Christmas 2026
Every Bend Christmas plan for 2026, day by day: the tree lighting, the parade, Santa landing by helicopter, holiday shows at the Tower, lights, a tree from the forest and a skate on the ice.
Updated Oct. 27, 2026: Sisters Holiday Palooza and the Paddle Parade are confirmed, plus new shows, carolers and holiday markets. Mt. Bachelor targets Dec. 4 for opening day.
Bend’s Christmas season kicks off the week of Thanksgiving. These are the ones to put on the calendar now.
Tower Theatre · 7 p.m.
The touring Nutcracker production stops at the Tower a week before Thanksgiving.
DetailsSunriver Resort · noon to 7 p.m.
Sunriver’s kickoff: Santa arrives at 2 p.m., with live music, train rides, pony rides and telescope viewing through the afternoon, then the tree lighting and fireworks at 5:40 p.m.
DetailsOld Mill District, west event lawn · 10 a.m.
Santa lands by helicopter on the lawn by the river the day after Thanksgiving, then opens SantaLand. Get there early for a spot along the lawn.
DetailsTower Theatre · Sat 1:30 + 6 p.m., Sun noon + 3:30 p.m.
Académie de Ballet Classique’s local Nutcracker, with Bend kids on stage. Adults $34.50 to $58.65, ages 3 to 11 $24.15 (select tiers), plus the $8 fee.
DetailsThe Clubhouse at Juniper Preserve · 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More than 30 vendors, workshops, flash tattoos, a photo booth, live music and all-day brunch. The first 15 people get free gift bags. Visit Bend lists it as free.
DetailsDeschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond · Fri + Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 27th year of Central Oregon’s biggest holiday market: hundreds of artisans, gourmet food, wineries and distilleries, and Santa all three days. Bring a nonperishable food item for $1 off.
DetailsCentennial Park, downtown Redmond · 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Redmond Chamber’s outdoor holiday market with local gifts, treats and Santa. It runs Nov. 27 and 28, then Dec. 5 and 12.
DetailsCrook County Fairgrounds · workshop 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., bazaar 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A dozen-plus free holiday crafts for kids, train rides and selfies with Santa at the Grizzly Pavilion, plus 20-plus local makers at Carey Foster Hall.
DetailsMain Street + Fir Street Park, Sisters · 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
A parade down East Main Street from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., then free hot chocolate, crafts, Santa photos and a letter-to-Santa drop at Fir Street Park. The tree lights up between 5 and 5:15 p.m. The easiest small-town Christmas kickoff near Bend.
DetailsOpen any day to see what’s on. 22 events are confirmed for 2026 so far, and we add more as organizers post them.
The ukulele virtuoso’s holiday show opens the month at the Tower.
TicketsA Christmas Carol, Bend-style: comedy, local jokes, audience sound effects and a sing-along at the end. About 90 minutes, no intermission, all ages.
TicketsFree strolling carolers. The Central Oregon Mastersingers kick it off at Center Plaza on Thu, Dec. 3, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Bella Acapella, the High Desert Jazz Choir and ReSistas follow on later dates. Pair it with SantaLand.
DetailsMt. Bachelor has scheduled opening day for December 4, 2026. Snow decides the final call.
DetailsDecember’s First Friday theme is Christmas Preview: carolers, decorated windows, holiday shopping and a hot cocoa crawl on top of the usual art walk.
DetailsFree. The mayor lights the tree around 6 p.m. Santa sits for photos from 5 to 7:30 p.m. (bring your own camera or phone), local choirs sing, and hot chocolate sales support local groups. Part of Wall Street closes for it.
DetailsCascade Relays’ 2026 sponsor materials give Dec. 5. Registration details haven’t posted.
Last year: an untimed, all-ages 3-mile fun run and walk on the Deschutes River Trail at 9:30 a.m., $45 adults and $25 ages 2 to 17, with photo stops and costume contests.
DetailsParade-weekend events are set for Dec. 5, but the parade’s own page still shows 2025. Confirm before you plan around a time.
Last year: Saturday, Dec. 6 at noon, from Harmon Boulevard down Newport Avenue and Wall Street to Franklin Avenue, finishing on Riverside in Drake Park. The 2025 theme was “A Storybook Christmas.”
DetailsA small-town lighted parade after dark, the same day as Bend’s tree lighting. The chamber is signing up entries now.
DetailsCascade Chorale Association’s Holiday Magic concert. The Sunday matinee is the easy one with kids.
TicketsThe fifth year of Sisters’ sweater run and walk, benefiting Living Well With Dementia and the Outlaws Downhill Ski Team. Pair it with Bend’s tree lighting the same evening.
