Saturdays and Sundays, and the Friday after Thanksgiving,
Nov 18 – Dec 17
at The Cow Palace, SF
“For five weekends only, the historic Cow Palace in Daly City is transformed into the streets and stages of Charles Dickens’ Victorian London. Go on an immersive adventure through four acres of Victorian theaters, pubs, and dance halls, and encounter hundreds of costumed characters along the way. Meet Father Christmas, Mad Sal and her jolly gals, Mr. Dickens, and his Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Lamplit shops filled with handmade gifts line the streets, and the enticing aromas of roasted almonds and hearty foods fill the air.
This season, visitors can enrich their Victorian holiday with curated tours, dramatic encounters, and new mysteries to solve. Guests can book a complimentary guided tour, join a delicious Port and Chocolate Tasting, sit for High Tea, or embark on a new adventure – the Jekyll and Hyde Pub Crawl. Back by popular demand, the Sherlock Holmes Experience presents a perplexing new puzzle while young ones may enjoy the self-guided Children’s Tour of London and meeting Father Christmas each day at 1 and 4 p.m.
Guests can also catch a traditional English Pantomime, Irish singers, Bedouin belly dancers, clever comedies, and astounding juggling at one of seven stages offering entertainments. From the Upperside Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall and lively Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig’s Dance Party, where visitors can join in the fun, to the raucous, somewhat naughty entertainments of Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House, there is always something for all tastes and ages.
Mr. Dickens himself and a hundred characters from his novels inhabit the Fair’s streets and stages. Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, and Nancy mingle with chimney sweeps, musicians, newsies, carolers, dancers, and saucy sailors throughout the lanes of London. Or take a seat inside the parlour of the famous Athenaeum Club, where visitors to London often include Suffragette Women and the likes of Oscar Wilde, Anne Lister, Karl and Eleanor Marx, and other notable characters from the literary, artistic, scientific, and business worlds.
With over 100 beautiful shops and carts, there is no shortage of thoughtful and unique shopping inspiration. Whether searching for the perfect holiday present for friends and loved ones – or a personal Christmas treat or two – guests will find the quaint shops and bustling emporiums filled with fine crafts, fanciful clothing and accessories, ceramics, elegant drinkware, stunning jewelry, toys, ornaments, and antiquarian books.
Don’t miss The Great Dickens Christmas Fair — a time traveler’s delight and a one-of-a-kind way to celebrate the holidays!.
