Bring on the holly, jolly fun! From Nutcrackers, music, craft fairs, ice skating, theater and more — the holidays across the Bay Area are full of wonderful family events to celebrate the season! Here’s my roundup of favorites guaranteed to make special memories with the kids.

TIP: With inclement weather approaching, please check with event organizer by simply clicking on the link before heading out.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Craft Fairs:

ICB Winter Open Studios Art Market, 11am-6pm, Industrial Center Building (ICB) in Sausalito. (map)

World Crafts Faire, 5pm-9pm, Bolinas Community Center (map)

Margaret Todd Senior Center Holiday Crafts Faire, 6pm-9pm, Novato (map)

It's A Wonderful Life With The San Francisco Symphony

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco (map)

Experience the most beloved holiday movie of all time transformed into an unforgettable live film concert event!

Transcendence Holiday Spectacular

7:30 PM
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa (map)

Join Transcendence, the award-winning creators of “Broadway Under the Stars,” for this new and reimagined holiday celebration for all ages, with performers from Broadway shows such as MAMMA MIA!, MARY POPPINS and WICKED.

Holiday Lights: The Presidio's Traditional Tree-Lighting Ceremony

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Main Post, San Francisco (map)

Light the tree and sing holiday classics along with the Golden Gate Carolers and others.

Petaluma Light Up A Life

6:00 PM
Walnut Park, Petaluma (map)

Dickens' Family Victorian Holiday

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Falkirk Cultural Center (map)

Partake in a holiday treat as you go back in time to Victorian England and meet Charles Dickens.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Craft Fairs:

Christmas Fair, 9am-4pm, SWEA, San Francisco (map)

Holiday Craft Fair, 10am-2pm, Mill Valley Community Center (map)

Pixie Park Annual Bake Sale & Open House, 10am-2pm, Pixie Park, Ross (map)

Margaret Todd Senior Center Holiday Crafts Faire, 10am-4pm, Novato (map)

Holiday Crafts Day at The Randall Museum, 10am-2pm, Randall Museum (map)

Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair, 10am-5pm, Muir Beach Community Center (map)

Mercatino di Natale (Italian Christmas Market), 10am-6pm, Fort Mason Center (map)

Marin Outdoor Antique Market, 10am-5pm, Marin Civic Center (map)

Marin Art & Garden Center Holiday Fair, 10am-2pm, Laurel House Antiques Patio Sale in the Livermore Pavilion, Ross (map)

Spirited Marin Holiday Marketplace, 10am-5pm, Marin Country Mart, Larkspur (map)

Landmarks Holiday Art & Craft Sale, 10am-4pm, Cottage at the Art & Garden Center, Tiburon (map)

ICB Winter Open Studios Art Market, 11am-6pm, Sausalito (map)

World Crafts Faire, 11am-8pm, Bolinas Community Center (map)

Holiday Arts Faire, 11am-5pm, San Geronimo Valley Community Center (map)

Fairfax Craft Faire, 11am-5pm, The Pavilion, Fairfax (map)

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM, Corte Madera Community Center (map)

Breakfast with Santa, 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM, Sausalito Yacht Club (map)

Breakfast with Santa, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM, Northgate, San Rafael (map)

Breakfast with Santa, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Belvedere Community Center (map)

Children's Cottage Co-op Holiday Bazaar

Children's Cottage Co-op, Larkspur (map)

Our Holiday Bazaar is not to be missed! Handmade gifts, baked goods, kids activities, Photos with Santa and Live Music by local favorite, Megan Schoenbohm.

Marin Sensitive Santa

All Children Academics

Play on the sensory playground or room while you wait, and take your time warming up to Santa.

Saturdays With Santa – Magical Season at Bon Air

Bon Air Center

Santa Claus arrives at noon at Santa’s Workshop aboard a shiny, red fire engine (courtesy of the Larkspur Fire Department) at Bon Air on the first three Saturdays of December to celebrate the season.

MAGC Gingerbread House Decorating

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The Studio at Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross (map)

Now part of MAGC’s center-wide Holiday Fair, our Gingerbread Decorating event is becoming a fun family tradition!

Traverse Fitness Open House

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Traverse Fitness, Richmond (map)

Traverse Fitness is a new ninja warrior facility currently offering ninja warrior style fitness for all ages, as well as classes in aerial acrobatics.

Complimentary Photos with Santa!

10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Marin Country Mart, Larkspur (map)

Santa Claus is coming to the Mart! And you can take complimentary professional photos with him.

