Christmas Events Near Toronto 2026: Your Guide to the GTA

Looking for Christmas events near Toronto? The Greater Toronto Area is home to around seven million people across Toronto and four surrounding regions, and every one of its cities and towns celebrates Christmas in its own way. Downtown Toronto has the Distillery Winter Village and the 122nd Original Santa Claus Parade. Mississauga lights its tree over a giant outdoor rink. Aurora holds its parade under the stars. Main Street Markham fills with floats, Vaughan’s amusement park turns into a winter festival, and small towns from Uxbridge to Milton hold the kind of community parades that feel straight out of a Christmas card.

This guide brings the whole GTA together: the biggest events in each region, a combined calendar and links to our detailed regional guides.

The GTA at a glance

Region	Cities and towns	Christmas highlights
Toronto	Toronto, including Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke	Distillery Winter Village, Original Santa Claus Parade, Cavalcade of Lights, The Nutcracker
Peel Region	Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon	Mississauga’s parade and tree lighting at Celebration Square, Brampton’s nighttime parade
York Region	Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Whitchurch-Stouffville and more	Canada’s Wonderland WinterFest, Main Street Markham parade, Aurora’s Santa Under the Stars
Durham Region	Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Uxbridge, Scugog	Oshawa Parade of Lights, Ajax Spectacle of Lights, small-town parades
Halton Region	Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills	Oakville’s early parade, downtown Burlington, Milton’s Main Street

The GTA’s biggest Christmas events in 2026

Date	Event	Where
Sep 2 – Jan 3	Toronto Zoo: Glow in the Wild	Toronto (Scarborough)
Nov 6 – 15	Royal Agricultural Winter Fair	Toronto
Nov 12 – Jan 3	Distillery Winter Village	Toronto
Nov 14	Oakville Santa Claus Parade	Halton
Nov 20	CPKC Holiday Train in Milton	Halton
Nov 21 – Jan 3	Canada’s Wonderland WinterFest, select nights	York (Vaughan)
Nov 21	Mississauga Santa Claus Parade and tree lighting	Peel
Nov 21	Brampton Nighttime Santa Claus Parade	Peel
Nov 21	Newmarket and Aurora parades	York
Nov 21	Pickering Santa Claus Parade	Durham
Nov 22	Original Santa Claus Parade	Toronto
Nov 27 – Dec 6	One of a Kind Christmas Show	Toronto
Nov 28	Markham Santa Claus Parade	York
Nov 29	CPKC Holiday Train in Bowmanville, Oshawa and Toronto	Durham, Toronto
Nov 30	CPKC Holiday Train in Vaughan	York
Dec 5	Stouffville Santa Claus Parade	York
Dec 5 – 31	The Nutcracker	Toronto
Dec 31	New Year’s Eve near Toronto	Everywhere

For every parade in one place, see Santa Claus parades near Toronto.

Toronto

The city is the heart of the GTA’s Christmas season, with the Distillery Winter Village, the Original Santa Claus Parade, the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square and a December packed with holiday shows. Start with our complete guide to Christmas in Toronto.

Peel Region: Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon

Peel’s two big cities hold their Santa Claus parades on the same evening, Saturday, November 21. Mississauga’s parade finishes at Celebration Square, where the City lights its Christmas tree and opens its largest outdoor ice rink for the season. Brampton’s parade is its 32nd nighttime parade, presented by Rotary. Caledon brings a small-town feel with Bolton’s parade along Highway 50.

Read more: Christmas in Peel Region · Mississauga Christmas events · Brampton Christmas events · Christmas markets in Mississauga and Brampton

York Region: Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill and the north

York Region has the GTA’s biggest holiday light event outside Toronto, WinterFest at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, running on select nights from November 21 to January 3. It also has some of the most charming parades: Newmarket on historic Main Street, Aurora’s nighttime Santa Under the Stars on Yonge Street, the 52nd parade on Main Street Markham on November 28 and Stouffville’s evening parade on December 5. Historic Unionville and Kleinburg are lovely for a festive village stroll.

Read more: Christmas in York Region · Vaughan · Markham · Richmond Hill · Newmarket and Aurora · York Region markets

Durham Region: Pickering to Clarington

Durham has more Santa parades than any other GTA region, from Pickering on November 21 to Oshawa’s evening Parade of Lights, the Ajax Spectacle of Lights and small-town parades in Bowmanville, Newcastle, Courtice, Whitby, Uxbridge and Port Perry. The CPKC Holiday Train stops in Bowmanville and Oshawa on November 29.

Read more: Christmas in Durham Region · Pickering and Ajax · Whitby · Oshawa · Clarington · Uxbridge and Port Perry

Halton Region: Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills

Oakville kicks off the GTA parade season on November 14. Milton hosts the CPKC Holiday Train at Glen Eden on November 20 and its own Main Street parade, and Burlington usually closes out the season with its downtown parade in early December. Georgetown and Acton add small-town charm in Halton Hills.

Read more: Christmas in Halton Region · Oakville · Burlington · Milton · Halton Hills

Across the GTA by topic

• Markets: Christmas markets near Toronto
• Lights: best Christmas lights near Toronto, tree lighting ceremonies near Toronto, drive-through lights
• Santa: where to see Santa near Toronto, Santa train rides
• Skating: outdoor skating near Toronto
• Free fun: free Christmas events near Toronto
• Trees: Christmas tree farms near Toronto
• New Year’s Eve: New Year’s Eve near Toronto

Getting around the GTA at Christmas

• GO Transit connects downtown Toronto with Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Markham, Newmarket, Aurora, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. Children 12 and under ride free.
• Local transit (MiWay, Brampton Transit, YRT, Durham Region Transit, Oakville Transit and Burlington Transit) detours around parades, so check service alerts on parade days.
• Driving: expect road closures and towing along parade routes, usually from early morning.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest Christmas event in the GTA?

The Original Santa Claus Parade in Toronto and the Distillery Winter Village draw the biggest crowds. Outside Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland WinterFest in Vaughan is the largest holiday light event.

When are the Santa Claus parades in the GTA in 2026?

Most run between November 14 and early December. The busiest weekend is November 21 to 22, with parades in Mississauga, Brampton, Newmarket, Aurora, Pickering and Toronto. See the full schedule of parades near Toronto.

Which GTA parades are at night?

Mississauga, Brampton, Aurora and Stouffville in 2026, plus Oshawa’s Parade of Lights and the Ajax Spectacle of Lights, which are usually evening events.

What’s the best GTA Christmas outing outside Toronto?

For families, WinterFest at Canada’s Wonderland or a small-town parade like Markham’s or Aurora’s. For a festive stroll, historic Unionville or Kleinburg.