Holidays 2026 · checked October 9, 2026
Pictures with Santa in Northwest Arkansas
Santa takes his seat at Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville on Friday, Nov 20, 2026, and stays through Christmas Eve; reservations are already open. Bass Pro Shops in Rogers gives a free photo with Santa, with free reservations opening in early November. For a free visit with no booking, Eureka Springs puts Santa in Basin Spring Park on December Saturdays, the Rogers Historical Museum hosts him at its Dec 12 open house, and Santa parachutes into the Arkansas Air & Military Museum in Fayetteville on Dec 5. Many hosts post their Santa schedules in late October and November, so anything not posted yet is listed at the bottom with a phone number. Everything here is from each host's own page as posted Oct 9, 2026.
Orange pins and badges are open this weekend, from each place's posted schedule.
The essentials
Book ahead
- Northwest Arkansas Mall
- Reservations are open now on the mall's booking page. Free rescheduling up to 48 hours before your visit.
- Bass Pro Shops Rogers
- Free reservations open in early November at basspro.com/santa, per the store's page. 2026 dates aren't posted yet.
- Holiday Express train
- Tickets only, booked online. Arrive 30 minutes early to pick up tickets; refunds only if you cancel 48 hours ahead.
- Santa Drop
- The Arkansas Air & Military Museum takes RSVPs on its event page.
- No booking
- Santa in the Park (Eureka Springs), the Rogers Historical Museum open house and the Christmas Village before the Rogers parade.
Source: northwestarkansasmall.com
Free vs paid
- Free
- Bass Pro Shops' photo with Santa · Santa in the Park in Eureka Springs · the Rogers Historical Museum open house.
- Paid
- Northwest Arkansas Mall photo packages (Elite, Premium and Standard; prices are on the booking page, not the mall's page) · Holiday Express train tickets.
- Not posted
- Whether the Santa Drop or the Rogers Christmas Village photos cost anything. Call before you go.
Source: stores.basspro.com
Pet nights & sensory-friendly Santa
- Pet photos
- No NWA host has posted a 2026 pet night yet. Northwest Arkansas Mall's booking site sorts sessions into regular, pet-friendly and sensory-friendly, but no 2026 session times are showing for this mall so far.
- Sensory-friendly
- None posted for 2026 yet at either mall or at Bass Pro. Pinnacle Hills Promenade hasn't posted any 2026 Santa details.
Source: whereissanta.com
Booking pages
- Northwest Arkansas Mall Santa reservations · The mall's booking partner; times and package prices
- Bass Pro Shops Santa's Wonderland reservations · Opens in early November
- Arkansas & Missouri Railroad holiday rides
Malls & stores
- Opens Nov 20Family-friendly
Mall Santa set (reservations)
Santa Photos at Northwest Arkansas Mall
4201 N Shiloh Dr, Fayetteville
- When:
- Friday, Nov 20 – Thursday, Dec 24, 2026
- Hours:
- Santa's hours are on the booking page (whereissanta.com/mall/1297)
- Admission:
- Photo packages; prices on the booking page. Elite, Premium and Standard packages include free digital greeting cards.
- What's there:
- Booking online gets free rescheduling up to 48 hours before, a personalized digital message from Santa before your visit, and 50% off a Shutterfly order plus 10 free holiday cards. Mall: (479) 521-6151.
- Family-friendly
Store Santa set (free photo)
Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops
2300 S Promenade Blvd, Rogers
- When:
- 2026 dates not posted yet. The store's page says Santa's Wonderland runs during most of November and December.
- Admission:
- Free photo with Santa
- What's there:
- Free reservations open in early November at basspro.com/santa. The former Cabela's store. Call (479) 616-1925.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
Trains & breakfasts
Breakfast-with-Santa dates mostly post in November. This is the one with 2026 dates on the host's booking calendar so far.
- Opens Nov 28Family-friendly
Holiday train ride with Santa, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad
Holiday Express Pajama Train
Springdale depot, 306 E Emma Ave, Springdale
- When:
- Springdale rides on the booking calendar as of Oct 9: Nov 28–30, Dec 1, Dec 12–16 and Dec 18–19, 2026.
- Hours:
- 1-hour round trip, Springdale to Johnson; departure times vary by day
- Admission:
- Ticketed; prices on the booking page
- What's there:
- Santa greets passengers and takes photos; visit him at the depot before boarding, with hot cocoa and cookies. The booking calendar also lists a stationary "Breakfast with Santa" (9 AM on Nov 29, Nov 30 and Dec 19), with no details on the railroad's site yet. Call 479-725-4017.
Free & community visits
Free unless noted. No reservations needed except where it says RSVP.
- Opens Dec 4Family-friendly
Photos with Santa and the Grinch before the parade
Rogers Christmas Village
Frisco Plaza, downtown Rogers
- When:
- Friday, Dec 4, 2026, from 5 PM; the Rogers Christmas Parade starts at 6:30 PM
- Admission:
- Photo cost not posted
- What's there:
- A vendor market alongside. Listed by Destination Rogers; photo details not posted by the parade's organizer yet.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
- Opens Dec 5Family-friendly
Santa parachutes in, then photos
Santa Drop and Holly Fest
Arkansas Air & Military Museum, 4290 S School Ave, Fayetteville
- When:
- Saturday, Dec 5, 2026, 9 AM–4 PM
- Hours:
- Doors 9 AM · Hollyfest parade 10 AM · Santa jumps 11 AM (weather and cloud ceiling permitting) · pictures with Santa 11 AM–1 PM · vintage Christmas market 9 AM–4 PM
- Admission:
- Not posted; RSVP on the museum's event page
- What's there:
- This year the museum teams up with Greenland's Hollyfest for a full day.
