Eight small-town Christmas festivals are within a day trip of Indianapolis, about an hour and a half to three hours away, and every one starts Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 27 and 28, 2026) or the first weekend of December (Dec. 4 and 5, 2026). Seven are in Indiana and one is in Lebanon, Ohio.
Light Up Corydon and Huntington’s Christmas in the City put a parade and free kids activities on Saturday, Nov. 28, and Lebanon, Ohio, has two free carriage parades on Dec. 5. With little kids, Santa hands out toys in Spring Mill State Park’s pioneer village, and Christmas in Charlestown runs an $8 Christmas train four nights a week.
Metamora and Bridgeton run more than one weekend, so they fit around a busy December. For Santa visits, light displays and parades inside the metro, start with our guide to holiday fun in Indianapolis.
- Christmas in Charlestown: Nov. 27-Dec. 20, 2026; about 2 hours; lighting night and Santa free, train $8
- Metamora Christmas Walk: Fridays-Sundays, Nov. 27-Dec. 20, 2026; about 1 1/2 hours; free
- Bridgeton Country Christmas: Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 4-6, 2026; about 1 1/2 hours; free
- Light Up Corydon: Nov. 28, 2026; about 2 hours; free
- Christmas in the City, Huntington: Nov. 28, 2026; about 2 hours; kids activities and Santa photos free
- Holiday in the Village, Spring Mill State Park: Dec. 4-5, 2026; about 1 3/4 hours; $7 park entry per car
- Christmas in New Harmony: Dec. 4-6, 2026; about 3 hours; kids activities free
- Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade, Lebanon, Ohio: Dec. 5, 2026; about 2 1/4 hours; free
Indiana Christmas Festivals Starting Thanksgiving Weekend
Three of these five keep going into December. Light Up Corydon and Huntington’s Christmas in the City are one day only, both on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, one two hours south of Indianapolis and the other two hours north.
Christmas in Charlestown
Christmas in Charlestown opens with Light Up Charlestown, a free lighting night at Greenway Park on Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, about two hours south of downtown Indianapolis. School choirs sing from 5 p.m., two food trucks set up in the park, and at 6 p.m. the lights switch on at Greenway Park, City Square and the Family Activities Park.
From then through Dec. 20, 2026, the Family Activities Park opens Thursdays through Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m., with rides on the Charlestown Express train, holiday mini-golf and, Thursdays through Saturdays, the Winter Holiday Market. Greenway Park’s lights include a 55-foot tree, and its paths are paved.
The train costs $8 for riders 2 and older, and children under 2 ride free on a lap. Tickets are sold only in person on the day of the ride, starting at 5:45 p.m., for timed departures.
Santa visits free on Thursdays and Sundays, plus opening night, and the Grinch takes the other Fridays and Saturdays. Everything here happens after dark and the drive home is about two hours, so opening night, a Friday, is the easiest Santa night to plan from Indianapolis.
City Square’s animated light show, with its music on 87.9 FM, runs every night from 6 to 10 p.m., Nov. 27, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027. A free live-reindeer night, with Santa and the Grinch, follows at Greenway Park on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2026, starting at 6 p.m.
- When: Thursdays-Sundays, 6-10 p.m., Nov. 27-Dec. 20, 2026
- Where: Greenway Park, 400 Market St., and the Family Activities Park, 1000 Park St., Charlestown
- Cost: Lighting night, Santa and Grinch visits free; train $8 (ages 2 and up); unlimited mini-golf $5 a person per night
- Parking: Doc Werner Dog Park for Greenway Park; on site at the Family Activities Park, with overflow at Charlestown High School
- Drive: About 2 hours each way
Related Article: 11 Best Holiday Train Rides in Indiana
Metamora Christmas Walk
The Metamora Christmas Walk is free and runs four weekends in a row in this Franklin County canal town, Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026, about an hour and a half southeast of downtown Indianapolis.
Shops stay open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 5 p.m. on Sundays, with carolers, lanterns along the canal, Santa and holiday treats.
The Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, closed for the season otherwise, opens from noon to 9 p.m. on the walk’s Fridays and Saturdays. Its gristmill has ground cornmeal by water power for over 100 years, and during the walk it runs corn-grinding demonstrations and hosts Santa.
The town’s tree lighting comes the Saturday before, Nov. 21, 2026, at 6 p.m. in Gazebo Park, where Santa reads “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the cookies and hot cocoa are free.
Metamora is one of the two shortest drives here, near enough to stay for the lanterns after dark on a Friday or Saturday. With kids who need an early night, go on a Sunday, when the shops close at 5 p.m.
- When: Fridays-Sundays, Nov. 27-Dec. 20, 2026
- Tree lighting: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, 6 p.m., Gazebo Park, 19083 Clayborn St.
- Gristmill: 19073 Main St., with parking across from the mill
- Cost: Free admission; food and shopping cost extra
- Drive: About 1 1/2 hours each way
Bridgeton Country Christmas
Bridgeton Country Christmas is free and opens the vendors and shops of this Parke County mill town over two three-day weekends, Nov. 27 to 29 and Dec. 4 to 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bridgeton is about an hour and a half west of downtown Indianapolis.
Santa sits in the 1822 Log Cabin from 1 to 3 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays. Vendors sell handmade crafts, original art and decorations, with lights, live music and food, and the town’s mill overlooks the covered bridge and waterfall.
