Explore the key events of the holidays in Daly City. Our guide has all the must-see festive activities. Whether Daly City is your lifelong home or your holiday escape, this guide ensures unforgettable memories.
Popular events during the season include The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, where Victorian London comes alive with elaborate costumes, music, and holiday cheer. Another highlight is Enchant San Jose, an enchanting holiday light maze that captivates visitors of all ages with its dazzling displays. And the Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting is something you definitely don't want to miss, as it marks the start of the festive season with a beautiful tree illuminating the night. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Holiday Events In and Around Daly City
- The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
- Enchant San Jose (San Jose)
- Let’s Glow SF (San Francisco)
- Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting (San Francisco)
- Visit the Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel (San Francisco)
- Winter Walk in Union Square (San Francisco)
- Mill Valley Lumber Yard Holiday Faire (Mill Valley)
- Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting (San Francisco)
- A Drag Queen Christmas (San Francisco)
- Whynot’s A Christmas Carol (San Francisco)
See these and even more events listed below!
Daly City Holiday Light Displays
Enchant San Jose
What to Expect:
Interactive light maze with a captivating original story.
Description:
Enchant San Jose features a World's Largest Christmas Light Maze, an ice skating trail, Santa visits, and a charming holiday marketplace with seasonal food and drink.
Where: San Jose | More Info: Enchant San Jose
Let’s Glow SF
What to Expect:
Largest holiday projection event in the U.S. with high-tech projections on iconic buildings.
Description:
Let’s Glow SF is a free outdoor holiday event featuring high-tech projectors and lasers showcasing large-scale animated art across seven iconic SF buildings nightly.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Let’s Glow SF
Holidays on Fourth Street Berkeley
What to Expect:
Sparkling holiday lights and diverse community events.
Description:
Fourth Street in Berkeley transforms into a vibrant holiday destination with sparkling lights, festive activities, and community events. Enjoy holiday crafting, puppet shows, and a fantasy parade under the twinkling lights. Visit Santa's mailbox and participate in various free activities like magic shows, live music, and art projects.
Where: Berkeley | More Info: Holidays on Fourth Street Berkeley
Daly City Holiday Markets and Shopping
Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting
What to Expect:
Holiday celebration with Napa wine tasting and live jazz music.
Description:
Celebrate the holidays at the Ferry Building Marketplace with a stroll through the decorated halls, tasting Napa wines, enjoying live music by the Awesome Orchestra Jazz Band, and creating holiday crafts.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting
Mill Valley Lumber Yard Holiday Faire
What to Expect:
Unique holiday shopping and community activities.
Description:
The Mill Valley Lumber Yard Holiday Faire offers a delightful holiday experience with local artists, unique shopping, delicious food, and live music. Enjoy the festive atmosphere and various activities like photos with Santa, a dog parade, and crafts.
Where: Mill Valley | More Info: Mill Valley Lumber Yard Holiday Faire
Gamble Garden Winter Festival
What to Expect:
Unique blend of holiday shopping and community events.
Description:
Gamble Garden Winter Festival is a holiday celebration featuring a festive marketplace, holiday tea, and special events like the Grand Opening Party and Holiday Night with Santa. Enjoy wine tasting, holiday shopping, and a variety of activities for all ages.
Where: Palo Alto | More Info: Gamble Garden Winter Festival
Pacifica Winter Elf Market
What to Expect:
Handmade crafts and local vendors.
Description:
The Pacifica Winter Elf Market is a holiday craft bazaar featuring handmade items by local artists and community organizations. Visitors can shop for unique gifts and decorations while enjoying activities like caroling and photos with Santa.
Where: Pacifica | More Info: Pacifica Winter Elf Market
Winter Walk in Union Square
What to Expect:
Pedestrian plaza with diverse food trucks and arctic-themed decor.
Description:
Winter Walk in Union Square transforms two blocks into a vibrant pedestrian plaza with lush turf, diverse food trucks, enticing bars, and Instagram-worthy arctic-themed decor. The event features live performances and entertainment, making it a delightful holiday experience for all.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Winter Walk in Union Square
Daly City Holiday Shows and Entertainment
The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
What to Expect:
Immersive Victorian London experience with diverse entertainment and shopping.
Description:
Immerse yourself in Victorian London with hundreds of colorful characters, music halls, theatres, pubs, and charming shops. Enjoy Port and Chocolate Tastings, a mysterious Pub Crawl, and the Dark Garden Corset Experience. Explore dramatic streets filled with delicacies and libations, and engage in various activities and diversions.
Where: Daly City | More Info: The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting
What to Expect:
Toy giveaway and holiday-themed activities in a festive setting.