Free Photos With Santa

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Town Center Corte Madera (map)

Ring in the holidays with festive fun at Town Center Corte Madera. From parents to little ones, everyone is invited to enjoy free photos with Santa, even four-legged family members. Free photos are taken and printed on site. The kind volunteers at Hospice by the Bay will also be on site offering free holiday gift-wrapping services, courtesy of Town Center Corte Madera. Santa’s photo station and the gift wrap center will be in a new location this year, under the clock tower in the center court of Town Center, across from Blue Barn.

Family Art Making

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
de Young Museum, San Francisco (map)

Family Art Making offers a free, drop-in art project led by professional teaching artists.

Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets

11:00 AM & 1:00 PM
Cowell Theater, San Francisco (map)

Celebrate the holidays at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture with Mark Foehringer‘s Nutcracker Sweets, a 50-minute production of the classic holiday ballet for families with small children and audiences of all ages.

Free Saturdays: Sketching In The Galleries

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
de Young Museum, San Francisco (map)

Join us for Sketching in the Galleries every Saturday from 11 am–4 pm. This free experience provides all skill levels with a chance to experiment with materials and enjoy the collections from a creative perspective. All materials are provided, including gallery stools.

Tiburon Peninsula Holiday Festival

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tiburon Peninsula (map)

Join friends and neighbors and experience the ultimate holiday celebration as we magically transform our town into a winter wonderland full of cheer and classic family fun. Enjoy hands-on holiday activities including gingerbread house decorating, horse drawn carriage rides, train rides and more!

Santa Cop

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
West End Nursery, San Rafael (map)

While we’re always looking for new ways to make The Christmas House bigger and better than ever, there is one tradition that is near and dear to our hearts.

Stapleton Ballet: Nutcracker

1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael (map)

The vibrant Stapleton Ballet Nutcracker provides a magical start to the holiday season!

San Francisco Youth Ballet Presents The 18th Annual Performance of The Nutcracker

1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Mercy High School Theatre, San Francisco (map)

This magical, full-length version of The Nutcracker features Bay Area guest artists and the wonderful talents from the San Francisco Youth Ballet Academy.

Cirque De Bohème Presents A Paris!

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma (map)

Cirque de Bohème returns this winter for its seventh season! Celebrate the holidays at Cornerstone with this annual event!

Free Holiday Crafts Workshop at Angel Island Ferry

1:30 PM 4:30 PM
Angel Island Tiburon Ferry (map)

Angel Island Ferry Holiday Arts & Crafts Workshop attendees will have a choice of a few creative projects to work on, which they are welcome to take home and give as gifts this season.

Transcendence Holiday Spectacular

2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa (map)

Dance-Along Nutcracker®️: Nutcrackers In Space

3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (map)

Join Clara and Fritz as they launch into intergalactic mischief aboard the Sugar Plum Falcon!

Novato's Annual Community Tree Lighting / Illuminación Annual Del Árbol De La Comunidad de Novato

4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Novato Civic Green, Novato (map)

Kick of the joy of the season at this amazing tradition with fun for the whole family!

The Snowmen Light Up The Holidays at Cornerstone

4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cornerstone and Sunset Gardens, Sonoma (map)

The Annual Lighting of the Snowmen has become a Sonoma Valley holiday tradition! Mark your calendar now, you don't want to miss the 2019 festivities!

Beyond The Ring

4:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Kinetic Arts Center, Oakland (map)

BEYOND THE RING is a contemporary circus performance about lost things, an epic journey and the antics of clowns.

San Anselmo Annual Tree Lighting

5:00 PM
Imagination Park, San Anselmo (map)

Save the date for San Anselmo magic. Saturday December 7th beginning at 5 PM at Imagination Park. Tree Lighting at 5 PM, followed by Santa, photos, music, arts & crafts, cookies and cocoa. On our our Town's most beloved annual event.

Holiday Lighting Ceremony

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Town Hall Plaza, San Anselmo (map)

The annual San Anselmo Holiday Lighting Ceremony has kicked off the holiday season in San Anselmo for over a decade, and this year is no exception.

San Rafael Lighted Boat Parade

5:30 PM
San Rafael Yacht Club (map)

This year the parade will again be led by Santa, aboard the San Rafael Police Boat the “Mission City.” He will be followed by boats filled with Holiday revelers. Parade watchers along both shores will exchange season’s greetings with boats, many of which will carry singers and be playing music.

Moon And Stars: Astronomy Night Hike & Campfire

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
NatureBridge Golden Gate, Sausalito (map)

Join us for amazing stargazing! Using binoculars, a spotting scope and telescopes, we’ll study the face of the moon and learn more about constellations and the night sky. Binoculars will be provided or bring your favorite pair! The weather may prevent us from actually seeing the moon and stars, but we will still have fun and learn about constellations, the features of the moon and astronomical myths! We'll end the evening telling star stories around the campfire.

