Santa Sightings, Christmas Lights, Holiday Crafts, Living Nativities ~ 'tis the season for all the festive fun! Find your local list of all things Christmas in the Macaroni KID Bradenton Holiday Event Guide, the BIGGEST and BEST Guide in town! Be sure to keep this page bookmarked because we will be adding to it as we find more events. Enjoy!
Thank you to our sponsor MOD PIZZA! The support of our sponsors allows us to continue to offer Macaroni KID Bradenton at no cost to you.
MOD Pizza ~ Food to Feel Good About!
We’re all about choice. The MOD experience is built around high-quality, personalized products delivered superfast. Our individually sized pizzas and hand-tossed salads are fully customizable, with more than 40 toppings, 8 finishing sauces, and 8 delectable dressings. Every pizza and salad is Made On Demand with superior and fresh ingredients.
We also care about our community, by hosting fundraisers and giving back to local schools and non profit organizations.
Come on in, we have plenty of room for families and big groups. Hope to see you soon!
Nov 9 - Dec 21 | Times vary ~ Ananda Farms "Savor the Season" Holiday Festival: Unlimited access to 15+ attractions adorned in holiday cheer, enjoy special holiday-themed events and live music and savor special holiday food and beverage offerings. Day pass is $22.50.
Nov 30 - Dec 22 (Select Nights) ~ North Pole Express: Join us for a 35-minute ride from Parrish, FL to the North Pole. Upon arrival, everyone will detrain at our special North Pole station where Santa awaits to visit with every child. During your stay a variety of entertainment, activities, campfires and all the hot chocolate and cookies you care to eat are included with every train ticket. Ticket prices vary.
Dec 1 | 10AM to 4PM ~ The Poinsettia Patch with Santa and Mrs. Claus: Find that perfect poinsettia, get a FREE picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoy crafts for the kids, face painting, bounce houses, holiday vendors, food and dessert trucks and more. FREE parking / $5 admission. Fundraiser for Parrish Charter Academy and FORZA.
Dec 6-7 | 3PM to 7PM ~ Palmetto's Christmas in the Park: Come enjoy reindeer games, holiday crafts, and festive decorations! You can also visit Santa. FREE but reservations REQUIRED.
Dec 6 | 5:30- 9PM ~ 46th Annual Holiday Night of Lights: Enjoy the annual Christmas Carol Sing-a-long, a visit from Santa and the illumination of the St. Armands Circle 60-foot Christmas Tree. There will also be live musical performances and family crafts and activities, plus special store promotions. FREE admission.
Dec 6 | 6PM to 9PM ~ WinterFest: Enjoy a snow mountain, outdoor movie, food and drinks, games and activities, inflatables, rock-climbing walls and more. Hosted by The Family Church at Christian Retreat. FREE.
Dec 6 - Jan 4 | 5PM to 9PM and 5PM to 10PM Fri/Sat ~ Bradenton Holiday Lights Festival at the Freedom Factory: Drive through different areas of the facility, a light tunnel, and even on the actual track surface all while immersed in over 100,000 lights synchronized to music and dozens of set pieces. Come inside the Christmas village which features a 50-foot Christmas tree, Meet and Greet with Santa, games, rides, a Jumbotron playing Christmas movies, music, vendors, food, drinks, and more! $20 per carload.
Dec 7 | 10AM to 12:30PM ~ Christmas Community Festival: Free Toy Giveaways for Kids, Free Raffle Prizes, Free Live Music, Free Groceries, Free Rubber Shoes, and a Message of Hope!
Dec 7 | 10AM to 2PM ~ Winterfest at Palma Sola Botanical Park: This event features an ice-skating rink, 9-hole mini golf course, tropical Santa meet & greet, craft stations in Santa's workshop, a karaoke and dance zone, an open play zone, scavenger hunts with prizes, local market vendors, food trucks, special interactive guest experiences, and more! FREE entry / cost for wristband to do activities.
Dec 7 | 11AM to 4PM ~ Holiday Market with Santa: Enjoy a meet and greet with Santa, food trucks and local vendors, a kids' zone, a Cocoa Bar, calf feeding and cuddling, live music, drink specials and more. Hosted by Big Trop Brewers Collective. FREE admission.
Dec 7 | 2PM to 10PM ~ Christmas on Bridge Street: Come celebrate the spirit and strength that is Bradenton Beach! Enjoy bliss, bites, bands and beverages!
