CPKC Holiday Train 2026: 25 Minnesota Stops, Times, Performers

Some holiday traditions you have to plan for. Others come rolling into town glowing like a 1,000-foot string of Christmas lights. The CPKC Holiday Train is the second kind, and it just announced when it's coming back to Minnesota.

The festive freight train will make 25 stops across the state from December 11 through December 18, which is four more stops than last year. It kicks off in Rochester and wraps up in Elbow Lake before heading west into North Dakota.

If you've never seen it, picture a working freight train that decided to go full Clark Griswold. The train stretches about 1,000 feet long and is wrapped in hundreds of thousands of LED lights, with one boxcar converted into a traveling concert stage.

Canadian Pacific launched the tradition back in 1999, and it rolled on after the railroad combined with the former Kansas City Southern to become Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC.

This year's tour covers 182 communities over 32 days across Canada and the United States, including a busy schedule in Minnesota.

Why the Holiday Train Is About More Than Pretty Lights

However, the lights are only half the story. The real mission is feeding people. At every stop, CPKC donates to the local food bank and encourages everyone in the crowd to bring a cash gift or a nonperishable food item.

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Here's the best part: every donation stays in the community where it's collected. Since its first run, the program has raised more than $28.3 million and collected over 5.6 million pounds of food.

That help lands at just the right time. December is when a lot of families are juggling heating bills, gifts, and groceries all at once, and local food shelves feel every bit of that pressure.

What Happens When the Train Pulls Into Town

When the train arrives, a side panel on the stage car drops down, and the show begins. Most visits run about 30 minutes, with free live music mixing holiday classics and modern favorites.

Soul singer Allen Stone will perform at Minnesota stops from Rochester through the December 14 show in Minneapolis. From there, Mohawk singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish and singer Jamie Fine take over for the rest of the trip across the state.

A little advice from someone who has stood trackside in a Minnesota December: dress like you're going ice fishing, not like you're going to a concert.

Arrive early, bring the kids, bring a donation, and bring a thermos of cocoa. CPKC also asks everyone to stay at least 50 feet back from the tracks, even when you're chasing the perfect photo.

Every Minnesota Holiday Train Stop, Time and Performer

Friday, December 11, with Allen Stone

Rochester: 1605 Civic Center Drive NW, 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.
Owatonna: 1145 Park Drive, railway crossing near Owatonna Bus Company, 3:45 to 4:15 p.m.
Waseca: 308 South State Street and Highway 13, 5:30 to 6 p.m.
Janesville: Veterans Memorial Park, 236 Front Street, 7:15 to 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, December 12, with Allen Stone

La Crescent: 517 South Chestnut Street, railway crossing at the maintenance building entrance, 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.
Winona: 65 East Mark Street, 3:45 to 4:15 p.m.
Wabasha: Bruegger Park on Gambie Avenue, 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
Red Wing: Bay Point Park overflow lot, Levee Road and Bay Point Drive, 7:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Hastings: 500 East Second Street, 8:45 to 9:15 p.m.

Sunday, December 13, with Allen Stone

Cottage Grove: 7064 West Point Douglas Road, 5:15 to 5:45 p.m.
St. Paul: Union Depot, 214 East 4th Street, 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Monday, December 14, with Allen Stone

Golden Valley: Golden Hills Drive, 5 to 5:30 p.m.
St. Louis Park: Lake Street and Library Lane, 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
Minneapolis: 37th Avenue and Stinson Boulevard, 8:15 to 8:45 p.m.

Wednesday, December 16, with Shawnee Kish and Jamie Fine

Loretto: County Road 19 railway crossing, 4:30 to 5 p.m.
Buffalo: 5th Street Northeast, 6-6:30 p.m.
Annandale: Downtown Park on Harrison Street, 7:30 to 8 p.m.
Kimball: Willow Creek Park, 230 Main Street South, 9 to 9:30 p.m.

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Thursday, December 17, with Shawnee Kish and Jamie Fine

Glenwood: 20 15th Street Northeast, 10:15 to 10:45 a.m.
Alexandria: 8th Avenue and Nokomis, 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Detroit Lakes: Holmes Street railroad crossing near Holmes Community Center, 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.
Mahnomen: US 59 and East Washington Avenue, 4:20 to 4:50 p.m.
Plummer: Central Avenue railway crossing, 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
Thief River Falls: 405 3rd Street East, 7:45 to 8:15 p.m.

Friday, December 18, with Shawnee Kish and Jamie Fine