Hello friends! The weekend is here and it feels like a wonderful time for some holiday magic. Kick off the weekend early with free admission to Art Gallery of Alberta on Thursday!

Here are the best Family-Friendly Things to do in Edmonton this Weekend

Friday

Kick off the Holidays in Fort Saskatchewan with a Light up Festival
Is your family looking for a fun, safe, and free way to celebrate the holiday season? Join the celebration for the annual Lights Up! celebration, taking place at City Hall in Fort Saskatchewan from 5:15 to 7:30 pm. Enjoy pictures with Santa, glow shows, face painting, characters, a petting zoo, fire pits, a holiday light-up countdown and more.

Saturday

Creekside Christmas Celebration
Bring the family out to the country and create family Christmas memories. Creekside is celebrating the holidays. You can enjoy time together as a family choosing a fresh cut Christmas tree, experience a wagon ride on the grounds, Visit with Santa and grab a snack from a food truck!

Get Outside for City of Edmonton Play Rangers: GPS, Geocaching & Orienteering
Want to play with a GPS, maybe look to see if you can find a Geocache or even lean a little about maps? If you do, come check us out, GPS will be provided for the program.

Get Free Photos with Santa at Launch Homes
Bring the family out to the country and create family Christmas memories. Creekside is celebrating the holidays. You can enjoy time together as a family choosing a fresh cut Christmas tree, experience a wagon ride on the grounds, Visit with Santa and grab a snack from a food truck!

Grab the Kids for an Active, Family-friendly Zumba Party
Celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Meadows and Clareview Recreation Centre with the City of Edmonton and a Free, family-friendly Zumba class! Participants must be 8+ to attend, but you can find a fun, interactive Zumba party that’s beginner friendly - and a chance to warm up, and try something new with Edmonton Recreation Centres.

Visit Classic Gardens for the Acorn Festival
Visit the Classic Garden Acorn Festival on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Glitter tattoos, face painting, holiday activities, local choirs and a visit with Santa! You’ll find family fun and festive treats at this Edmonton Christmas festival!

Explore Winter on Whyte with a Light Up Festival
Watch as Wilbur McIntyre Park transforms into a wonderful array of light across its gazebo, trees, and sky. Old Strathcona becomes a winter wonderland with the snap of a finger and sets the stage for a night to remember!

Catch an Improv Show - Designed for Kids
This Saturday afternoon show is for you! Rapid Fire Theatre’s hilarious performers create this entire show right off the top of their heads, but in order to pull it off, we’re going to need help from all the kids in the audience. In this show kids are invited to shout out and participate – it’ll never be the same show twice!

Free Kids Workshop: Learn to Draw a Festive Scene with Snoopy
Families, come create holiday cheer with the Peanuts gang. Enjoy clips from the beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas special and the Apple Original series The Snoopy Show. Then share your favourite traditions and draw your own festive scene using Pages on iPad with Apple Pencil Pro. Devices provided.

Get a Holiday Photo with Da Grinch
Join us at Argyll Motorsports on November 30 from 2:00pm-4:00pm for festive holiday fun. Da' Grinch himself will be making a special appearance, ready to take photos and spread some holiday cheer! Capture the Magic: Get your family photos taken with the Grinch.

Stay up late for the Light up Ada Boulevard Holiday Kick-off
Enjoy seasonal activities and help celebrate as they light up CUE’s Main Campus and Magrath Campus. Events run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Main Campus and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Magrath Campus.

Sunday

Take a FREE Kids Workshop: Learn to Create your Own Emoji
Kids will learn fun ways to create their own emoji. We’ll show them how to draw colourful faces and objects. Then they’ll explore using the Procreate app on iPad with Apple Pencil to draw an emoji to take home. Devices will be provided. Recommended for kids ages 8–12.

Stand Up Paddleboard - In the Pool
Catch a pool to practice yours and up paddle board skills in time for next season, or simply get out on a board to stay active during this stand up paddle boarding session in the pool at Kinsmen Sports Centre. This is a fun way to exited the season of stand up paddleboarding! Kids must be at least 8 to attend this drop-in!