this fun and free make and take events for kids. It’s a fun way to create a winter village out of paper at Staples. Find holiday magic.

• Drop in Lunar Viewing at University of Alberta
  December 4, 2025
  Enjoy different views of the night sky through the telescopes located on the balcony of the 5th Floor of CCIS. The Observatory is located in CCIS 5-240, in the Southwest corner of the 5th floor. Everyone is welcome. There is no admission fee or ticket required. On cloudy evenings, we cannot open the telescopes, but we will offer tours of our meteorite collection instead.

• Read with the RCMP at Strathcona County Library
  December 5, 12

• Fort Saskatewchan RCMP Open House
  December 5, 2025
  Alberta RCMP members are excited to meet you this Friday! Come spend time with your local police officers by helping them decorate a police vehicle for the Santa Claus Parade while enjoying some hot chocolate and cookies!

• FREE Performance of Christmas Came One Night
  December 5-7, 2025
  Set in the 1940s, Frank Smith is a self-made man who understands what it takes to succeed. Somewhere in all his efforts, he has lost sight of the importance of love. This Christmas Eve, however, Frank faces a motley crew of evening visitors who help him understand there may be more to life, after all!

• Storytime with a Princess & Santa at Sherwood Park Mall
  December 6, 2025
  Each Storytime typically lasts 15-30 minutes, and the event is free to attend. Plus, every child who joins will be entered into a special draw at the end of the reading. One lucky kid will take home the very book Santa read!

• Ornament Painting at Michael's
  December 6, 2025
  Join the fun in store for a fun painting event! Take a step back from your holiday chaos and come relax with us and paint a wooden ornament. We will also have some sweet treats for you to enjoy. This free event will take place in all stores from 1-3pm every Saturday in December!

• Free Winter Wonderland Day at YMCA (All locations)
  December 6, 2025
  Take a break from the cold and join us for fun activities including holiday crafts, games, hot chocolate and snacks!

• FREE Kids Coding Workshop: Draw with Sneaky Sasquatch
  December 6, 2025
  Families, join us for a drawing adventure as we bring the world of Sneaky Sasquatch on Apple Arcade to life on iPad. Sasquatch is on a mission and needs your help creating fun holiday parties.

• Winter Community FunFest and Potluck
  December 6, 2025
  Let's celebrate winter and Christmas together at this fun afternoon event. Drop by anytime in the afternoon for snacks and entertainment, including active games in the gym, board/ card games, music, seasonal craft activities, and cookie decorating.

• FREE Kids Coding Workshop: Design Your Own Emoji
  December 6, 2025
  Learn fun ways to create emoji. We’ll show kids how to draw colorful faces and objects. Then they’ll explore using the Procreate app on iPad with Apple Pencil Pro to draw an emoji to take home. Devices will be provided. Recommended for kids ages 8–12.

• Fort Saskatchewan Santa Claus Parade
  December 6, 2025
  Santa Claus has jumped at the chance to return to the city when he was invited to the December 6 Christmas kick-off parade. He will once again ride through the downtown streets of neighborly Fort Saskatchewan aboard his magical sleigh. Local youngsters will once again have the chance to deliver their letters to Santa by handing them to one of his elves as his float passes through the streets.

• Edgemont Frost Forest
  December 7, 2025
  Bundle up and join us for an afternoon of festive fun at Edgemont Frost Fest, proudly hosted by the Edgemont Community League! Celebrate the holiday season with your family, friends, and neighbours as we transform Karen Leibovici Park into a Winter Wonderland filled with laughter, music, and holiday cheer.

• Try Nintendo Switch 2 at West Edmonton Mall
  Until December 9, 2025
  There will be a variety of games featured on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 systems to try. You can rev your engine in a world of interconnected courses in Mario Kart™ World, explore a vast, underground world by smashing your way through it in Donkey Kong™ Bananza, explore the universe with Mario and Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy™ + Super Mario Galaxy™ 2, and test your athletic skills in Nintendo Switch™ Sports.

• Free Christmas Wonderland in Ellerslie
  December 6, 2025
  Looking for a fun, meaningful way to kick off the Christmas season? We invite you to our Christmas Wonderland on Saturday Dec 6th, from 5:30-8pm for indoor and outdoor activities and entertainment. Invite your friends, family, and neighbors! Families of all ages are welcome to join in on the fun!

• FREE Rona Kids Workshop:
  December 7, 2025
  Come celebrate love and creativity by participating in our RONA Kiddos Workshop at your local store on December 6, 2025. The workshop will guide you through assembling and decorating a Christmas surprise. All materials will be provided, and our associates will be there to guide your children in their creations.

