The Fairfield Museum and History Center will open its 2026 Holiday Express Train Show on the evening of Saturday, November 28, with a grand opening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the museum on Beach Road in Fairfield. It is timed to follow the town's tree and menorah lighting ceremony, so families can walk from one to the other on the same night.

What the show is

The Holiday Express is a seasonal model train display set up inside the museum, built around holiday scenes. Two model railroading groups support it: the Connecticut G-Scalers Club, and the Housatonic Model Railroad Club. The grand opening is the first chance to see this year's layout.

After opening night the show settles into the museum's regular daytime hours. On Sunday, November 29, it is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What it costs

Grand opening admission is $3 per person or $10 for a family of four.

A note for anyone planning a visit to the museum's galleries beforehand: the museum's general admission has been free since January 13, 2026, and that free period runs through Wednesday, November 25. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, November 26 and 27, and reopens with the train show on Saturday.

More at the museum this season

  • Buildings that Remember, part of the museum's Local to Fairfield series, is on Tuesday, November 17.
  • All Aboard! Storytime, a train-themed story hour for young children, is on Tuesday, December 1.

The museum also held its Holiday Pop-Up Market, with a visit from Santa, on Saturday, November 14.

How to go

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is at 370 Beach Road, Fairfield. The Holiday Express grand opening is Saturday, November 28, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m., and costs $3 a person or $10 for a family of four. For questions, call the museum at 203-259-1598.

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