The Heart of the Holidays

Wonder and Delight! Enter the world of Charles Dickens' Victorian London on a magical Christmas Eve, and discover the heart of the holidays! Resounding laughter, mirth and merriment abound. You are invited to join the dance, mingle with over 750 joyous performers, and revel in hearty food and drink!

Immerse yourself in Dickens’ heartfelt stories as they unfold around you. Explore over three acres of vintage exhibition halls, marvelously transformed into lamplit streets, boisterous pubs and wondrous theatres, music halls, dance parties, tearooms, and shops offering one-of-a-kind treasures.

Join us for our 2017 Season ~
5 Weekends Nov. 18~Dec. 17,
including the Friday after Thanksgiving!

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Surprise &
Serendipity Abound

From highborn royalty to denizens of the street, the Fair teems with over 700 colorful & iconic characters from the imagination of Charles Dickens ~ and the pages of history!

Father Christmas holds court beside a great toy-bedecked tree, hearing the Christmas wishes of all good girls and boys. Or you might mingle with chimney sweeps, London bobbies, and street urchins; cheer Queen Victoria and dashing Prince Albert as they tour the streets; strike up a conversation with Charles Dickens himself, Edgar Allan Poe, or Lewis Carroll; meet Oliver Twist, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Tiny Tim, or Ebenezer Scrooge!

Our seven stages offer entertainments from the family-friendly to decidedly daring: proper ladies and gentlemen may enjoy an opera gala, children’s shows, melodramas, music and dance. Those more raffish may carouse with Can-Can dancers and salty sailors, or join in a bawdy chorus at the infamous Broadside Music Hall Revue.

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Great Gifts &
Tempting Treats!

In search of the perfect holiday gift? Explore a wonderland of one-of-a-kind artisan treasures. Over 100 beautiful shops offer fine crafts, clothing and accessories, ceramics & glass, dazzling jewelry, toys, antiquarian books, and more.

Activities & diversions abound! Try your hand at games of skill and chance, or your feet at Fezziwig’s Dance Party. Have your hair braided, your fortune told, or your portrait drawn. A Children’s Painting Garden and Fairy House Activity Area offer engaging pasttimes for little ones.

When hunger strikes, a satisfying repast is always nearby! Refresh yourself with a feast of roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding, goose or quail, fish & chips, duck a l’orange, savory meat pies, High Tea with scones, hot roasted chestnuts, and more!

What better occasion to raise a toast? ~ a pint of stout or ale, champagne, hot chocolate, spiced mead, hot buttered rum, Turkish coffee, and more! Sodas and other cold drinks are also offered.

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A Dazzling Theatrical Extravaganza!

The world-renowned Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party is the only event of its kind. We recreate the merriest moments in Victorian London for you to enjoy for hours on end, even over multiple days or weekends. A treasured Bay Area tradition since 1970, the Fair is an incomparable holiday original that generations of families embrace as their own holiday tradition. We think you will agree it's a perfectly, delightfully, splendid way to celebrate the Season!

Join us for five weekends
from 10am to 7pm
(including the Friday after Thanksgiving!)
Nov. 18 ~ Dec. 17, 2017
COW PALACE EXHIBITION HALLS

When high on the walls
You have twined the green holly
Let music resound
And let all be most jolly