DetailsThe biggest farm-style holiday market near Bend, with wreaths, local wine and farm-raised meats at the farm stand.
Last year: Sat and Sun, Dec. 6 and 7, with 40-plus makers, Santa and Mrs. Claus from noon to 4 p.m., live music, cocoa and cocktail booths. Entry was free with a parking ticket bought ahead on BendTicket.
DetailsNew this year from Lay It Out Events: local makers, artists and small businesses under one roof, with Bella Acappella carolers roaming the room. Vendors and entertainment are still being announced.
DetailsRock violinist Aaron Meyer’s holiday show, presented by Sunriver Music Festival, which sells the tickets.
TicketsThe museum stays open after dark with cozy, themed nights. A great December night out that isn’t a bar or a show.
Last year: Thursdays, Dec. 11 and 18, with cookie decorating, storytelling, regional beverage tastings, gelato and a photo booth. Adults $12 ahead or $14 at the door, ages 3 to 12 $6, members free. Daytime visitors could stay at no extra charge.
DetailsA folk Christmas from a favorite local band.
TicketsPaddlers string lights on kayaks and boards and float through the Old Mill at dusk. Watch from the river paths or the Flag Bridge; paddlers launch from Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe.
DetailsA Summit Health Cares benefit with Broadway songs. Prices include fees.
TicketsThe Mastersingers’ holiday choral concert, with a Sunday matinee.
TicketsThe Nutcracker with a light-show twist, twice in December.
TicketsKids come in pajamas, visit Santa, make ornaments and play. Spots are limited.
DetailsBend Park and Recreation lists its Winter Solstice Celebration at the Pavilion for December 2026, date to be determined: twinkling lights, treats and a Bend Ice Figure Skating Club show. The solstice falls on Monday, Dec. 21, 2026.
Last year: Friday, Dec. 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m. $8 including skate rental when you brought a food donation for NeighborImpact, with a DJ, cocoa, raffle prizes and a 7 p.m. Bend Ice Figure Skating Club show.
DetailsA big-band swing Christmas. The Sunday matinee works for grandparents and kids.
TicketsNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989, PG-13) in a 1940 movie palace. The cheapest great night of the month.
TicketsMost to-go Christmas dinners are picked up Dec. 23 or 24. The Pavilion closes at 5:30 p.m. Last year Roam at the Oxford served dinner on Christmas Eve and Day.
Plan Christmas dinnerMany stores close, and so do City of Bend offices, most Deschutes County offices and the Pavilion. Sunriver Resort and Elk Lake Resort have posted 2026 Christmas Day dinners (see below).
Last year Currents at the Riverhouse, Juniper Preserve, Roam, Anthony’s and Pine Tavern served on Christmas Day.
Plan Christmas dinner
Dec. 5 and 6, 2026
The first weekend of December is when Bend does Christmas all at once. Here’s how it fits together, so you can do more than one.
Every Santa we know of this season, free and booked, with the trick for each.
These come back every year. The Old Mill has posted its 2026 Santa season. The paddle parade date isn’t out yet.
Only in Bend does Santa arrive by helicopter. He lands by the river and heads straight to SantaLand.
2026: Friday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m., on the west event lawn near the river, with help from AirLink Critical Care Transport and Deschutes County Search and Rescue.
DetailsThe free Santa visit most Bend families do. Bring a letter with a return address and Santa writes back.
2026: a new spot at 375 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite A125, between Kara’s Kitchenware and Anthropologie. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 27 to 29, Dec. 4 to 6, Dec. 11 to 13 and Dec. 18 to 21. Drop letters in the North Pole Express mailbox from Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, no postage needed.
DetailsPick a tag, buy a gift, make somebody’s Christmas. A great one to do with kids.
2026: gift lists are at SantaLand from Nov. 27 to Dec. 13. Return an unwrapped, non-violent gift, and the Salvation Army and Rotary Club of Greater Bend deliver it to a family in need.
DetailsWatch from the riverbank with something warm. It’s free, it’s strange in the best way, and it’s only in Bend.
2026: Friday, Dec. 11, launching at dusk (about 4 p.m.) from Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe and floating through the Old Mill. Watch from the river paths or the Flag Bridge. Paddlers use battery lights only, and nothing goes in the river.
DetailsStart downtown, cross to the Old Mill, then drive the neighborhoods. Our Bend Christmas lights guide has the current addresses once displays go up.
Neighborhood photos are from the All Things Bend photo collection, not guaranteed 2026 displays. Please don’t block driveways or step onto lawns.