- Opens Dec 5Family-friendly
Visit Santa (free)
Santa in the Park
Basin Spring Park, 4 Spring St, Eureka Springs
- When:
- Saturdays Dec 5, 12 and 19, 2026
- Hours:
- Noon–5 PM
- Admission:
- Free
- What's there:
- Santa hears wish lists and takes a commemorative photo with your family. Listed by the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce: 479-253-8737.
- Opens Dec 12Family-friendly
Museum open house with Santa (free)
Holiday Open House at the Rogers Historical Museum
322 S 2nd St, Rogers
- When:
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2026
- Hours:
- 10 AM–2 PM · Santa reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" at 11 AM and 1 PM
- Admission:
- Free
- What's there:
- The museum's 26th annual open house: bring a wish list for Santa, plus holiday crafts, refreshments and tours of the 1895 Hawkins House. (479) 621-1154.
On the calendar
Verified events for the season, updated every night.
- Sat, Dec 510AM
Hot Cocoa with Santa
Family & Kids:TheatreSquared· Fayetteville
Call ahead
These come up in older roundups, but nothing official confirms a 2026 season yet.
- Pinnacle Hills Promenade (Rogers). 2026 not posted yet: the mall's events page is empty so far. Call (479) 936-2160.
- Santa at Lights of the Ozarks (Fayetteville square). 2026 not posted yet. Experience Fayetteville's 2026 page lists the lights (Nov 20 – Jan 1), Light Night and the Dec 3 parade, but no Santa visits so far. Santa's mailbox is in front of the Visitors Center on Block Ave all season. 479-521-5776.
- Santa at Bentonville's Lighting of the Square. 2026 not posted yet. The lighting is Saturday, Nov 21, 2026 (lights on at 6 PM), and Downtown Bentonville's page doesn't list Santa for this year yet. (479) 295-2396.
- Christmas on the Creek (downtown Springdale). 2026 not posted yet, and Downtown Springdale's event page wouldn't load for us. The Rodeo of the Ozarks Christmas Parade is Saturday, Nov 28, 2026.
- Sweets with Santa, Fayetteville Public Library. 2026 not posted yet. The library hosted it last December for ages 3–10; nothing Santa-related is on its calendar through early January so far. 479-856-7000.
- Winter Wonderland at Equestrian Bridges (Rogers). 2026 not posted yet. Its page still shows the 2025 event as cancelled because of an equine virus outbreak. (479) 301-2814.
- Santa's Mountain Village, 1886 Crescent Hotel (Eureka Springs). The hotel's Christmas page lists Saturdays Dec 12 and 19, noon–5 PM, but doesn't say whether Santa is there or what it costs, and its ticket listing still mixes in last year's dates. Call 479-253-9766.
- Bass Pro Shops story time and breakfast with Santa. 2026 not posted yet. Bass Pro hadn't announced this year's Santa's Wonderland events as of Oct 9.
- Christmas train, Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway. 2026 not posted yet: the railway's site shows only its April–October season. 479-253-9623.
Quick answers
- When does Santa come to the Northwest Arkansas Mall?
- Friday, Nov 20, 2026, and he stays through Thursday, Dec 24. Reservations are open now on the mall's booking page, with free rescheduling up to 48 hours before.
- How much are Santa pictures at the Northwest Arkansas Mall?
- Prices aren't on the mall's own page; the Elite, Premium and Standard packages and their prices are on the booking page (whereissanta.com/mall/1297).
- Are Santa pictures free at Bass Pro in Rogers?
- Yes, one photo with Santa is free at Santa's Wonderland, per the Rogers store's page. Free reservations open in early November at basspro.com/santa; 2026 dates aren't posted yet.
- Is Santa at Pinnacle Hills Promenade this year?
- Not posted yet: the mall's events page is empty as of Oct 9, 2026. Call (479) 936-2160.
- Where can I see Santa for free in Northwest Arkansas?
- Santa in the Park in Eureka Springs is free on Saturdays Dec 5, 12 and 19, 2026, noon–5 PM. The Rogers Historical Museum's open house with Santa is free on Saturday, Dec 12, 10 AM–2 PM, and Bass Pro Shops in Rogers gives a free photo.
- Is there a breakfast with Santa in NWA?
- The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad's booking calendar lists a Breakfast with Santa at 9 AM on Nov 29, Nov 30 and Dec 19, 2026, without details yet; call 479-725-4017. No other host has posted a 2026 breakfast with Santa so far.
- When is the Santa Drop in Fayetteville?
- Saturday, Dec 5, 2026, at the Arkansas Air & Military Museum. Santa jumps at 11 AM (weather permitting), and pictures with Santa run 11 AM–1 PM.
- Are there pet photos with Santa in NWA?
- None posted for 2026 yet. Northwest Arkansas Mall's booking site has pet-friendly and sensory-friendly sessions as categories, but no 2026 times for this mall are showing so far.
Dates, hours and prices are as each business posted them on October 9, 2026, and they change. Spot something out of date, or run one we missed? Tell us.
Nobody paid to be on this list. Inclusion is editorial.