• Free Pancake Breakfast in Hazeldean
  December 7, 2025
  Come Jingle and Mingle with your neighbours as we share laughs, community spirit, and—of course—the best pancakes in town!

• Christmas at Callingwood
  December 7, 2025
  Enjoy free family with photos with Santa, horse-drawn hay rides, live music, crafts, and sweet holiday treats.

• FREE Skate with Santa at Glen Allan
  December 7, 2025
  Spend an afternoon enjoying free festive fun as you skate with Santa, snap a holiday photo, decorate cookies, sip hot chocolate, take part in colouring activities, and take advantage of free skate rentals, with helmets recommended and skate aids available.

• Michaels Makebreak Sunday: Make a Gnome Jar
  December 7, 2025 
  Join us in-store to make the wintery Gnome Jar to add to your holiday decor. All you need to do is purchase the Mason Jar and Michaels will provide the rest.

• Free Holiday Concert at City Hall
  December 7, 2025
  Enjoy a sparkling program of jazz, gospel, and Christmas favourites — featuring the Studio B Saxophone Quartet, local youth choir Vocal Motion, and a swinging jazz trio led by conductor Paula Roberts and accompanist Talesa Mandin.

• Wreck the Halls: Chemistry Spectacular
  December 9, 2025
  Don’t miss this flagship holiday science event! Experience two hours of high-energy demonstrations as four leading science communicators bring chemistry to life with dazzling reactions, dynamic visual displays, and hands-on excitement.

• Free Admission to Telus World of Science for Amazon Future Engineer Day
  December 11, 2025
  On December, Amazon Future Engineer Day invites the public to access TELUS World of Science at no cost with free science centre general admission. It’s a full day of hands-on discovery, creativity, presented in partnership with Amazon Canada.

• IKEA Edmonton Breakfast with Santa
  December 13, 2025
  Though not free, this inexpensive breakfast with Santa is a fun morning out at only $4.99 for children including breakfast and a visit with Santa.

• FREE Winter Wonderland at Manchester Square
  December 13, 2025
  Winter Wonderland at Manchester Square invites families to experience a full day of festive fun in the heart of Edmonton. Come for a full afternoon of family-friendly activities.

• Sticker Wow Free Kids Make & Take at Staples
  December 13, 2025

• FREE Meet & Greet with Santa at Tesoro
  December 13 and 14, 2025
  Santa is stopping by Tesoro! Join the magic December 13–14 from 10 AM to 1 PM for a festive meet and greet. Bring your own camera to capture the magic. There will be no photographer on site.

• Storytime with a Princess & Santa at Sherwood Park Mall
  December 13, 2025
  Each Storytime typically lasts 15-30 minutes, and the event is free to attend. Plus, every child who joins will be entered into a special draw at the end of the reading. One lucky kid will take home the very book Santa read!

• FREE Bright Light Skate Night
  December 13, 2025
  Bundle up and head to Sir Winston Churchill Square and the City Hall Plaza on December 13, 2025, for Bright Light Skate Night. Enjoy a night of skating and watch the tree lighting!

• FREE Inflatable Saturday Swim
  December 13, 2025
  Splash around with a FREE Saturday swim (sponsored by Pasta Pantry & Trattoria) at Emerald Hills Leisure Centre! Enjoy your weekend with a free swim and pick up your Pasta Pantry voucher (while supplies last).

• Winter Wonderland in the Fort Heritage Precinct Project
  December 13, 2025
  Join us on December 13 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Fort Heritage Precinct for an afternoon full of holiday cheer. Bring the whole family for a cozy, festive day with crafts, cookie decorating, and storytime magic.

• Slide, Glide or Walk down Candy Cane Lane
  December 13, 2025
  Edmonton’s YEG Candy Cane Lane is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors every Christmas season and it has become traditional for Edmontonians to flock to this West End Christmas Light and Decoration display every year.

• Santa’s Village Pop up in Candora
  December 13, 2024
  Join the holiday cheer for an afternoon filled with festive activities, delicious treats, and holiday cheer. Don't miss out on this opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. See you there!

• City of Edmonton Play Rangers
  December 13, 2025
  Play Rangers focuses on children and family participation, with special outdoor recreational activities that can be enjoyed by all. Children (ages 6-12) are welcome to attend on their own.

• Winter in Little Italy
  December 14, 2025
  Little Italy celebrates winter and the holiday season with you and your family with a host of fun things to do. Come stomp through Little Italy on a Sunday afternoon with the family and enjoy horse sleigh rides, chestnuts on an open fire, fire pit, and lots more.