Telescope Nights

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The Space Station, Novato (map)

Our telescope guides make plans to setup on very short notice this time of year.

PAAM Holiday Spectacular

7:00 PM
Showcase Theater, San Rafael (map)

Celebrate the holidays with the Performing Arts Academy of Marin!

Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade

7:00 PM

Calistoga’s Lighted Tractor Parade is the ultimate small-town holiday celebration in celebration of our agricultural heritage.

Jolly Jingles

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tam Valley Community Center (map)

If you love the holidays, you will love Jolly Jingles. Come and celebrate this holiday season alongside your friends and neighbors during a night of music, poetry and skits that will warm the hearts of all faiths. This family friendly, all faith inclusive show is Saturday, December 7th beginning at 7:00pm. Hot beverages and cookies will be served and admission is free.

Holiday Choral Concerts by Candlelight

7:30 PM
Church of Saint Raphael (map)

Traditional and contemporary holiday music and carols in the beautiful setting of Saint Raphael Church. Marin Symphony Chamber Chorus and the Marin Girls Chorus are accompanied by Marin Symphony musicians and friends. Light a candle and celebrate an annual Marin tradition!

KITKA : Wintersongs

8:00 PM
Osher Marin JCC - Hoytt Theater (map)

Wintersongs is Kitka's critically-acclaimed and wildly popular winter holiday program showcasing seasonal music from a wide variety of Eastern European ethnic and spiritual traditions.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Craft Fairs

Spirited Marin Holiday Marketplace, 10am-5pm, Marin Country Mart, Larkspur (map)

Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair, 10am-4pm, Muir Beach Community Center (map)

Dance Palace Artisan Craft & Holiday Market, 10am-4pm, Point Reyes Station (map)

Zero Waste & Plastic Free Holiday Market, 10am-5pm, Fort Mason Historic Firehouse, San Francisco (map)

Marin Outdoor Antique Market, 10am-5pm, Marin Civic Center (map)

Mercatino di Natale (Italian Christmas Market), 10:30am-5:30pm, Fort Mason Center (map)

World Crafts Faire, 11am-6pm, Bolinas Community Center (map)

ICB Winter Open Studios Art Market, 11am-6pm, ICB Artists, Sausalito (map)

Temescal Holiday Fair, 11am-5pm, Oakland (map)

The Hivery Holiday Market, 11am-3pm, Mill Valley (map)

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Downtown Recreation Center, Novato (map)

Breakfast with Santa, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Ross Valley Fire Station (map)

Breakfast with Santa, 9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito (map)

Ramekins Annual Santa's Brunch, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Ramekins Culinary School, Events & Inn (map)

Santa Cares

The Shops at Tanforan

Individuals of all spectrums with special needs and their families are invited to a private photo session where extra care is taken to support the sensory, physical and other developmental needs to make this a magical holiday experience.

Santa is visiting Nick's Cove!

Nick's Cove & Cottages

It’s Santa’s annual visit to Nick’s Cove! Arriving by way of his trusty “water sleigh,” and replete with treats and holiday wishes, Santa Claus will pull up to the dock at the Boat Shack at Nick’s Cove Restaurant, Oyster Bar & Cottages.

Julia Robinson Centennial

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alumni House, UC Berkeley (map)

Join fellow math and puzzle entrust visit over 20 tables with various games, problems and activities centers on creative collaborative inquiry.

Lycée Français de San Francisco Winter Fair

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Lycée Français de San Francisco (map)

The holiday season is approaching fast and our parent association is actively working at organizing our traditional Winter Fair.

Mill Valley Winterfest

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Downtown Mill Valley (map)

Mill Valley's landmark annual holiday celebration, featuring a massive slide, a visit from Santa in an antique fire truck, a full day of live entertainment and music, children's activities, amazing local food and a Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Hands-On Chanukah

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa (map)

Discover new ways to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights.

Snow Day in the Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Bring Boots & Mittens to Play in the Snow • Visit with the Snow Queen • Pony Rides • Make Holiday Crafts • Arts & Crafts Vendors • Hot Cider and Cookies.

Deck the Halls

11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
Davies Symphony Hall (map)

Deck the Hall is the perfect way to make your family’s holiday season merry and bright. Enjoy a concert of festive favorites and sing-alongs with members of the SF Symphony, guest artists, and special appearances by beloved holiday characters. Tickets include post-concert festivities with entertainment, arts and crafts, and refreshments.

Dance-Along Nutcracker®️: Nutcrackers In Space

11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (map)

Join Clara and Fritz as they launch into intergalactic mischief aboard the Sugar Plum Falcon!

