Minnesota’s Joyful ‘Holiday Train’ Begins its Annual Cross-state Journey

The brightly decorated train makes 21 stops, hosting live music events in cities it visits.

1 minute read

December 14, 2025, 7:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Train locomotive decorated with lights and snowfkale symbols for Christmas at night.

The holiday train tradition began over a quarter century ago. | Debra Anderson / Shutterstock

Canadian Pacific Kansas Railway’s Holiday Train kicked off its annual journey across Minnesota this week, with 21 planned stops across the state. 

As Andrew Krueger explains in a piece for MPR News, “The Holiday Train — featuring brightly decorated, colorful boxcars — travels rail lines across Canada and the U.S. each November and December, with musical performances and food donation collections in communities along the way.” 

The train, which started its annual trips over 25 years ago, raises funds for food banks across the U.S. and Canada.

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