Mark your calendars, Raleigh: tickets for the 2026 Pullen Park Holiday Express go on sale Oct. 15, and if history is any guide, they won't last long. The beloved holiday train ride and winter wonderland is set to return to Pullen Park from Dec. 1 through Dec. 17, running nightly from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with tickets priced at $21 per person plus taxes and fees.
According to WRAL, which is the presenting sponsor of this year's event, tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on Oct. 15 and have historically sold out within a few hours. That urgency isn't new — the station's earlier reporting noted that in previous years, tickets have sold out the same day they went on sale, a trend that's only intensified as the event has grown. A ticket is required for every person over the age of 1, whether or not that guest plans to ride the train itself.
Tickets will once again be sold through Ticketmaster, the platform the city shifted to in 2025. That change came after the city's prior online virtual-line or queue system experienced glitches in previous years, according to the same WRAL report on the 2025 sale.
What's Included This Year
The ticket price covers nearly everything inside the gates except food, organizers say. Guests can expect a train ride decked out in holiday lights, an enchanted elevator ride, Santa's toy shop, an igloo experience, carousel rides, games, crafts and a yeti scavenger hunt. Families select their own time slot for the train ride, and ticketholders can arrive as soon as the event opens to enjoy other activities before and after their ride — though children may still wait 15 to 30 minutes for their turn on the train.
Food will be available for purchase inside the park, and Pullen Park allows guests to bring in snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and strollers. Proceeds from the event go toward enhancing future years of the Holiday Express or supporting local and international charities, including Wake Up and Read, the Green Door Project, Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Meals on Wheels.
A Family Tradition That Keeps Growing
The Holiday Express has come a long way since its debut. The event first launched in 2007 as a four-day run that drew about 5,000 people, and organizers estimated 2025's run pulled in roughly 40,000 attendees. Elsewhere in Wake County, the News & Observer reported the event actually began as a two-night affair at Fletcher Park, drawing 3,279 visitors in its very first year — a detail that underscores just how much the tradition has expanded in the years since.
By 2025, the event had grown to span 17 days and offered 37,000 tickets, up from nearly 32,000 sold in 2024, per the same report. That year's tickets ran $17 each plus a $2.30 Ticketmaster fee, meaning this year's $21 price point marks a jump for families planning their holiday budget. The 2025 run also added two sensory-friendly nights featuring lower-decibel music, less walking between activities, fewer crowds and quiet areas to decompress, along with a one-night, adults-only Merry and Bright Grown Up Night at Pullen Park.
Giveaways And Getting Tickets
WRAL says it will give away VIP family four-packs throughout the event's run, with each pack including four VIP tickets. For families hoping to snag the regular tickets when they drop Oct. 15, the lesson from past years is clear: set a reminder, because the Pullen Park Holiday Express has a track record of selling out before the day is done.
