Hanukkah Fests & Christmas Events 2022: Livermore, East Bay

LIVERMORE, CA — Keep the ho-ho-ho-ing going!

While several such holiday events as tree lightings and parades are over, festivities still abound for Hanukkah and Christmas 2022 throughout Livermore and the East Bay.

The Jewish Festival of Lights begins Dec. 18, running through Dec. 26, while Christmas falls this year on Sunday, Dec. 25.

Peruse Patch's annual guide to menorah lightings, Santa stops, "Nutcracker" ballets, Christmas concerts and other holiday extravaganzas.

Do note: Always confirm with organizers that events are proceeding as planned when posted.

And Happy Holidays to all, from Patch!

-------------

ALAMEDA:

DEC. 17: Procrastinator's Peculiar Holiday Pop-Up Market. A most unique event with bugs, bones, taxidermy, dark art, jewelry, tarot readings, DJ, holiday craft beers, food truck & more.

DEC. 17: Yule Midwinter Outdoor Market. In West End Arts District.

DEC. 17-18: Santa Home Visits. Residents can book visits from the Big Guy.

DEC. 18: Chanukah Menorah Lighting Fest, Latkes, Donuts & Grand Can-Orah. Bouncers for kids, gelt & giant menorah made of cans!

DEC. 31: New Year's Eve Gala: USS Hornet. Ring in the New Year with live music, food & dancing.

DEC.-JAN.: The Little Ice Rink: Alameda Point. Not planned for 2022-23.

----------

ALAMO:

THROUGH DEC. 31: European Model Train Exhibit. "Holiday fun for the whole family."

----------

ALBANY:

DEC. 17-18: Santa On Solano. Stop by & see Old St. Nick while strolling a charming street.

DEC. 18: Baymele Klezmer Trio - Hanukkah Concert. "Showcases newly rediscovered gems from Ashkenazi Jewish, Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian & Hungarian folk music traditions."

----------

BERKELEY:

DEC. 17-18: Santa On Solano. Stop by & see Old St. Nick while strolling a charming street.

DEC. 18: North Berkeley Winter Festival: Saul's Latke Party & Klezmer Jam. Outdoor fun at North Berkeley Winter Festival.

DEC. 18: Handel's Messiah Sing-Along. Concert extravaganza with orchestra & soloists.

DEC. 21: Chanukah Story Time & Craft Time. Held in Kensington by Chabad of El Cerrito.

DEC. 21-24 & 27-30: The Marsh Presents "Fool La La: Holiday Gift!" Show includes family juggling workshop.

THROUGH DEC. 24: Holidays On Fourth Street, Santa & Light Show. Plus dates for artisan market, marionette show & fantasy parade, too!

THROUGH FEB.: 'Five Palms' Outdoor Skating Rink: Claremont Club & Spa. Lace up your skates!

-----------

CASTRO VALLEY:

DEC. 18: Chanukah Celebration & LEGO Menorah. Free with latkes, doughnuts, live music & more.

THROUGH JAN. 1: 'Musical, Holiday Lights Show' - A stunner, residential drive-by in its 7th year.

-----------

CONCORD:

DEC. 16-17: Drive-Through Nativity Scene. Free at Bethel Baptist Church.

DEC. 17: HEAD WEST Holiday Marketplace: Todos Santos Plaza. Live music, food, plus kid- & pet-friendly.

DEC. 18: Breakfast With Santa & 'Grinch' Movie: The Veranda. Book soon!

DEC. 22: Hanukkah Celebration & Menorah Lighting: The Veranda. With Chabad of Concord.

THROUGH DEC. 24: 'Santa’s Flight Academy' Holiday Photo Experience: Sunvalley Mall. Reservations recommended.

THROUGH FEB. 4: 'Ice At The Veranda' Outdoor, Holiday Skating Rink. Season passes offered, too.

-------

DANVILLE:

DEC. 17: SRVHS Ski and Snowboard Swap. Have a skier or snowboarder on your gift list?

DEC. 17: Ugly Sweater Howlday Fundraiser. Support injured, foster dog, Oliver. At Primo's Pizzeria & Pub.

DEC. 17: Tech Help, Food & Holiday Fun. With Danville Youth Council.

DEC. 18: Community Chanukah Celebration: City Center Bishop Ranch. Hosted by Chabad of Danville & S. Ramon.

----------

DUBLIN:

DEC. 22: Chabad Of Tri Valley 'Chanukah On Ice' - A celebration at Iceland.

----------

EL CERRITO:

DEC. 17-27: Sundar Shadi Holiday Display. The annual tradition returns!

DEC. 18: Chanukah Extravaganza. Celebration includes fire juggling, bounce house, menorah lighting, latkes, donuts & more.

DEC. 21: Chanukah Story Time & Craft Time. Held in Kensington by Chabad of El Cerrito.

----------

FREMONT:

DEC. 18: Chanukah Celebration & Menorah Lighting: Downtown Event Plaza. With gelt drop, donuts & carving of giant ice menorah!

DEC. 18: Holiday Craft Show. With shopping, music, food, drinks & Santa photos.

THROUGH DEC. 28: Holiday Train Of Lights: Niles Canyon Railway. Tickets always sell fast, so don't delay.

THROUGH DEC. 31: 'Crippsmas Place' Neighborhood Holiday Display & Charity Fundraiser. A not-to-be-missed community tradition with 70+ homes.

---------

HAYWARD:

DEC. 17: Christmas Festivities At McConaghy House. Halls are decked!

DEC. 17: Christmas Festivities At Meek Mansion. A Saturday with holiday fun.

------------

HERCULES:

DEC. 17: Breakfast with Santa. Tickets on sale.