Dec 7 | 3PM to 6PM ~ Southside Village Holiday Stroll: See Santa arrive by firetruck, plus enjoy a Kids Zone with bounce houses and hot cocoa, face painting, live music, hair tinsel, raffles and more. FREE.
Dec 7 | 4PM to 8PM ~ A Night Before Christmas: Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting the park and taking professional pictures with the children which you’ll be able to download for free. There also will be a variety of family-friendly activities, including DJ, inflatables, face painting, crafts, petting zoo, foam zone and snow slides! Admission is FREE; however, a suggested donation per family of a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots is kindly requested.
Dec 8 | 5PM to 8PM ~ Kickoff to Christmas: Enjoy Professional family photos with Santa, meet and greets with your favorite Christmas characters, cookies with Mrs. Claus, train rides, petting zoo, Danny Go-snow party, arctic blast laser tag, Christmas crafts, face painting, hot cocoa and more. Hosted by Forward Community COG. FREE.
Dec 8 | 5:30PM to 7:30PM ~ Christmas Village: Join us for this fun, FREE event! Hot dogs, popcorn, cookies, crafts, games, a photo booth, a live nativity, hot chocolate, cider, coffee and a gift for every child. Hosted by Liberty Baptist Church.
Dec 11-13, 18-20, 27-28 | 5PM to 9PM ~ Christmas at Creators Farm and Garden: You will experience thousands of lights throughout 5 acres of gardens, live Christmas music with Joey O, fun Florida snow and laser lights, s'mores by the fire, children's games with prizes, and other fun activities. $20 for adults, $15 for ages 21 and under and free for ages 5 and under.
Dec 13-14 | 5PM to 8PM ~ Christmas Town Celebration at Southside: From our lights maze and snow machines, pictures with Santa and Grinch, “Journey to Bethlehem“ and all the fun and treats ... you don’t want to miss this event. FREE.
Dec 14 | 11AM to 2PM ~ Winterfest at North River Ranch: Come play in the snow, take pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Clause, and shop local vendors for the holidays! Winterfest at North River Ranch will feature a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey rink, face painting, holiday crafts and more. Register for your FREE ticket.
Dec 14 | 11AM to 2PM ~ Winter Wonderland at Robert L Taylor Community Complex: Enjoy arts and crafts, cookie decorating, a toy giveaway, pizza for the kids and a visit from Santa. FREE.
Dec 14 | 1PM to 4PM ~ Christmas in Cortez: Visit Santa, jump in the bounce house, make holiday crafts to bring home, play games and more! Special feature this year is the huge pirate ship that the Privateers are bringing for a fun, pirate-themed photo op. FREE.
Dec 14 | 2PM to 4PM ~ Winter Wonderland with Santa: Start with a walk through our Winter Wonderland, Whoville with the Grinch, Peanuts, Polar Express, Candyland, and Rudolph photo areas, breakfast to go, and a special meeting with the one and only Santa! $5 per family or per 5 people / RSVP in advance.
Dec 14 | 3PM to 7PM ~ CRPE Academy presents a Christmas Festival: Celebration featuring games, food, local vendors and music. FREE.
Dec 14 | 5:30PM to 7PM ~ Deck the Neighborhood: Please stop by for the free Christmas fun! Puppet performances, hot cocoa, caroling, popcorn, sno cones, marshmallow roasting, giveaways and more! Hosted by Freedom Christian Church of Sarasota.
Dec 15 | 4PM to 8PM ~ Parrish Hometown Christmas Event: See Santa Claus arrive by fire truck, live performances, Christmas caroling, snow slide, arts and crafts, hot cocoa, a petting zoo and more. FREE.
Dec 20-23 ~ Holiday Fun Land: Live Entertainment, Vendors, Giant 30 Foot Snowman, Train Rides, Elf Scavenger Hunt & so much more. FREE.
Dec 21 | 4PM to 8PM ~ Christmas on Main: Come celebrate the season with free games, rides, photo booths, and attractions for the whole family. Santa himself will even be there! Followed by a candlelight service. Hosted by Grace Community Church.
For more holiday fun, click on a picture below!
Welcome to Macaroni KID Bradenton!
Are you looking for things to do in Bradenton with the kids?
We have a kid-friendly event calendar just for families in Bradenton!
It's packed full of local events, festivals, story times, character visits, giveaways and other local family fun.
Sign-up for FREE by clicking HERE.