Description:
The Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting features festive performances, including the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees and appearances by Santa. Enjoy holiday-themed activities, a toy giveaway, and festive bites while surrounded by an illuminated City Hall.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting
Whynot’s A Christmas Carol
What to Expect:
Fresh adaptation of Dickens's classic with a focus on collaboration and holiday spirit.
Description:
A Whynot Christmas Carol is a joyous and puckishly funny adaptation of Charles Dickens's beloved classic. A small theater troupe in the town of Whynot gathers to put up their director's new version of A Christmas Carol. From the first rehearsal to opening night, we follow these sometimes-reluctant comrades on their quest to put on a great show with too little time and money but no shortage of opinions. The ingenious set and costume design by Tony Award winner David Zinn transports us behind the curtain as our ragtag cast boldly tackles prop mishaps and dance blunders, collaborating against all odds in hopes of a holiday miracle: real change. With festive music, magical ghosts, an effervescent cast of kids, and ample hijinks, this fresh telling amplifies Dickens’s moving and evergreen call for true generosity all through the year.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Whynot’s A Christmas Carol
A Drag Queen Christmas
What to Expect:
Live performances by drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race.
Description:
A Drag Queen Christmas is a spectacular holiday event featuring a lineup of drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race, including winners, fan favorites, and legends. Hosted by Nina West, the show promises an unforgettable night of live performances, comedy, and sass.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: A Drag Queen Christmas
Daly City Other Holiday Activities
Hometown Holidays 2024
What to Expect:
Holiday celebration with Santa, snow, pony rides, and a carnival.
Description:
Hometown Holidays 2024 is a holiday celebration in Redwood City featuring Santa, snow, pony rides, entertainment, a carnival, parade, and fireworks. The event includes complementary photos with Santa, assorted vendors and non-profits on Broadway, live entertainment at Courthouse Square, and food vendors.
Where: Redwood City | More Info: Hometown Holidays 2024
Visit the Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel
What to Expect:
Life-sized edible gingerbread house with hundreds of bricks and pounds of candy.
Description:
The life-sized Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel is a stunning display of real gingerbread and See’s Candies, creating a delightful holiday treat for all ages.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Visit the Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel
Union Square Holiday Market
What to Expect:
Free ice skating lessons for beginners with advance registration.
Description:
The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Kaiser Permanente offers outdoor ice skating and holiday festivities in downtown San Francisco. Special events include Drag Queens On Ice, Silent Skate, and Polar Bear Skate. Skaters of all ages and abilities can enjoy the rink daily from November 6th, 2024, through January 20th, 2025. Lessons for beginners are available every weekend, free with advance registration.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Union Square Holiday Market
Festive Fun in Nearby Cities!
Discover Holiday events in hundreds of cities worldwide. Check out these nearby locations for more festive fun!
- Visitacion Valley (3 miles)
- Noe Valley (3 miles)
- Mission District (4 miles)
- South San Francisco (5 miles)
- San Francisco (5 miles)
- San Bruno (6 miles)
- Pacifica (6 miles)
- Chinatown (7 miles)
- Millbrae (8 miles)
- Burlingame (10 miles)
- Alameda (12 miles)
- San Mateo (12 miles)
- Oakland (12 miles)
- Foster City (15 miles)
- Berkeley (15 miles)
- Belmont (16 miles)
- El Cerrito (17 miles)
- San Leandro (17 miles)
- Richmond (17 miles)
- San Carlos (18 miles)
- San Lorenzo (19 miles)
- San Pablo (19 miles)
- San Rafael (19 miles)
- Ashland (19 miles)
- Redwood City (20 miles)
- Castro Valley (21 miles)
- Hayward (21 miles)
- Lafayette (23 miles)
- Menlo Park (23 miles)
- Hercules (24 miles)
- East Palo Alto (24 miles)
- Palo Alto (25 miles)
- Union City (25 miles)
- Walnut Creek (26 miles)
- Newark (26 miles)
- Danville (26 miles)
- San Ramon (27 miles)
- Pleasant Hill (28 miles)
- Martinez (28 miles)
- Fremont (28 miles)
- Dublin (29 miles)
- Benicia (29 miles)
- Los Altos (29 miles)
- Vallejo (30 miles)
- Concord (30 miles)
- Mountain View (30 miles)
- Sunnyvale (33 miles)
- American Canyon (34 miles)
- Bay Point (35 miles)
- Cupertino (35 miles)
- Santa Clara (37 miles)
- Petaluma (38 miles)
- Livermore (38 miles)
- Pittsburg (39 miles)
- Saratoga (39 miles)
- San Jose (40 miles)
- Campbell (40 miles)
- Antioch (41 miles)
- Los Gatos (43 miles)
- Suisun (43 miles)
- Fairfield (44 miles)
- Brentwood (45 miles)