16 South Bay Accent
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tifully decorated holiday
trees. Visitors may bring a
new and unwrapped toy to
benefit Santa Cruz County’s
Toys for Tots campaign.
Tickets $22–$29. Roaring
Camp Railroads, 5401
Graham Hill Road, Felton.
831/335-4484.
Makers Market in the
Park. Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. Think outside the big
box retailers and treat your
loved ones to one-of-a-kind
finds at the Makers Market.
Patronize local artists selling
curated goods such as
handcrafted jewelry, handbags,
ceramics, glassware,
soaps and scented candles.
Santana Row Park, 377
Santana Row, San Jose.
408/551-4611.
27th Annual Union Street Fantasy of
Lights. Dec. 2, 3 to 7 p.m. Thousands of
twinkling lights set off one of the Marina’s
most iconic shopping districts, transforming
Union Street into a dazzling backdrop for
Santa and a team of elves to celebrate along
with jugglers, decked-out ponies, face painters,
balloon artists, costumed characters, singers
and musicians. Free. Union Street, San
Francisco. 800/310-6563.
Hometown Holidays. Dec. 2, 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Bring the kids to see Santa
and delight in the snow at this annual
festival, sponsored by the Redwood
City Downtown Business Group. Expect
a parade, pony rides, ice sculpting
demonstrations and rollicking
entertainment to keep
spirits bright. Free. 2200
Broadway, downtown
Redwood City.
650/455-5144.
Monterey Cowboy
Poetry & Music
Festival. Dec. 2,
7:30 p.m. Head to
the coast for the
19th annual festival
and enjoy a
jam-packed lineup,
featuring
acts of spoken
word and music
to entertain the
whole family. This
year features Ned
LeDoux with guests
Mike Beck, Paul Zartos
$20. Santana Row Park,
377 Santana Row, San Jose.
408/551-4611.
Community Tree Lighting
Celebration. Dec. 4, 5:30
to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy live holiday
music, refreshments,
Christmas tree lights and
the arrival of Santa Claus.
Bring your own camera to
take pictures of the wee
ones with Santa. Guests are
encouraged to bring a can of
food to benefit the Community
Services Agency. Free.
Civic Center Plaza, 500
Castro St., Mountain View.
650/903-6331.
Fantasy of Lights. Dec.
5–29, 4 to 9 p.m., times
vary. Vasona Lake County
Park transforms into a dazzling
winter wonderland to be enjoyed from
the warmth of your car. Tune in to a special
radio station for audio that accompanies
your 1.5-mile drive by animated holiday displays.
On Dec. 3–4 the displays are open for
walk-throughs. Ticket prices vary. Vasona Lake
County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los
Gatos. 408/335-2201.
Holiday Soiree. Dec. 5, 6 to 9 p.m. Don’t
miss the Santana Row Holiday Soiree, a benefit
for Second Harvest Food Bank. Enjoy wine
tasting inside Santana Row shops, carolers,
holiday sweet treats, hunky Santa photos and
more. Tickets $40. Santana Row Park, 377
Santana Row, San Jose. 408/551-4611.
Smuin Christmas Ballet. Dec. 6–10, times
vary. This crowd-pleasing show presented by
the Smuin Ballet leaps beyond traditional tutu
territory. Tap, swing and other dance styles
embody the holidays with contemporary flair.
Tickets $56–$72. Mountain View Center for
the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain
View. 650/903-6000.
Christmas in the Adobes. Dec. 8–9, 5 to 9
p.m. Take a trip down memory lane to Historic
Downtown Monterey and tour 19thcentury
adobes, where you can enjoy fandango
dance lessons at Custom House or bagpipes
and cookies at the Robert Louis Stevenson
House. Refreshments, games, history and fun
await the entire family during Monterey’s signature
holiday event. Tickets $25–$40. Pacific
House Museum on Custom House Plaza,
Monterey. 831/649-7111.
Murder Mystery Dinner: Holiday Show.
Dec. 9, 6 to 11:30 p.m. Be a part of America’s
largest interactive comedy murder mystery
dinner show and enjoy gourmet vittles while
solving a hilarious crime. Just beware: The
killer is hiding somewhere in the room, and
you may find yourself a prime suspect. Tickets
$64.95. Hilton San Jose, 300 S. Almaden
Blvd., San Jose. 866/496-0535.
Jingle Bell Run/Walk. Dec. 9. Jingle Bell
zyski, and New West. Tickets $25–$45. Golden
State Theatre, 417 Alvarado, downtown
Monterey. 831/649-1070.
Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train. Dec. 2–3,
9–10, 16–23, times vary. Hop aboard vintage
train cars adorned with thousands of colorful
lights and roll through the streets of Santa
Cruz as passengers sing carols and sip hot
cider. Santa will be on hand to visit
with the little ones. Tickets $25–
$31. Roaring Camp Railroads,
5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton.
831/335-4484.
Brighten the Harbor Boat
Show. Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m. to 8
p.m. Monterey Peninsula Bay
Yacht Club’s lighted boat parade
will bring a bit of sparkle to the
bay with a procession of festively
decked-out watercraft. Monterey Bay
Coastline.
Run Wild San(ta) Francisco.
Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Whether
you want to give yourself the
gift of meeting a personal goal or
simply take a scenic stroll, you’ll
love this flat, kid-friendly loop
around Crissy Field to historic
Fort Point that serves up
views of the Golden Gate
Bridge, Alcatraz and the bay.
All participants will receive
a Santa hat, finisher medal
and T-shirt. Tickets $5–$47.
Crissy Field, 1199 E. Beach, San
Francisco. 415/759-2690.
Santa Paws. Dec. 3, 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Bring your furry
friend to Park Valencia for
a pet-friendly portrait with
Santa Claus. All proceeds
benefit Humane Society
Silicon Valley. Registration
begins at 10:30am. Pho-
Ahmed Ahmed, Dec.
1–3, Rooster T. Feathers,
Sunnyvale
Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party!, Jan. 6–7,
City National Civic, San Jose