Santa 2026 · Sacramento

Breakfast with Santa, Santa photos and Santa trains in Sacramento, with prices.

We found 6 Santa outings for little kids in and around Sacramento with 2026 dates: 2 breakfasts and brunches, 3 photo spots and visits and 1 Santa train. None are free. The first visits start Nov 6. Each listing has the time, price and a link to book.

6 outings2 breakfasts3 photo spots1 Santa trainFirst visits Nov 6

Last checked · none is free on its own · How we choose

Start here

What kind of Santa visit?

Breakfast with Santa

2 breakfasts · Dec 5 – Dec 13

A quick photo

2 daytime spots · Nov 6 – Nov 20

After-dark Santa

1 evening spot · Dec 5 – Dec 13

Santa trains

1 train ride · Nov 13 – Dec 21

Nov 1 – Dec 26

The Santa calendar

Shaded days fall inside at least one listing’s dates (check each card for days off and hours). Dots mark set dates, like breakfasts and one-day visits.

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Nov 1
2
3
4
5
6Santa at Arden Fair
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20Santa at Palladio
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Dec 1
2
3
4
5Santa at Winter Wonderland,…Breakfast with Santa in…
6Santa at Winter Wonderland,…
7
8
9
10
11
12Santa at Winter Wonderland,…
13Santa at Winter Wonderland,…Breakfast with Santa aboard…
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Inside a listing’s datesBreakfastPhotos and visitsAfter dark

Breakfast with Santa

2 breakfasts · Dec 5 – Dec 13

Breakfast with Santa in Rancho Cordova

Neil Orchard Senior Activities Center · 3480 Routier Road, Sacramento, CA 95827

BreakfastBook ahead
When
Sat, Dec 5, 2026 · Seatings at 9am and 10am
Price
$5 per person ages 2 and up; reserve ahead
  • Pancakes and cocoa, a photo booth with Santa (included) and a kids’ craft table
Book / details ↗

Checked Oct 28 on the official page

Report a problem

Santa photos and visits

2 daytime spots · Nov 6 – Nov 20

Santa at Arden Fair

Arden Fair · 1689 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95815

PhotosWalk-up
When
From Nov 6, 2026 · During mall hours; reserve a photo time online or walk up
Price
Photo packages priced at the booking site
  • Reserving a time online skips most of the line
  • Walk-ups are welcome when slots are open
Book / details ↗

Checked Oct 30 on the official page

Report a problem

Santa at Palladio

Palladio · 330 Palladio Pkwy, Folsom, CA 95630

PhotosWalk-up
When
From Nov 20, 2026 · During mall hours; reserve a photo time online or walk up
Price
Photo packages priced at the booking site
  • Reserving a time online skips most of the line
  • Walk-ups are welcome when slots are open
Book / details ↗

Checked Oct 30 on the official page

Report a problem

After-dark Santa

1 evening spot · Dec 5 – Dec 13

Santa at Winter Wonderland, Fairytale Town

Fairytale Town · 3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822

After darkBook ahead
When
Dec 5, 6, 12 and 13, 2026 · Santa 1–6pm; park 1–7pm; snowfall at 6pm
Price
$15 in advance ($12 members) until Dec 4, $18 day of; under 2 free
  • Santa is on the Mother Goose stage, and the photos are self-serve and free
  • Lights come on at dusk, there are crafts and a scavenger hunt, and “snow” falls at 6
Book / details ↗

Checked Oct 28 on the official page

Report a problem

Santa trains and the Polar Express

1 train ride · Nov 13 – Dec 21

THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride

Central Pacific Passenger Station, Old Sacramento · 930 Front Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Santa train
When
Nov 13 – Dec 21, 2026 · 3:30, 5, 6:30 and 8pm (no 8pm on Dec 21)
Price
Coach $80–$85, First Class $100–$110 per person; under 2 free on a lap
  • About an hour round trip with hot chocolate and the story read aloud, and Santa walks through each car on the way back to hand every passenger a silver sleigh bell
  • Wednesday to Monday after Thanksgiving, select days before
  • Tickets went on sale in September, so expect some dates to be gone
Book / details ↗

Checked Oct 28 on the official page

Report a problem
On a budget

Ways to keep Santa cheap

1Breakfast with Santa in Rancho Cordova
$5 per person ages 2 and up; reserve ahead2Santa at Winter Wonderland, Fairytale Town
$15 in advance ($12 members) until Dec 4, $18 day of; under 2 free3Breakfast with Santa aboard the Delta King
Adults $45, kids 12 and under $25, plus tax and gratuity
For babies and toddlers

Making the visit go well

1Go right after napBook a slot when they’re fed and rested.
2Talk about Santa firstLook at photos together so the beard and the big red suit aren’t a surprise.
3A parent can hold themLap photos with a grown-up are fine.
4Tears are OKTake the photo anyway. Plenty of families keep a crying-Santa picture.
Also this season

Make it a Santa-and-lights night

See all 3 light displays in and around Sacramento with 2026 dates, sorted for little kids, with early start times.

Christmas lights in Sacramento →
Good questions

Santa in Sacramento: questions parents ask

Is there a free Santa visit in Sacramento?

None of the 2026 visits we found is free on its own. We add free visits as soon as their dates are posted.

What’s the cheapest breakfast with Santa in Sacramento?

Of the breakfasts and brunches with posted 2026 prices, the lowest are Breakfast with Santa in Rancho Cordova ($5 per person ages 2 and up; reserve ahead); Breakfast with Santa aboard the Delta King (Adults $45, kids 12 and under $25, plus tax and gratuity). Prices are from each venue’s own page.

Which Santa visits are best for babies and kids under 3?

Babies and young toddlers get in free at Santa at Winter Wonderland, Fairytale Town (under 2 free); THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride (under 2 free on a lap). A morning visit before nap usually goes better than an evening one.

When is the best time to see Santa with a toddler who goes to bed early?

Two listings start in the morning, including Breakfast with Santa aboard the Delta King and Breakfast with Santa in Rancho Cordova. Two are evening visits (5 p.m. or later), which work best on a late-nap day.

Is there a Polar Express or Santa train near Sacramento?

Yes. THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride runs in 2026. Check each card for departure times and pick one that fits nap.

How do you check these Santa listings?

Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page, and links to it. We list dates, times and prices only when that page shows them for 2026; anything without posted dates goes in “Dates not posted yet” instead. These were last checked Oct 30, 2026, and we recheck them in early November and again in early December. How we choose and check.

Keep planning: This week in Sacramento · Sacramento city guide · Visiting Sacramento

Get the weekend plan, holiday dates included.

One short email every Thursday evening with what works for ages 0–6 in Sacramento that weekend, including the Santa and light-show dates worth knowing.

Every year

Santa visits that come back every year

Each of these comes back every year. Its page keeps the last confirmed dates, and the new ones go up there once they’re posted. Every year in Sacramento

Breakfast with Santa in Rancho CordovaNext: Dec 5, 2026Santa at Winter Wonderland, Fairytale TownNext: Dec 5–13, 2026Breakfast with Santa aboard the Delta KingNext: Dec 13, 2026

By month

More dates for little kids in Sacramento

Things to do with kids in Sacramento in November · Things to do with kids in Sacramento in December