The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party at Cow Palace

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party opens Saturday, November 19 and runs Saturdays and Sundays (plus the Friday after Thanksgiving) through December 18, 2022, from 10 am – 6 pm.  A one-of-a-kind immersive adventure into Victorian London ~ an elaborate holiday party with hundreds of costumed players performing and interacting with patrons in over four acres of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance floors, and festive shops. It's a twilight evening in Charles Dickens' London Town ~ a city of winding lanes filled with colorful characters from both literature and history. Enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air. Cries of street vendors hawking their wares ring out above the bustling crowd. Dozens of lamplit shops are filled to overflowing with handmade gifts. The 38th edition of this one-of-a-kind event has expanded to include a whole new 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall adjacent to the Cow Palace main arena. This pre-show area – known as “Vauxhall Gardens” – is free to the public (with $15 parking) and features a beautifully decorated Victorian park-like setting with a skating rink and Christmas tree sales. Visitors may purchase hot spiced cider and refreshments, skate rentals, and even live Christmas trees. Those with tickets to the Fair may continue to the lower exhibit halls to immerse themselves in the new wonders and delightful traditions of Dickensian London. The Dickens Christmas Fair is a treasured Bay Area tradition since 1970 and a splendid way to celebrate the holidays.