ROM for the Holidays

Two children look out from the mouth of the Dunkleosteus in the Dawn of Life Gallery

About

Create a new holiday tradition

December 26, 2025 to January 4, 2026 

 

Enhanced programming, live performances, and hands-on experiences are just some of the special activities offered during ROM for the Holidays. Add to that four special exhibitions and re-imagined dinosaur galleries, and this is a holiday tradition you won't want to miss. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a stress-free day with family and friends.

Book your tickets today to guarantee your spot and avoid the lines.

 

Presenting Sponsor

BASF Logo

 

Activities

From lantern-making to bioluminescence, learn about the wonders of light in all its forms, take a hands-on journey into the world of sharks, or enjoy live performances by local artists. 

Here's an early sneak peek at some of our holiday activities. 

LIGHT UP THE SEASON - Daily, 10am to 4pm | Philosopher's Gallery, Level 1 - Bring light to dark winter days as you craft lanterns inspired by the collections. Check out the growing collaborative display illuminating the Gallery - all made from your lanterns.

LIVING LIGHT - Daily, 10am to 4pm | Earth Rangers Studio, Level 2 - Step into the world of nature's illuminations with a stop at ERS inside the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity. See the phenomenon of bioluminescence - and the science behind it - while taking a closer look at the variety of life that uses light.

SHARK SLEUTHS! - Daily, 10am to 5:30pm | Hands-on Biodiversity and WonderWorks, Level 2 - Dive into the fascinating world of sharks and learn why these iconic, ocean predators deserve our respect - not our fear!

RAINBOW CONNECTION with BASF Kids' Lab - December 27-28 and January 3-4, 11am-4pm | MakerSpace, Level 1 - Did you know most inks are made of many colours? Take a moment with an experimental art activity, and learn about paper chromatography - a key technique used by scientists to separate and study chemical mixtures.  

PERFORMANCES

Chris McKhool performing with children at ROM.
Chris McKhool

December 29-January 2; 2:30-3:30pm and 4-4:30pm | Eaton Theater, Level 1B

Hailed as Canada's "greatest eco-troubadour for young people", be sure to join 4-time JUNO Award nominee Chris McKhool and musician friends for a family-friendly musical showcase. 

Heath Tarlin
Pop-Up Surprise Performances

December 29 - January 2; 1:15-1:25pm, 2:15-2:25pm, and 3:15-3:25pm | Samuel Currelly Gallery, Level 1

Enjoy a series of surprise pop-up performances featuring vibrant, larger-than-life stilt-walker butterflies and trees.

Nimkii Osawamick
Hoop Dance with Nimkii

December 27-28 and January 3-4; 1:15-1:30pm and 3:00-3:15pm | Samuel Currelly Gallery, Level 1

Be sure to take in a performance by Nimkii. A proud Anishinaabeg nini hailing from Wiikwemkoongsing, Unceded Territory (Ontario, CA), he is a world renowned hoop dancer, champion dancer, and drummer/singer who blends traditional singing, drumming, and dancing styles with contemporary music and modern dance.

Chad Solomon with characters Rabbit and Bear Claw
Rabbit & Bear Paws

December 27-28 and January 3-4; 1:45-2:00pm and 3-3:15pm | Chen Court, Level 1

For the young, and young at heart, performances feature the comical adventures of two brothers, Rabbit and Bear Paws, and the enjoyable life lessons their numerous pranks and mistakes help us learn. Drop by for a performance and gain a better understanding of the unity of the Native communities and how they relate to one another peacefully. 

Special Exhibitions

We've got special exhibitions that cover everything from sharks and wildlife photography to renaissance art and a local lake's extraordinary legacy.

Enter the world of Sharks and learn more about these vital, yet often misunderstood, marine powerhouses. 

One hundred stunning large-format photographs showcase this year's best of the best from the prestigious annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. 

Encounter a dynamic art movement full of excitement and energy in Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks. 

Closer to home, Crawford Lake: Layers in Time takes an engaging look at the remarkable record of humanity's impact on the planet revealed by sediments at the bottom of a local lake. 

Shop & Dine

Take a break during your visit.