• Frozen the Movie Sing-a-Long
  December 14, 2024
  Everyone is welcome to spend a fun afternoon, watching this well-known family musical movie in the comfort of the Spirit of Hope lower hall – and singing along to your favourite songs.

• Michaels Make Break Make a Trinket Tray
  December 14, 2025
  Join us in-store for this Winter Workshop project where we'll be making a Trinket Tray out of Air Dry Clay.

• Free Christmas Past at Rutherford House
  December 14, 2025
  Warm up inside with warm cider and tasty old-fashioned treats in the historic kitchen and its wood-burning oven. Experience the ambiance of this elegant house with its halls bedecked for the holidays.

• Family Day at Santa’s Depot
  December 14, 2025
  Sundays are Family Day at Santa's Depot! Family Days are open to ages 6-15, each child must bring an adult helper (18 or older) who will stay with them through the entire shift. Volunteers may be involved in any of the following activities: preparing gifts for individual children, bagging gifts for specific families, sorting toy donations, condensing sorted toy bins, and putting batteries in toys.

• FREE Movie Night at Sherwood Park Farmer’s Market
  December 17, 2025
  Bring your cosy chairs and blankets for a movie night at the Sherwood Park Farmers Market. The Grinch will be attending with us from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm. Free popcorn, hot chocolate and more!

• Winter Play Day at Emerald Hills
  December 18, 2025
  Celebrate winter and get outside for winter play day. This fun activity day features try it sports and activities, a chance to warm up, skate the pavilion and find magic on a weeknight in December.

• Unsilent Night Celebration in Strathcona County
  December 18, 2025
  Participate in a 45-minute electronic swirling sound walk through Broadmoor Park and beyond. Spread joy and light to brighten the long winter night! Deck yourself out with twinkle lights, a cell phone and amplifier/speaker.

• FREE Jingle Jamming Celebration at Eastwood
  December 19, 2025
  Don't miss the excitement! Come to our festive gathering featuring kids' crafts, street hockey, horse & wagon rides, a special visit from Santa, and a complimentary chilli dinner with both meat and veggie options! Join us for carolling, holiday movies, and more after dinner.

• City of Edmonton Play Rangers
  December 20, 2025
  Play Rangers focuses on children and family participation, with special outdoor recreational activities that can be enjoyed by all. Children (ages 6-12) are welcome to attend on their own.

• Santa Swim at Emerald Hills Leisure Centre
  December 20, 2025
  Splash into Christmas with Santa Swim - sponsored by Cambrian! Enjoy a fun toonie swim with Santa and your chance to kick off the school break with a fun activity. This is not free but is cheap fun at only $2/person.

• The Race to Save Christmas at Century Mile Racetrack & Casino
  December 20, 2025
  On Saturday, December 20 as Santa Claus takes on The Grinch in an epic race to save Christmas at Century Mile Racetrack & Casino. First race is at 6:15pm. Doors open at 5:15pm. There will be plenty of family activities including face painting, glitter tattoos, balloon artists, pictures with Santa and much more.

• Storytime with a Princess & Santa at Sherwood Park Mall
  December 20, 2025
  Each Storytime typically lasts 15-30 minutes, and the event is free to attend. Plus, every child who joins will be entered into a special draw at the end of the reading. One lucky kid will take home the very book Santa read!

• Delwood Family Movie Afternoon
  December 21, 2025
  Doors open at 12:45, movie starts at 1:00. Get ready for a cozy Sunday in December with a FREE family-friendly screening of The Grinch! Treat yourself to some delicious popcorn, candy, and pop from our concession stand.

• Slide, Glide or Walk down Candy Cane Lane
  December 23, 2025
  Edmonton’s YEG Candy Cane Lane is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors every Christmas season and it has become traditional for Edmontonians to flock to this West End Christmas Light and Decoration display every year.

• City of Edmonton Play Rangers
  December 27, 2025
  Play Rangers focuses on children and family participation, with special outdoor recreational activities that can be enjoyed by all. Children (ages 6-12) are welcome to attend on their own.

• FREE New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Southwood
  December 31, 2025
  This free family-friendly event takes place at the Southwood Community League (1880 37 St), with fireworks starting right at 8 PM — perfect timing for all ages to enjoy the show. We’ll be serving hot chocolate while supplies last, so come early, bundle up, and soak up the festive energy.

• New Year’s Eve Festival and Fireworks in Strathcona County
  December 31, 2025
  Fireworks are best viewed from Broadmoor Lake Park on the plaza. Free earplugs will be available inside Festival Place and the Sherwood Park Arena and Sports Centre at the information booths, to aid with sensory needs or sound activities.

  
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