Parades & Festivals

Mill Valley Winterfest

Come out and join your friends, families and neighbors for a fun and festive time featuring great small town holiday parades and festivals! Kick off the holiday season with awesome activities for all ages.

11/22-12/21 Dickens Christmas Fair, 10am-7pm, every weekend, over three acres of vintage exhibition halls into lamplit lanes, pubs and theatres, dance floors and music halls, tearooms and shops. Hundreds of costumed characters from genteel to boisterous bring the town to life and interact with patrons, Cow Palace, San Francisco.

11/25-1/1 Tis the Season for Science, 8:30am-5pm, Live reindeer, indoor snow flurries, the Snowman Theater, merry programs and performances, and mor, California Academy of Science.

11/28-29 San Rafael Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland, 12pm, rain or shine, Holiday Marketplace with arts and crafts, live entertainment, children’s activities, free snow sledding, and Holiday Parade, B Street to Lootens, San Rafael.

12/5 Dickens Family Victorian Holiday, 6:30pm, go back in time to Victorian England and meet Charles Dickens watch his characters come alive, play Victorian parlor games, dance and sing and make traditional holiday crafts. Falkirk Center, San Rafael.

12/6 Winter Faire, 10am-4pm, a day of imagination and fun with games, crafts, musical entertainment, stories, and as many chances as you dare to steal treasure from a hibernating bear. We host a distinctive vendors market that is rich in arts, crafts, toys, and seasonal items, Greenwood School, Mill Valley.

12/6 A Snow Storm in Tam Valley, 10am-4pm, snow, games, music, food and more, Tamalpias Community Center, Mill Valley.

12/6 Tiburon Holiday Festival, visit with Santa, roasted chestnuts, gingerbread house decorating and tree lighting.

12/6 Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade, vintage and modern tractors, antique trucks, and construction equipment bedecked with dazzling lights parade down Calistoga’s charming main street to celebrate the Christmas season. Santa himself makes a special appearance during the parade.

12/6 Union Street Holiday Event, 3pm-7pm, Fantasy of Lights Holiday celebration transforming Union Street into a magical backdrop for Santa and a team of elves to celebrate along with jugglers, live ponies dressed as reindeer, face painters, balloon artists, costumed characters, singers and live entertainment, Cow Hollow, San Francisco.

12/6 Swedish Christmas Fair, 9am-4pm, fill your stockings and bellies at this traditional Swedish fair, crafts, food, dancing and more, 1111 Gough Street, San Francisco.

12/7 Mill Valley Winterfest, 11am - 5pm, music, food, and snow, followed by a lighting of the tree, Downtown Mill Valley.

12/7 A Snow Storm in Tam Valley, 12-4pm, snow, games, music, food and more, Tamalpias Community Center, Mill Valley.

12/7 Snow Day in the Gourmet Ghetto, (rain date is 12/14) 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, Berkeley.

12/7 Lighting of the Snowmen, 4pm, Cornerstone, Sonoma.

12/12 Winter Fest, 5-7pm, photos with Santa, music, arts & crafts, face painting, bouncy house and more, Marinwood Community Center.

12/12-14 Snow Days Family Fundraiser, 10am-4pm, Explore the Museum transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with REAL SNOW! Play in the snow, learn the science of snow and participate in special winter-themed activities and programs, Bay Area Discovery Museum.

12/13 Winter Fest, Lighted Boat Parade and Fireworks and children's activities, Sausalito waterfront.

12/13 San Rafael Lighted Boat Parade, 5:30pm, The parade starts just outside the San Rafael Canal and passes by the Marin Yacht Club on its way to the turning basin just in front of the San Rafael Yacht Club. 

12/13 Lighted Boat Parade, A flotilla of illuminated boats makes a dramatic arrival at the Petaluma River Turning Basin. Vessels sail from the Petaluma Marina at 6pm and arrive in the Turning Basin at approximately 6:30pm, Petaluma.

12/13 Parol Lantern Festival, 5-9p, Yerba Buena Gardens.

12/13 Holiday Celebration, 9-2pm, fun, family-friendly activities. Join us for writing and sending a letter to Santa, complimentary photos with Santa, children's entertainment, holiday cookie decorating, face painting, and seasonal music and caroling, Marin Country Mart, Larkspur.

12/13 Let It Snow, 10am-5pm, The Green on Sherman, Novato.

12/14 Holiday Event, 2pm -5pm, gathering to carol, create wreaths, potluck and enjoy the holiday spirit with your neighbors, Women’s Club, 46 Park Road, Fairfax.

12/14 Festival of Lights, 11:30am-2:30pm, Hanukkah Party Celebration including food, arts & crafts, music by Miss Kitty, bouncy house and more, Marin Osher JCC, San Rafael.

12/14 Oakland Museum Winterfest! 12-3pm, Explore the traditions honored in celebrations including Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Mexican Christmas through hands-on art activities for the whole family.

12/21 Holiday Event, Meet Mr. & Mrs. Claus 3pm, Tim Cain Christmas sing along at 4pm, Rancho Nicasio.