Published: December, 2016
JLS Tree Lighting
Celebrate the holiday season at Jack London Square on Friday, December 2 with a festive tree lighting ceremony on the Oakland waterfront from 5 to 7 p.m. Both locals and visitors are invited to cozy up and be a part of this annual tradition that will also host festivities for the entire family, including tap-dancing Christmas trees, grazing reindeer, photos with Santa, holiday treats and more. Youth choral groups will fill the evening with festive performances of holiday classics, all building up to the lighting of a 55-foot Mt. Shasta fir tree covered in 5,000 sparkling lights and 600 colorful ornaments! Visitors can bike, ferry, BART or drive to Jack London Square.
Mad Hatter Returns to Vallejo
Vallejo turns into a mad, mad world with the popular Mad Hatter holiday festival, parade and tree lighting on Saturday, December 3. The holiday festival attracts thousands to the historic downtown district with its whimsical and fire-shooting wonderland that turns the city into a fantasy world for children and adults alike. Added to this year’s attractions is the SOMA sculpture, which was created for the 2009 Burning Man event by the Flaming Lotus Girls and was displayed for two years on San Francisco’s Pier 14. Made of stainless steel and occupying a space of about 40 feet by 25 feet wide, the sculpture is a representation of two neurons connected by an axon bridge that lights up at night. Many award-winning lighted and fire spewing mobile artist contraptions ride in the Mad Hatter Parade along with a number of marching bands, dancing Cal Maritime cadets with their beautifully dressed partners, and a number of Alice in Wonderland characters including the celebrated Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Lion King and other surprises. Wonderland Festival activities begin at 1 p.m. in Unity Plaza in downtown Vallejo, with the Mad Hatter Parade starting at 4:30 p.m. The tree lighting ceremony starts at 6 p.m. with a lighted boat parade at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit hattervallejo.com.
Light Up the Night
Now in its fourth year, the Illuminate SF Festival of Light shines a light on 35 dramatic, eco-friendly light art installations—nine more than last year and more than four times the number in the inaugural celebration in 2013—accessible by public transit and free for all. Through New Year’s Day 2017, art lovers are invited to embrace the power of light and tour San Francisco’s art installations by a diverse range of local and world renowned light artists. The Illuminate SF Festival of Light has grown to include intimate artist talks, museum tours and a myriad of other light art activations across the city. These complimentary tours, talks and participatory experiences will once again highlight the newest permanent and temporary installations. The works come to life at dusk throughout many San Francisco neighborhoods with a luminescence that will turn any evening into an illuminating adventure, especially when combined with exploring San Francisco’s world-class restaurants, museums and cultural events. The light art can be found throughout these neighborhoods: the Embarcadero along the waterfront, in North Beach, Civic Center, Central Market, the Inner Sunset, SoMa, Potrero, Mission Bay, Bayview, Golden Gate Park, Hayes Valley, the Mission District and even flying in or out of SFO. For details on the artists and installations celebrated in Illuminate SF, visit www.sftravel.com/media.
Drag Queens on Ice
On Thursday, December 8 from 8 to 9:30 p.m., the fierce, fabulous and talented drag queens of the Bay Area are returning to the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square for what has become one of the City’s most popular events of the holiday season, Drag Queens on Ice. Drag queens will don their most “gay apparel” for special holiday performances, with Donna Sachet returning to serve as the mistress of ceremonies. The enchanting and exciting drag performers are sure to shine in a night full of lipstick and lip-syncing that is guaranteed to make audiences of all ages laugh and dance. Special guests for this year’s event include the return of the ever popular Queen Dilly Dally and Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Drag Queens on Ice is also excited to announce a special new guest this holiday season featuring the one and only Empress Khmera Rouge of the Imperial Council of San Francisco. For more information, visit www.unionsquareicerink.com.
It’s Legal, Dude
The Emerald Cup will make its highly anticipated return to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa on December 10-11. Founded in 2003, the Emerald Cup celebrates the community and hard work of those that support outdoor-grown, organic cannabis. The Emerald Cup brings the values of the Emerald Triangle to California and the world. Now hosted at Sonoma County Fairgrounds, the event has grown from a few hundred to 10,000 attendees. The Emerald Cup sets the standard for the best cannabis strains, seeds, edibles and topicles. As a world-renowned competition, the cup pits California’s top growers head to head as experienced judges new and old put their work to the test. Single-day tickets are $70 and weekend tickets are $120. For more information, visit www.theemeraldcup.com.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Start the New Year with a Bloody Mary and a sail! Join SF Bay Adventures on Sunday, January 1 to enjoy one of its signature Bloody Marys aboard the traditional schooner Freda B. See the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz, Angel Island and beyond. The cost of $89 includes your first Bloody Mary or mimosa (cash bar for drinks thereafter). A light breakfast of pastries, frittata, fruit and cheese is included. The schooner boards in downtown Sausalito at 11:30 a.m. and returns to the dock at 2 p.m. Wake up right on the first day of the year. For tickets and more information, visit schoonerfredab.com.
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