East Bay

Top Picks for Holiday Fun in the Bay Area

Still looking for fun and affordable holiday-themed activities? There's plenty to choose from in the Bay Area.

Here are some options:

EAST BAY: 

Walnut Creek Ice Skating Rink: From 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. until Jan. 15. Check the website for details.

Martinez Ice Skating Rink: Hours vary; Running until Jan.7. Check the website for details

Live Drive-Thru Nativity: From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Bethel Baptist Church in Concord. Check the website for details. 

Chanukah Celebration: From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m on Dec. 17 at Blackhawk Plaza in Danville. Check the website for more information.

Menorah-lighting Ceremony: From 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday at Lafayette Plaza Park. Check the website for more details.

Annual Zoolights at Oakland Zoo: From 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Jan. 1 at the Oakland Zoo. Check the website for details. 

2017 Bay Area Winter Solstice: From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Anna Head Alumnae Hall in Berkeley. Check the event’s GoFundMe page for more information. 

Fairy Winterland Celebration: From 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23 at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland. 

Holiday Festival and Holiday Lights Illumination Ceremony: From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 13  at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond. Check the website for more information.

Grand Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Celebration: Starting at 4 p.m.on Wednesday at Broadway Plaza Street in Walnut Creek. Check the website for more information. 

SAN FRANCISCO:

Great Dickens Christmas Fair: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Cow Palace Exhibition Halls in San Francisco. Check the website for details.

San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker: At 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. through Dec. 30 at the War Memorial Opera House. Check website for details.

Light the Menora: Children's activities, music and lighting of the menorah by Rabbi Peretz Mochkin at Ghirardelli Square, starting at 4 p.m. Dec. 14. Check the website for more information.

NORTH BAY:

December at Bay Area Discovery Museum: Visit Sausalito and learn about reindeer or take a picture with Santa Claus throughout December; hours vary. Check the website for more information.

SOUTH BAY:

Downtown Ice: Through Jan. 15, 120 South Market Street in San Jose is home to an ice rink; hours vary. Check website for details.  

Christmas in the Park: Plaza de Cesar Chavez is transformed into a fantasy land with musical exhibits, festive lights and a 60-foot Community Giving Tree. The San Jose park is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to midnight every day through Jan. 7, 2018. Check the website for more information.

This list will be updated throughout the month of December. 

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