Everything is done by 5 p.m., so this is the daytime pick for little kids. Go on a Saturday or Sunday for Santa. Parking is free too.
- When: Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 4-6, 2026, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Santa: 1-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 1822 Log Cabin
- Cost: Free admission and parking; food and shopping cost extra
- Drive: About 1 1/2 hours each way
Light Up Corydon
Light Up Corydon is free and takes over the downtown square in Corydon on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, about two hours south of downtown Indianapolis. The day brings a Christmas parade, Santa and the Grinch, and thousands of Christmas lights on the Town Square.
Food trucks, vendors, live entertainment, free kids activities and shopping with the downtown merchants round out the day. Main Street Corydon hasn’t posted the schedule or the parade time yet, and with about two hours of driving each way, the parade is the time to plan around.
- When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026
- Where: The downtown square, Corydon
- Cost: Free
- Drive: About 2 hours each way
Christmas in the City in Huntington
Christmas in the City brings free kids activities, a light parade and a tree lighting to downtown Huntington on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, about two hours north of downtown Indianapolis.
Kids activities run from 3 to 5:30 p.m., with train rides, games and free Santa photos in the Courthouse rotunda. The chamber says to arrive early for Santa. Cookie decorating comes first, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Huntington County History and Education Center.
The light parade starts at 5:40 p.m., and Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by fire truck at Rotary Centennial Park, where the tree lights at 6 p.m. With the lighting that early, it’s the Nov. 28 pick for a parade and a tree lighting without a late night.
- When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026; kids activities 3-5:30 p.m., parade 5:40 p.m., tree lighting 6 p.m.
- Where: Downtown Huntington; cookie decorating at 315 Court St.
- Cost: Activities and Santa photos free; dining and shopping cost extra
- Drive: About 2 hours each way
Christmas Festivals on the First Weekend of December
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, is the busiest date on this list. Six of the eight festivals have something going on: all three below, plus Bridgeton’s second weekend, Metamora’s walk and Charlestown’s train.
Holiday in the Village at Spring Mill State Park
Holiday in the Village opens the Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell on Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m., and again on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026. The park is about an hour and 45 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis, and entry is $7 a car with Indiana plates.
Pioneers decorate cedar trees, keep fires going and cook holiday meals in the village buildings. Music starts in the gristmill at 5:30 p.m. each evening, with more in the Weaver’s summer kitchen. The park hasn’t posted Saturday’s hours.
After exploring the buildings, kids visit Santa, get a candy cane and choose a toy from his toy box. It’s our pick on this list for preschoolers.
The same two nights, the campground’s Drive-Thru Holiday Lights run from 6 to 9:45 p.m. for $5 a vehicle, cash only, which supports the Friends of Spring Mill State Park. No separate fee is posted for the village. The park’s entrance fee is $15 for out-of-state plates.
- When: Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026
- Where: Pioneer Village, Spring Mill State Park, 3333 State Road 60 East, Mitchell
- Cost: Park entry $7 a car with Indiana plates, $15 out of state; lights $5 a car, cash only
- Drive: About 1 3/4 hours each way
Christmas in New Harmony
Christmas in New Harmony runs Friday through Sunday, Dec. 4 to 6, 2026, across the historic district and downtown shops. At about three hours southwest of downtown Indianapolis, it’s the longest drive on this list, and it makes the list for two parades and a full slate of free kids activities.
The Christmas parade, with floats, bands and fire trucks, comes down Main Street at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and a lighted golf cart parade goes through town on Friday night.
Kids activities are free: a petting zoo, a hot cocoa bar, cookie decorating, reindeer games and Santa visits, plus Santa’s reindeer at Golden Rose & Events of Harmony on Sunday. Vendors set up in the Ribeyre Center Gymnasium, Community House No. 2 and the Rapp-Owen Granary, and the Christmas House Tour is ticketed separately.
New Harmony runs on Central time, an hour behind Indianapolis, so the 10:30 a.m. parade starts at 11:30 a.m. Indianapolis time. That’s about six hours in the car for a day trip, so it works best as an overnight, or as one long Saturday with older kids who can handle the ride.
- When: Dec. 4-6, 2026; Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Central
- Parade: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, 10:30 a.m. Central, Main Street
- Cost: Kids activities free; house tour ticketed separately
- Drive: About 3 hours each way
Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade, Lebanon, Ohio
The 37th annual Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival sends dozens of horse-drawn carriages through downtown Lebanon, Ohio, twice on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026: a daylight parade at 1 p.m. and a candlelight parade at 7 p.m. It’s free, and Lebanon is about two hours and 15 minutes east of downtown Indianapolis.
The festival around the parades runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with food trucks, vendors, holiday shopping and photos with Santa. The Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce posts a downtown parking map and a shuttle map, but not the parade route yet.
The 1 p.m. parade makes a home-by-dinner day with little kids. The 7 p.m. candlelight parade means a late drive back, a better fit for older kids.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026; parades 1 and 7 p.m.; festival 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Where: Downtown Lebanon, Ohio
- Cost: Free; food and shopping cost extra
- Drive: About 2 1/4 hours each way
More Christmas Day Trips Near Indianapolis
For a whole-town Christmas trip, Santa Claus, Madison, Nashville and Shipshewana are in our 6 Best Christmas Towns in Indiana. Christmas festivals in Indiana closer to home, within about 45 minutes of downtown in places like Zionsville and Noblesville, are in 24 Free Holiday Festivals in Indianapolis.