A Deschutes National Forest permit lets you cut a tree up to 12 feet tall, with a stump under 12 inches, away from wilderness, Newberry and developed sites. Permits are $5, up to five per household, and fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass get one free. Sunriver Resort also sells them at its Merchant Trader shop. Print and carry the permit, and bring a shovel and traction for unplowed roads.
Get a tree permit
The Pavilion’s covered rink runs November through April. The Village at Sunriver rink is the other classic. Holiday schedules change, so check public skate times.
Pavilion skate times
Wanoga Sno-Park is the go-to for sledding when there’s coverage. Meissner is for Nordic skiing and snowshoes. A Sno-Park permit is required.
Wanoga Sno-Park
Mt. Bachelor has scheduled opening for Dec. 4, 2026. Christmas week is one of the busiest of the season, so buy tickets online and go early.
Mt. Bachelor conditionsBend’s neighbors do Christmas well, and each is an easy evening or day trip.
Sisters and Prineville details are from last season unless a 2026 date is shown. Check before you drive. Staying longer? See our Sunriver and Sisters guides.
What actually changes in Bend the last week before Christmas.
After Christmas: tree pickup and recycling and New Year’s Eve in Bend.
Who did turkey-and-ham dinners to go last year, what they cost, when to order, and which restaurants opened on Christmas Day.
Riverhouse Lodge, Tetherow, Juniper Preserve, Brasada Ranch, Black Butte Ranch and The Suttle Lodge hadn’t posted 2026 Christmas plans when we checked.
Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Brandis Square (Wall Street and Greenwood Avenue), with the tree lit around 6 p.m. It’s free, with Santa photos (bring your own camera), local choirs and hot chocolate for sale, per the Downtown Bend Business Association.
Not confirmed yet. The organizer’s page still shows 2025 (Saturday, Dec. 6 at noon, from Harmon Boulevard to Drake Park). Related parade-weekend events are set for Dec. 5, 2026, so that weekend is the one to watch.
Santa Pajama Jam at Free Spirit on Dec. 16, 2026 has three bookable sessions at $28 per child. The Old Mill District’s SantaLand is the free classic: Nov. 27 to 29, Dec. 4 to 6, Dec. 11 to 13 and Dec. 18 to 21, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., between Kara’s Kitchenware and Anthropologie. Santa also poses for free photos at the Dec. 5 tree lighting downtown.
Jake Shimabukuro (Dec. 1), The Winter Lantern (Dec. 5 and 6), Rock the Holidays with Aaron Meyer (Dec. 9), A John Prine Christmas (Dec. 10), Broadway in Bend (Dec. 11), Central Oregon Mastersingers’ Deck the Halls (Dec. 12 and 13), The Nutcracker: Symphony of Lights (Dec. 14 and 21), Swingin’ Tower Christmas (Dec. 18 to 20) and Christmas Vacation (Dec. 22).
Yes, with a $5 Deschutes National Forest permit from Recreation.gov or a ranger station (last year sales started in mid-November). Trees can be up to 12 feet with a stump under 12 inches, and you can’t cut in wilderness, Newberry National Volcanic Monument or near developed sites, highways and streams. Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass get one free. Print and carry the permit.
Maybe. Snow in town is never guaranteed, but the mountains usually have it by late December. Mt. Bachelor has scheduled opening day for Dec. 4, 2026.
By helicopter at the Old Mill District on Friday, Nov. 27, 2026 at 10 a.m., the day after Thanksgiving. He lands on the west event lawn by the river and heads to SantaLand.
Sunriver Resort’s Grand Illumination is Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, with a 5:40 p.m. tree lighting and fireworks. Sisters does a parade and tree lighting the Saturday after Thanksgiving and an Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K on Dec. 5, 2026. Prineville’s Christmas in the Pines is a free drive-through light show on December weekends.
Three in 2026, all at the Tower Theatre: NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet (Nov. 18), Académie de Ballet Classique’s The Nutcracker: A Child’s Tale (Nov. 28 and 29) and The Nutcracker: Symphony of Lights (Dec. 14 and 21).
The Pavilion, Bend Park and Recreation’s covered rink near Simpson and Colorado avenues, runs extra holiday sessions. It closes at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve and is closed on Christmas Day. The Village at Sunriver has a rink too.
Many stores close, and so do City of Bend offices, most Deschutes County offices and the Pavilion. Sunriver Resort and Elk Lake Resort have posted 2026 Christmas Day dinners. Last year Currents at the Riverhouse, Juniper Preserve, Roam at the Oxford, Anthony’s and Pine Tavern served on Christmas Day. See our Christmas dinner guide for to-go dinners and last year’s prices.
Updated October 27, 2026. Hosting a holiday event? Submit it free. Next up: New Year’s Eve in Bend.