Musical Stories With Andy Strain

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mill Valley Library (map)

Hear favorite stories told to amazing music from musician Andy Strain.

Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets

11:00 AM & 1:00 PM
Cowell Theater, San Francisco (map)

Family Fun! THE AMAZING BUBBLE MAN

11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Osher Marin JCC - Hoytt Theater (map)

Thrilling audiences worldwide, Louis Pearl The Bubble Man along with the fabulous accordion diva Jet Black Pearl, will WOW you with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles!

Stapleton Ballet: Nutcracker

1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael (map)

The vibrant Stapleton Ballet Nutcracker provides a magical start to the holiday season!

PAAM Holiday Spectacular

1:00 PM
Showcase Theater, San Rafael (map)

Celebrate the holidays with the Performing Arts Academy of Marin!

Concerts at Old St. Hilary’s Landmark - Musae: Holiday Concert

1:00 PM & 4:00 PM
Old St. Hilary’s Landmark, Tiburon (map)

Musae presents their annual holiday concert celebrating the season with two performances: 1:00pm and 4pm.

San Francisco Youth Ballet Presents The 18th Annual Performance of The Nutcracker

1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Mercy High School Theatre, San Francisco (map)

This magical, full-length version of The Nutcracker features Bay Area guest artists and the wonderful talents from the San Francisco Youth Ballet Academy.

Transcendence Holiday Spectacular

2:00 PM
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa (map)

Holiday Wreathmaking and Caroling

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Women's Club, Fairfax (map)

Begin with a visit from Santa who arrives by fire truck and greets all the awaiting children, carols will be sung, make a homemade wreath! Decorations and wreath rings provided. Bring a delicious dish to share with your friends & family! Sponsored by the Fairfax Volunteers.

Beyond The Ring

2:00 PM
Kinetic Arts Center, Oakland (map)

BEYOND THE RING is a contemporary circus performance about lost things, an epic journey and the antics of clowns.

Beyond the Land of Sweets

3:00 PM
The Herbst Theatre (map)

A lively spin-off of the cherished Nutcracker Ballet, Clara travels the globe, celebrating holiday traditions across cultures. An enchanted trip to Whoville, dancing reindeer and Tinsel the Tree, make this the perfect family-friendly show. Many costumes for this production were created by the artists of the Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Holiday Choral Concerts by Candlelight

4:00 PM
Church of Saint Raphael (map)

A Merry-achi Christmas

8:00 PM
Davies Symphony Hall (map)

Led by the incomparable José Hernández, Mariachi Sol de Mexico® returns to Davies Symphony Hall for a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions.

Weekly Not-To-Be-Missed Holiday Events:

THEATER:

A NOH Christmas Carol

Theatre of Yugen

The reimagined story in Meiji era Japan is told using a combination of noh, kyogen, kabuki, and butoh, bringing this classic story to life in a fashion like no other production does.

Hansel & Gretel

San Francisco Opera

Hope can be found even in the darkest of forests.

The Velveteen Rabbit

YBCA Theater

Join us for this beloved Bay Area holiday tradition. ODC/Dance enlivens Margery Williams’ classic tale of a well-worn nursery rabbit that becomes real. Told through music, dance, and a powerful narrative, The Velveteen Rabbit celebrates the unique relationship between a little boy and his stuffed rabbit, and the enduring power of love.

A Christmas Carol

A.C.T.’s Geary Theater

Following another successful run in 2018, A.C.T. welcomes back the Bay Area’s favorite holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol.

Alice In Wonderland

Young Performers Theatre

Alice has fallen down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a curious and strange wonderland! She meets the White Rabbit, Madhatter, The Queen of Hearts and many more interesting characters! Come see this funny and clever production of a classic story! Performed by kids for kids!

Construction Site on Christmas Night

Sunnyvale Community Center

Down in the big construction site, Bulldozer, Excavator, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck and Crane Truck are giving their all to build a big new home for the fire trucks before Christmas. Will they make it? And what surprises are in store before they bid each other goodnight once more?

Smuin's The Christmas Ballet

See website

The weather outside may be frightful, but The Christmas Ballet is oh-so-delightful.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Curran Theater San Francisco

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

AMALUNA by Cirque du Soleil

Big Top, Oracle Park

A Mysterious Island Ruled by Goddesses

A Christmas Story: The Musical

Berkeley Playhouse

This holiday season, journey on a nostalgic romp full of joyful spirit, featuring music from the Oscar-winning team behind the music of La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen. 9-year-old Ralphie Parker only wants one thing for Christmas—an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle.

Oliver!

6th Street Playhouse

A traveling troupe of street/circus performers entertain their audiences with fairy tales and fables, learning about their own lives through the stories they perform.