Here’s to a great weekend! Read on for five of our favorite Portland-area events from our popular Kids Calendar.
Don’t forget to bookmark this page — every week we share the very BEST of our popular Kids Calendar to make planning your weekend a breeze.
Be sure to double-check details on the event host websites, as they are subject to change.
Tree Lighting Festivals
Start your season with a little FREE fun at one of these tree lighting ceremonies:
- West Linn Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony — December 1
- Multnomah Village Holiday Gala and Tree Lighting — December 1
- Wood Village Tree Lighting Celebration — December 1
- Tigard Holiday Tree Lighting — December 1
- Milwaukie Umbrella Parade and Tree Lighting — December 2
- Spirit of Gresham Holiday Tree Lighting — December 2
- Sherwood Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting — December 2
- Fairview Tree Lighting — December 2
- Oregon City Christmas Tree Lighting — December 2
- Happy Valley Tree Lighting Ceremony — December 3
- Troutdale Windy Wonderland & Tree Lighting — December 3
Can’t keep the kids up after dark? Visit Santa at Bridgeport Village’s Santa’s Arrival Celebration and Parade, November 25, 10:00 am-1:00 pm.
Holiday Lights
It’s time! See our full list of holiday light displays here.
Holiday Shows
Get out of the cold and into a cozy theater for these fantastic holiday productions:
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer LIVE at The Judy, weekends through December 17.
- There are many ways to see The Nutcracker this season, including this weekend’s performances at the Portland Puppet Museum, Inspire Dance Centre, Fort Vancouver High School, and Vancouver’s Skyview Concert Hall.
- The Enchanted Toyshop by Abernethy Perfomring Arts at West Linn High School, December 1-2.
- A Christmas Carol at Portland Playhouse, showing through December 30th.
- A Celtic Christmas with The Gothard Sisters, December 1.

Sellwood Moreland’s Decemberville
This free neighborhood event features a festive film, carolers, hot cocoa, and visits with your favorite holiday characters, including the big guy in red himself! December 2.
A similar event is happening at the Milwaukie Community Center, also on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon, if you can’t get enough winter festival fun!

Holiday Markets
It’s a great weekend to shop small! Keep up with our Holiday Markets post — we add to it weekly as we hear of new events! This weekend you can shop the Portland Night Market and chat with Santa, or head to the Oregon Convention Center for My People’s Market and enjoy activities, live music, and a visit with Black Santa. Father Christmas will be checking his list twice at Weihnachtsmarkt: A German Christmas Market at the German Haus on Saturday, and there are many other markets full of great local gifts and fun activities happening all weekend long, including a Hanukkah Marketplace at MJCC on Friday.
Looking for even more options?
Visit our Kids Calendar to find enough fun to fill your weekend to bursting, including a visit to a local u-cut tree farm, Taiko and Light at The Judy, a trip on a holiday train, free entry at the World Forestry Center, $5 Day at OMSI, and the LAST weekend of the Columbia Gorge Model Train Show.
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Wish your event was on this list? Submit it for FREE to our popular Kids Calendar!
- This Weekend in PDX - November 28, 2023
- I’m Seeing A Christmas Carol at Portland Playhouse Twice This Season: Here’s Why - November 27, 2023
- 11+ Ways to See The Nutcracker in Portland - November 23, 2023