Coffee Bar - Open daily, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | Level 1

Druxy's ROM Cafe - Open daily, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | Level 1B (West)

Brown Bag Lunchroom - Open daily, 10:00 - 5:30 pm | Level 1B (East)

ROM Boutique - Open daily, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm | Level 1

Close-up view of a life-sized Megalodon shark model with its mouth wide open, displaying multiple rows of sharp teeth, in a dark, blue-lit museum exhibit.
Exhibition

Sharks

DIVE DEEPER Sharks have intrigued humans for as long as we have explored the oceans. The terrifying monster from the movie Jaws is what many might imagine when they think of these animals, but they are far more fascinating and complex than their depiction in popular culture. Did you know, for example, that there is a shark that eats seagrass? Or that some sharks can sense Earth's magnetic field? Presented by Desjardins Financial Group, this family-friendly exhibition invites you to uncover fresh perspectives, groundbreaking research, and the astounding diversity of this ancient group of fishes
Detail of a claw and head of a flamingo on a light grey background.
Exhibition

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025

Showcasing a new year of stunning photographs ROM is delighted to present this year's competition finalists and winners in a vibrant new exhibition. Powerful, inspiring, and enlightening, the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition invites viewers into a world of extraordinary images and visual storytelling. The world's longest-running and most prestigious annual nature photography competition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year attracts and recognizes the world's best nature photography, and has done so every year since 1965. Each year, the annual competition - organized by the
An artist's illustration of an ancient sea scape teeming with life.
Gallery

Dawn of Life

Bringing the dawn of life to life. New gallery now open.
Portrait of a woman in a black dress with a large white lace "ruff" collar, on a black background.
Exhibition

Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools
300 Years of Flemish Masterworks

Final Week! Exhibition closes this Sunday, January 18, 2026. The Southern Netherlands — better known today as Flanders — was home to revolutionary artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Hans Memling, and others. These extraordinary painters found new ways to depict reality, portray humanity, and tell stories that created parallels to their world then - and to our world today. This large-scale exhibition, featuring over 80 stunning art works and objects — medieval, Renaissance, and baroque paintings, sculptures and more — offers a doorway into the Southern Netherlands of 1400 to
Crawford Lake
Exhibition

Crawford Lake
Layers in Time

A quiet lake in Ontario is making a lot of noise. Sediments from the bottom of a small lake in Ontario are revealing a remarkable record of our impact on the planet. Just outside Toronto, Ontario lies a significant site offering a unique, comprehensive 1,000-year record of human impacts - local, regional, and global: Crawford Lake near Milton, Ontario. The lake has intrigued scientists for decades, and research on sediments at the bottom of the lake has identified it as having the best record of humanity's impact on the planet. This led to the lake's selection as the "golden spike" (definitive

Other Programs

View All
3 children with crowns enjoying birthday party celebrated at ROM
Program
Saturday Club
This Saturday version of our popular Summer Club program provides supervised, hands-on educational activities, art projects, science experiments, and more. ROM's fascinating galleries, authentic objects and outstanding professional staff guarantee that your camp experience will be hard to beat! Every fall, winter and spring children will enjoy eight Saturdays of fun-filled, educational adventures in ROM's inspiring galleries.
Child enjoying ROM Kids Junior program with parent watching
Program
ROMKids Junior
Bring your child on an eight-week sensory adventure as you tour galleries with our early learning instructors, and join them in creative play-based activities, and social interaction in a classroom setting. Meet other parents, caregivers, and children and engage your child in interactive learning for life.
Docent Ksanti in the China Gallery. © Roya Adeli.
Program
Museum Tours
Free with general admission, ROM offers daily public tours led by trained Museum Docents and Guides du ROM. Each engaging tour provides insights into the collections, from highlights of the Museum to focused gallery adventures. No reservations are required—just check the daily schedule when you arrive at the Museum and join the tour of your choice, covering museum highlights or focused gallery adventures. It’s an easy way to discover the stories behind the objects. Important Schedule Note Tour schedules may vary. We recommend confirming the day’s listings at the Museum.
3 children with crowns enjoying birthday party celebrated at ROM
Program
Saturday Club
This Saturday version of our popular Summer Club program provides supervised, hands-on educational activities, art projects, science experiments, and more. ROM's fascinating galleries, authentic objects and outstanding professional staff guarantee that your camp experience will be hard to beat! Every fall, winter and spring children will enjoy eight Saturdays of fun-filled, educational adventures in ROM's inspiring galleries.
Child enjoying ROM Kids Junior program with parent watching
Program
ROMKids Junior
Bring your child on an eight-week sensory adventure as you tour galleries with our early learning instructors, and join them in creative play-based activities, and social interaction in a classroom setting. Meet other parents, caregivers, and children and engage your child in interactive learning for life.
Docent Ksanti in the China Gallery. © Roya Adeli.
Program
Museum Tours
Free with general admission, ROM offers daily public tours led by trained Museum Docents and Guides du ROM. Each engaging tour provides insights into the collections, from highlights of the Museum to focused gallery adventures. No reservations are required—just check the daily schedule when you arrive at the Museum and join the tour of your choice, covering museum highlights or focused gallery adventures. It’s an easy way to discover the stories behind the objects. Important Schedule Note Tour schedules may vary. We recommend confirming the day’s listings at the Museum.