Which address do you drive to for the Coon Rapids tree this year? Last December it was Boulevard Plaza at 11002 Crooked Lake Blvd., on Saturday, December 13. This year the city's listing carries a "NEW LOCATION!" banner and a different date. The 2026 Tree Lighting Festival is on Saturday, December 5, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m., at the Coon Rapids Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Dr.
That one change affects the whole season. The city's holiday events used to share a single stretch of Crooked Lake Boulevard, where Boulevard Plaza and the Coon Rapids Ice Center at 11000 Crooked Lake Blvd. have nearly matching street numbers. Now the season is split between two addresses, with a skate at the rink on either side of the tree lighting and a toy-drive pickup to finish. Here's the order.
The season, in order
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | Toys for Joy Skate, 6:00–7:30 p.m. | Coon Rapids Ice Center, 11000 Crooked Lake Blvd. | Regular public-skate admission |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Tree Lighting Festival, 3:30–6:00 p.m. | Coon Rapids Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Dr. | Free |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Skate with Rocky, 6:00–7:30 p.m. | Coon Rapids Ice Center, 11000 Crooked Lake Blvd. | Regular public-skate admission |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15 | Toys for Joy pickup from business drop sites, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Participating businesses across Anoka County | Donations of new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food |
That's four dates in a little over three weeks. Three are at the rink end of town or tied to it, and the biggest gathering of the season sits in the middle at its new address.
What the tree lighting looks like on Robinson Drive
The Civic Center shares its address with Coon Rapids City Hall. The city calendar lists both at 11155 Robinson Dr., so if you've been to a city meeting, you already know the drive.
The City of Coon Rapids event listing describes a free event with cocoa and cookies, photos with Santa, and live music, and it includes one practical instruction:
"This event is both indoors and outdoors - dress warm for the lighting of the tree, which is outside. The grand finale is a countdown to a twinkling light display on the tree and fireworks!"
So you can split the afternoon between indoors and outdoors. Cocoa, cookies, music and the Santa line can fill the indoor stretch, and everyone heads outside for the countdown. With a 3:30 p.m. start and a 6:00 p.m. finish in early December, the finale should land after dark, which is when tree lights and fireworks look their best.
Last year's festival had more on the program. In 2025, MinneapoliMedia reported that the city hosted the event with the Coon Rapids Community Strength Foundation. The same coverage said it "brings thousands of residents together each year." The 2025 lineup included a Santa letter-writing station, ornament crafts, fire pits, snow hills if the weather allowed, and music, along with an invitation to bring non-perishable food and monetary donations for local programs. Those were the 2025 details. The 2026 listing confirms the cocoa, cookies, Santa, music, tree and fireworks.
The city keeps a standing page for the event at coonrapidsmn.gov/1378/Community-Tree-Lighting-Festival. Check it the week of December 5 for any additions to the program, plus parking and timing details.
The rink keeps both ends of the season
While the tree moved, the skating calendar stayed on Crooked Lake Boulevard. The Coon Rapids Ice Center runs three themed skates in 2026: Spooky Skate on October 25, the Toys for Joy Skate on November 22, and Skate with Rocky on December 13. The first is already over by publication. The other two come before and after the tree lighting.
Both remaining skates run 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday evenings. The city says themed events "are held during open skate hours" and that "regular admission rates apply."
Regular admission is easy to figure out because it hasn't changed. ABC Newspapers reported that the City Council approved the Ice Center's 2026–2027 fees in August. Public skate, stick and puck, skate sharpening and room rental all stayed the same because they had gone up in each of the two previous seasons. For the season that runs through August 31, 2027:
- Adults: $6 per person for public skate
- Students and seniors: $5 per person
- Children five and under: free when accompanied by a paid admission
- Skate rental: $4 for public skating
- Skate sharpening: $7 overnight, $10 same day
That makes a family's math simple. Two adults and a four-year-old pay $12 at the door, plus $4 for each pair of rental skates.
The December 13 guest is Rocky the Raccoon, whom the city calls its community mascot on its Meet Rocky page. If your kids met Santa on Robinson Drive the week before, the rink gives them a second photo op closer to the holidays.
Regular public-skate sessions continue around the themed nights. For current days and times, go to the city's Public Skate page, and the Skating Events page has the themed schedule.
Why the November skate carries a charity's name
The first themed skate of the holiday stretch is named for Toys for Joy, a charity tied closely to this part of the metro. It's a 501(c)(3) program started in 1986 by the North Metro Realtor Association to help North Anoka County families who might not be able to provide gifts and food for their children during the holidays. Its mailing address, as published in 2024, was 3200 Main St. Suite 240 in Coon Rapids.
Toys for Joy's own site explains how the program works today. Toys for Joy and the Christmas Committee provide a holiday meal and gifts for children to families across Anoka County. One application covers both, children under 18 receive gifts, and homebound households can have their items delivered. The committee is entirely volunteer-run. Most volunteers come from the Realtor community, and others come from the wider community.
The timing explains why a November 22 skate makes sense. Businesses that sign up as drop sites get posters and information no later than Thanksgiving week, and they supply their own boxes for new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food. Volunteers then collect from every drop site on one day, Tuesday, December 15, 2026, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
So the Toys for Joy Skate falls right as drop-site boxes are going up, and the pickup comes two days after Skate with Rocky. Anything you plan to donate through a business drop site has to be in a box before that Tuesday. If you see a Toys for Joy poster at a business you visit in late November, that's the box. If you'd rather give money, food or volunteer time directly, the charity's Volunteer & Donate page handles all three. Business owners can sign up through the drop-site form on the home page, and questions go to Toys for Joy at 763-250-1978.
Putting December 5 in the right place on your calendar
The earlier date affects more than the tree. Because the lighting moved from the second Saturday of December to the first, it now lands eight days before the Rocky skate and ten days before the Toys for Joy pickup. If you want the whole season, this order works:
- Sunday, Nov. 22: Toys for Joy Skate at the Ice Center, 6:00–7:30 p.m. Admission is $6 adult or $5 student and senior admission, plus $4 for rental skates.
- Late November into early December: Drop new, unwrapped toys or non-perishable food in a Toys for Joy box at any participating business.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Tree Lighting Festival at the Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Dr., 3:30–6:00 p.m. Dress for the outdoor countdown and fireworks.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: Skate with Rocky at the Ice Center, 6:00–7:30 p.m., at regular admission.
- By Tuesday, Dec. 15: Make sure any drop-site donations are in, since that's collection day.
The festival is free, and the skates cost the same as any other open-skate night. The main thing that changed is the address for one Saturday: Robinson Drive this year, not Crooked Lake Boulevard.
Toys for Joy started with local Realtors in 1986, and supporting it is one of the easiest ways to take part in a Coon Rapids December. If your business would like to be a drop site, or you'd like suggestions for where to give, The Paul E Team is glad to help, and we hope to see you at the Civic Center for the countdown on December 5.
