Kid Friendly Winter Events

The snow is falling and Lake Placid is turning into a magical winter wonderland. Winter in Lake Placid is a special time to create lasting memories with your family, especially around the holiday season. If you’re looking for kid friendly winter events in Lake Placid, here are three of our favorites to check out if you’re visiting the area during the Christmas season.

Holiday Village Stroll

The 15th anniversary of the Lake Placid Holiday Stroll will take place from December 13 -15, 2024. The Holiday Stroll offers a weekend full of festive fun with several free events for the whole family. The 2024 Stroll weekend starts with a free skating party at the Olympic Center 1932 rink. Bring your own skates or grab a pair of free rentals and take a few laps before getting a glimpse of the big guy himself.

Saturday’s events kick off with the return of a Stroll Classic – Breakfast with Santa! Other events include free crafts at the Library and Just Bead It, Storytime at St Eustace Church, candle making at Pure Placid, a tree lighting ceremony at Mid’s Park, and more! The main event may be when Santa arrives to Mid’s Park by firetruck before staying for photos!

The weekend is capped off with a free showing of The Polar Express on Sunday, as well as more crafts, cookies and cocoa with Santa, and a concert by the High Peaks Ringers. Whiteface Mountain also offers a free lift ticket to anyone who shows up in a full Santa or Mrs. Claus outfit! Stroll ends with a Chris Kringle Caravan where Santa joins the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department for a ride through town to say hi to all the kids!

Dates: December 13-15, 2024
Full schedule of events: holidayvillagestroll.com/schedule 

Skating Party at Holiday Village Stroll
Santa arriving to Mid's Park by firetruck
Visit Santa at mid's park during Holiday Village Stroll
Santa Ski at Whiteface Mountain during Holiday Village Stroll

Wild Lights

Head to Tupper Lake and visit the Wild Center at night for a truly unique and enchanting experience! From 5-8pm on Friday and Saturday nights through February, you can wander the illuminated winter wonderland where thousands of lights transform The Wild Center campus into a twinkling, family-friendly experience. Take a walk on the wild side along the trail of bridges to the treetops of the Adirondack forest. You’ll see the four-story twig tree house and full-sized bald eagle’s nest covered in white lights! You can also take a loop through the forest where tree trunks are decorated in colored lights and specially curated music plays.

Dates: November 29, 2024 – February 22, 2025 Fridays and Saturdays from 5-8pm
Special Weeks: Open nightly December 26 through December 31 + Open nightly February 14 through February 22

Tickets: (Non-member) Adults $12, Youth $7, Children 4 and under are free | purchase online

Stickwork decorated in lights for Wild Lights
Eagle's Nest in lights for Wild Lights
Enjoy specially curated music on a walk in the woods
Trees decorated for Wild Lights at the Wild Center

Santa’s Workshop

When Santa’s Workshop opened its doors on July 1, 1949, little did the developers know that they had introduced a new form of outdoor entertainment ultimately to become known as the “Theme Park”.

Read more about the history of Santa’s Workshop.

The Christmas theme park still operates during the summer and winter, but for the week before Christmas, they offer their Village of Lights. During the evening, the park transforms into a Christmas Winter Wonderland! Visitors can enjoy caroling, a roaring fire, and a Nativity Pageant. You can also visit all the shops and reindeer barn, and see Santa!

Dates: December 1, 8, & 15-21 from 4:30-7pm
Tickets: $24.95 per person; under 2 is FREE. 2024 Tickets can be purchased in person on your visit! Tickets are not available online.

Carousel at Santa's Workshop during Village of Lights
Santa's Workshop during Village of Lights
Santa's Workshop during the winter
Reindeer at Santa's Workshop

Images from Santa’s Workshop Facebook page

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