THURSDAY
12
NOVEMBER
Christmas in Washington, DC with Kids
Christmas in Washington is mostly free: both great trees, the Botanic Garden's train display and the Dupont Circle market cost nothing. What is scarce is dates. Mount Vernon by Candlelight runs seven evenings and goes on sale October 5, and the tree lighting is a lottery, not a ticket counter.
Season: Nov–Jan 1 · Updated September 30, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Pathway of Peace: The Ellipse — free, no ticket. 59 state and territory trees
- Tree Lighting tickets: A free Recreation.gov lottery — one application per household, a ticket per attendee
- Season's Greenings: Botanic Garden — free, no tickets: model trains and DC landmarks built from plants
- Mount Vernon by Candlelight: Nov 27 – Dec 22, seven evenings; tickets on sale October 5
- ZooLights: National Zoo — November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027
The tree-lighting lottery, and why to skip it
Tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting are not sold and not first-come — they come from a free lottery on Recreation.gov. With young children the better plan is to skip the ceremony and visit the site once it opens.
- In 2025 the lottery opened October 29 at 10am Eastern, closed November 5 at 3pm and announced results on November 12, for the December 4 ceremony
- Five tickets per household, and only one application per household — every other application from the same household is voided, so entering separately disqualifies you
- All attendees need a ticket regardless of age, so a sleeping baby counts and a household of five is exactly at the cap
- The 2026 lottery dates are not published: set a reminder for mid-October and watch recreation.gov
- There is no paid tier, so anyone selling you a ticket is running a scam
- The ceremony itself is a long evening of standing in security lines
The two trees, free and open
Both trees are free, need no ticket and stand a short walk apart. The Pathway of Peace is the one that keeps a child busy.
The National Christmas Tree and Pathway of Peace — WashingtonVisit official site →
Fifty-nine trees line the path around the National Christmas Tree, one for each state and territory, carrying ornaments designed by American students.
Dates
- The site opens to the public a few days after the lighting ceremony and stays open through January 1
- In 2025–26 that was December 6 to January 1
- Lights on from sunset to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, until 11pm Friday and Saturday
Tickets
Free — there is no fee to visit the site.
Know before you go
- Flat, short and stroller-friendly, with the trees at child eye level
- Hunting for your own state's tree keeps a four-to-nine-year-old busy for twenty minutes
Who it's for
Any age, and the better option than the ceremony with small children
The Capitol Christmas Tree — Washington
The 2026 tree is a grand fir from the Salmon River Ranger District of Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
Dates
- Arrives mid-November under police escort
- The Speaker of the House hosts the lighting in the last week of November or the first week of December
Who it's for
A truck-obsessed three-year-old — the arrival is the event
Season's Greenings, the best free indoor hour
The Botanic Garden's holiday show is free, needs no ticket of any kind and sits a three-minute walk from the Capitol Christmas Tree. Free and unticketed is not uncrowded: the queue happens at the Conservatory door on December weekends.
Season's Greenings — WashingtonVisit official site →
G-gauge model trains running through displays built from plant material, plus twenty-odd DC landmarks made entirely of dried plants.
Dates
- The 2025 season ran November 27 to January 4, 10am–5pm daily
- Extended to 8pm on a handful of Tuesdays and Thursdays, with live holiday music 5–8pm
- The 2026 dates and theme are announced in early fall
- Closed December 25
Tickets
Free, and no tickets are required — not for the garden, not for the model train display, not for the extended evening hours. There is no timed pass and no reservation.
Know before you go
- Go on a weekday morning at opening
- The theme changes every year, so don't plan around what you read about last season
- The landmarks include the Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial
Who it's for
Train-age toddlers, and eight-to-twelve-year-olds who have just done the monuments and can play name-that-building
Mount Vernon by Candlelight
Mount Vernon is the one thing on this page you can book with certainty. Seven evenings across a whole season is not many, and it sells out.
Mount Vernon by Candlelight — Mount Vernon, VAVisit official site →
A candlelit evening walking tour of the estate, with tour start times varying by day.
Dates
- November 27 and 28, December 11 and 12, December 18, and December 21 and 22
- 5:30–8:30pm
Tickets
$41 adults 12 and over, $33 youth 6 to 11, free ages five and under; members $32.80 and $26.40. Advance timed tickets are required.
Know before you go
- General-public tickets go on sale October 5, with earlier member access through the account portal
- Guests are admitted through the main gate fifteen minutes before their tour time, so arriving late is a lost ticket rather than a shortened one
- Budget for the estate's parking and the walk from the lot
- The estate also runs a daytime Christmas season, with a camel each December — the tradition goes back to the camel Washington paid to bring for Christmas 1787
Who it's for
Seven and up gets the most from it
Skip if
Your youngest is four — a candlelit walking tour running to 8:30pm is a stretch even though the ticket is free
Lights, the market and skating
Three more anchors round out a DC December, and only the first has 2026 dates you can rely on now.
- ZooLights at the National Zoo runs November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 — one million LED lights, animal lanterns and live music
- ZooLights hours and pricing are not posted; historically the lights have been free with paid parking and a few individually ticketed attractions
- The Zoo requires free entry passes for all guests including infants year-round, so confirm whether that applies to ZooLights evenings
- The Downtown Holiday Market is at Dupont Circle, November 12 to December 23, free, 35-plus vendors, noon–8pm weekdays and 11am–8pm weekends, closed November 26 and November 30
- The Wharf's ice rink is open seasonally from Thanksgiving through the end of February; prices are not published in advance
- Washington Harbor's rink in Georgetown typically runs from mid-November to mid-March
Upcoming holiday events in Washington, DC
Live from our catalog — 1 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
DC's open-air holiday market, relocated for 2026 to the 1500 block of New Hampshire Ave NW at Dupont Circle, one block from the Dupont Circle Metro. 35+ local artisans and food vendors over 40 market days, Nov 12 - Dec 23, 2026 (closed Thanksgiving and Nov 30). Weekdays noon-8pm, weekends 11am-8pm. Free admission.
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FAQ
What's free at Christmas in DC with kids?
The National Christmas Tree and the 59 state trees on the Ellipse, the Capitol Christmas Tree on the West Front Lawn, Season's Greenings and its model trains at the Botanic Garden, and walking into the Dupont Circle market. That is a full December afternoon for two Metro fares.
Can you see the National Christmas Tree without lottery tickets?
Yes, and with young children it is the better option. The site opens free to the public a few days after the lighting ceremony and stays open through January 1 — in 2025–26, December 6 to January 1. No fee, no ticket.
What is the best indoor stop on a cold day?
Season's Greenings at the Botanic Garden: free, unticketed, warm, and a three-minute walk from the Capitol Christmas Tree. Go on a weekday morning at opening, because December weekends queue at the Conservatory door. It closes December 25.
When do Mount Vernon by Candlelight tickets go on sale?
October 5 for the general public, with earlier access for members. The tour runs seven evenings between November 27 and December 22, from 5:30 to 8:30pm, and advance timed tickets are required. Treat October 5 as a real calendar entry — it sells out.