Popular Holiday Train Returns To Wisconsin With 13 Stops This Year

Wisconsin knows how to throw a December party, and one of the best ones shows up on the railroad tracks. The CPKC Holiday Train is rolling back into Wisconsin this year, and it's bringing a new voice to the stage.

The brightly lit freight train will visit 13 Wisconsin communities again this year, from Sturtevant to La Crosse. This time, the three-day swing runs a day earlier than it did last year, December 8 through December 10.

Picture a working freight train that got carried away decorating. The Holiday Train runs about 1,000 feet long, covered in hundreds of thousands of LED lights, with one boxcar built out as a rolling stage.

The tradition dates back to 1999 under Canadian Pacific, and it carried on after the railroad joined the former Kansas City Southern to form Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC.

Across Wisconsin, the train travels the old Milwaukee Road main line, and several of its stops are right at local Amtrak depots.

Every Stop Helps Fill a Local Food Pantry

The show is free, but the mission is serious. CPKC makes a donation to the local food bank at each stop and asks the crowd to chip in with cash or nonperishable food.

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Those donations stay right in the community where they're collected. Over the years, the program has raised more than $28.3 million and gathered over 5.6 million pounds of food across Canada and the United States.

That's a big deal in December, when pantries are stretched thin and plenty of families are trying to cover heating bills, groceries and gifts at the same time.

Allen Stone Takes the Stage at Every Wisconsin Stop

Last year, American Authors and Pynk Beard handled the Wisconsin shows. This year, soul singer Allen Stone will perform at all 13 Wisconsin stops, mixing holiday favorites with his own music during each 25- to 30-minute set.

Dress for a Packers game in December, not a concert hall. Bring the kids, a donation and something warm to sip. CPKC also asks everyone to stay 50 feet back from the tracks and never stand on the rails or ballast rock for a photo.

Every Wisconsin Holiday Train Stop and Showtime

Tuesday, December 8

• Sturtevant: 9900 East Exploration, 7 to 7:30 p.m.
• Caledonia: 5 1/2 Mile Road railway crossing, 8:15 to 8:45 p.m.

Wednesday, December 9

• Wauwatosa: Harwood Avenue railway crossing, 4:15 to 4:45 p.m.
• Hartland: West of the railway crossing at Cottonwood Avenue, 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
• Oconomowoc: South Silver Lake Street railway crossing, 6:45 to 7:15 p.m.
• Watertown: Brandt Quirk Park, 8 to 8:30 p.m.
• Columbus: 395 North Ludington Street, 9:15 to 9:45 p.m.

Thursday, December 10

• Portage: CPKC Yard next to Averbeck Street, 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.
• Wisconsin Dells: 100 La Crosse Street, 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.
• Mauston: Division Street railway crossing, 4:15 to 4:40 p.m.
• Tomah: 205 North Superior Avenue, 5:30 to 6 p.m.
• Sparta: South Water Street and Milwaukee Street, south side of the tracks, 6:50 to 7:20 p.m.
• La Crosse: 601 Saint Andrew Street, 8:30 to 9 p.m.

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After La Crosse, the train crosses the Mississippi River for its Minnesota stops starting December 11. Schedules can shift with weather and rail traffic, so double-check the official Holiday Train page before you head out.