Around the Bay in December 2019

Doggies in the Window

Take a peek! Your new best buddy might be staring out at you from the Macy’s windows. Bring your friends and family to visit the San Francisco SPCA Holiday Windows at Macy’s Union Square through January 1. The colorful, artfully designed windows are filled with adorable, adoptable animals and make a great backdrop for your holiday photos. Making spirits bright for over 30 years, this is one of the City’s most beloved and magical holiday traditions. Voted on of the top 10 places “to press your nose during the holidays” by USA Today, more than 9,000 animals have found loving homes through this event from the adoption center at Macy’s, and the SPCA typically raises about $100,000 in donations.

Dickens Christmas Fair Returns

The historic Cow Palace will once again be transformed into Dickens’ London for the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party. Now in its 20th season at Cow Palace, the fair will run Saturdays and Sundays through December 22, offering visitors a delightfully immersive holiday experience without rival. An annual tradition for Bay Area natives and visitors alike, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair is an enchanting journey through a merrier era—the streets of Victorian London circa Christmas 1860. Visitors will explore twilight-lit streets with shops, pubs, stages and dance halls filled with more than 800 Victorian characters and the aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty fare. Visitors can choose from seven stages offering entertainment for all ages and tastes. Family-friendly entertainment abounds with holiday magic for the youngest guests, offering hands-on craft activities, old-world games of skill and chance, and lively interactive shows in the Tinsley Green Children’s Area. Encounter Mr. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, Nancy and many more of Dickens’ characters throughout the streets. For those looking for more daring and perhaps even naughty entertainments, join the high-kicking dancers of Le CanCan Bijou and the sea-faring songs of Paddy West at bawdy Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House, where Mad Sal herself hosts delightful new talents as well as Dickens Fair favorites. At the Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall, the extremely popular and outrageous Saucy French Postcards Tableaux Revue returns to delight adults over 18 with shockingly scandalous stories and exploits. Bring your appetite and feast on delicious foods from the British Empire and beyond, from traditional savories such as fish and chips to heavenly handcrafted chocolates and tea cakes. Also visit one of the five traditional pubs to enjoy a frothy pint of ale, fine wine, bubbly champagne, hot buttered rum, Irish coffee or hot toddy. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and tickets are $32 for adults and $14 for children 5 to 12 years old. Visit dickensfair.com to reserve your preferred date.

Light Up with Holiday Lanterns

The Lantern Light Festival at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo is a celebration of Chinese culture featuring massive lanterns, inspiring performances and incredible cuisine. Enjoy a spectacular evening of dazzling lights, colors, shapes and themes from a tradition that started over 2,000 years ago. The lantern festival is an important celebration in China, marking the return of spring, with the lighting of Chinese lanterns being symbolic of illuminating the future and the reunion of family. Each Chinese lantern is custom-built by Chinese artisans and typically takes four weeks and a team of seven to complete. The lanterns appear to be three-dimensional stained glass, and are handmade from hundreds of pieces of silky cloth. Some are over 30 feet high and others are up to 300 feet long. The festival runs through January 26. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit lanternlightfestival.com.

Santa Needs a New Sleigh

The third annual Santa Needs a New Sleigh fundraiser holiday party takes place on Thursday, December 5 at East Brother Beer Company from 4 to 8 p.m. Enjoy great beer, food by Santa Torta, selfies with Santa, an ugly sweater contest, guest bartenders and a live DJ. Proceeds will support Richmond’s annual downtown holiday festival, which provides a safe, fun and memorable multi-cultural holiday experience for hundreds of Iron Triangle families. East Brother Beer Company is located at 1001 Canal Street in Richmond. Admission is free.

Drag Queens on Ice

On Thursday, December 5 from 8 to 10 p.m., the fierce, fabulous and talented drag queens of the Bay Area are returning to the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by American Airlines for what has become one of the Bay Area’s most popular events of the holiday season, “Drag Queens on Ice.” Drag queens will don their most “gay apparel” for special holiday performances. 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. To celebrate its 10th year, this year’s event will feature new acts, audience surprises and, of course, San Francisco’s fiercest drag queens. Skate with or just watch some of San Francisco’s most notable Bay Area drag queens lip-sync and skate the night away for the 10th consecutive year. Be sure to buy your tickets online in advance, as this event is sure to sell out! If you just want to watch the show, special $10 viewing tickets can be purchased on-site on a first-come basis the day of the event. Tickets to skate alongside the queens and have the best seat in the house for the performances are $25 for adults and $20 for children. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at unionsquareicerink.com, or in person at the ice rink ticket window in Union Square Park, which is located at 333 Post Street in San Francisco.

Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair

The 2019 Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair is set for Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the beautiful Muir Beach Community Center located at 19 Seacape Drive, a short 15 minutes from Highway 101 in the charming seaside community of Muir Beach. Over 40 local artists will be selling their amazing artwork and colorful crafts, including hand-made pottery, sculpture, paintings, photography, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, woodworking, home and fashion accessories, wreaths, ornaments, hand-blown glass, holiday knick-knacks and gifts from the garden. Homemade delicious food and snacks will be available all day and beer, wine, coffee and tea will be served on the balcony offering views of the beach, the Marin Headlands and San Francisco beyond. Admission is free and there is a shuttle patrolling the streets to help anyone who needs a ride. For further information, please call Laurie Piel at (415) 595-7411 or check out muirbeachartsfair.com.