DEC. 17: Health & Wellness Holiday Market. At The Exchange at the Waterfront on Bayfront Boulevard.

DEC. 18: LGNDS Holiday Showcase. A dance showcase!

----------

LAFAYETTE:

DEC. 17: Wreath Across America. Public ceremony at historic Lafayette Cemetery with VFW Post 8063 Color Guard & military wreath laying by service members & veterans.

DEC. 18: Chanukah Fest & Grand Menorah Lighting: Plaza Park. Full celebration with gelt, latkes, donuts & more.

--------

LIVERMORE:

THROUGH DEC. 31: Deacon Dave’s Casa del Pomba Christmas Display. Opening day procession is Dec. 2.

DEC. 15: Acoustic Christmas Night. At Good Morning Maxwell.

THROUGH DEC. 16: Annual Warm Coat Drive For Local Families. Sponsored by Gene Morgan Insurance Agency.

THROUGH DEC. 16: LARPD Letters to Santa. There's a magical mailbox at Robert Livermore Community Center!

DEC. 16-18: Valley Dance Theatre 'The Nutcracker': Bankhead Theater. An annual Tri-Valley favorite.

DEC. 18: Caroling Around Livermore. Anyone can join the fun.

DEC. 18: Chanukah Under The Stars & Menorah Lighting: Bankhead Theater. With gelt drop from the fire department!

DEC. 19: Jake Shimabukuro Christmas in Hawaii. The " jolly ambassador of aloha" comes to Bankhead.

DEC. 20: Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular. "A traditional Mexican Christmas spectacular."

DEC. 22: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. "A remarkable true story told in the words and songs of the men who lived it" at Bankhead Theater.

DEC. 24: Christmas Eve at Asbury UMC. Three different services offered.

DEC. 31: NYE 2023 Masquerade Party. Ring in the New Year at airport's one-of-a-kind Elevation LVK.

DEC. 31: New Year's Eve with Meredith McHenry. Evening concludes with sparkling wine toast & desserts in Bankhead lobby.

-----------

MARTINEZ:

DEC. 18: Hanukkah Celebration & Menorah Lighting: Downtown. With music, sufganiyot & family fun!

DEC. 18: Free Christmas Event. Pictures with Santa, sponsored by boy scouts.

DEC. 18: Lowell Ensemble Holiday Concert. Evening show was added after matinee sold out.

DEC. 31: New Years Eve Party with the Killbillies. With special prix-fixe dinner at Roxx on Main.

---------

MILPITAS:

DEC. 18: Winter Clothing & Items Drive. Spreading "kindness to our unhoused neighbors and underprivileged families!"

DEC. 20: The Puppet Company's 'The Nutcracker' - Fun at the library for the little ones.

-------------

MORAGA:

DEC. 18: Harmonies of the Season. With Grammy Award-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy.

---------

NEWARK:

DEC. 17: Portuguese Christmas Market: Pavilion. Face painting, Santa photos, cookie decorating & more planned.

DEC. 17: Newark Symphonic Winds - Free Holiday Concert & Sing-along. Santa & Mrs Claus will make an appearance!

THROUGH DEC. 24: Pictures With Santa, Pet Nights & Santa Cares Day: NewPark Mall. Specific dates set for pet & Santa Care visits.

-----------

OAKLAND:

DEC. 16-30: Fairy Winterland. Children's Fairyland hosts festive evening activities.

DEC. 17: Harmonies of the Season. With Grammy Award-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy.

DEC. 18: Hanukkah Celebration: Lake Temescal. Open to all.

DEC. 18: Vivaldi "Magnificat in G minor" in Montclair. "Wonderful way to celebrate the holidays."

DEC. 21: Hanukkah Car Menorah Parade. "Share the joy and spread the Chanukah light!"

THROUGH JAN. 29: Glowfari: Holiday Lantern Festival: Oakland Zoo. Santa will be there, too.

---------

PLEASANT HILL:

DEC. 15: Clarinet Fusion Christmas Concert. Bringing holiday musical cheer with variety of classic & popular tunes.

DEC. 24: Christmas Eve Service & Baby Shower for Mary. Gifts requested go to mothers in need in Contra Costa County.

----------

PLEASANTON:

DEC. 16-17 & 27-28: Holiday Drive-In Movie Nights: Alameda County Fairgrounds. Three of the nights include a drone show, too.

DEC. 20: Chanukah Wonderland: Stoneridge Shopping Center. With kids' crafts, music, face painting & lighting of giant menorah.

DEC. 24: Christmas Eve Candlelight Services. At Valley Community Church.

THROUGH DEC. 31: 'Widmer World' Annual Holiday Display. A beloved community tradition.

---------

PIEDMONT:

DEC. 18: Hanukkah Menorah Lighting, Donuts & Dreidels. Registration required.

DEC. 20: Chanukah Celebration & Menorah Lighting: Community Hall. With gelt drop, latkes, donuts, music & more.

DEC. 31: Family-Friendly Noon Year's Eve. With music, crafts, & balloon drop.

------------

PINOLE:

DEC. 15: Police Department Toy Drive & Shop With A Cop. Event is at Target on Fitzgerald Drive.

---------

SAN FRANCISCO:

THROUGH DEC. 16: The Guardsmen Christmas Tree Lot. A Bay Area tradition since 1947.

DEC. 17-18: Creativity Explored Holiday Pop-Up. Saturdays & Sundays at Ferry Building & supporting neurodiverse & disabled Bay Area artists.

DEC. 17-18: Mark Foehringer's Nutcracker Sweets. Unique 50-minute version designed for families with young children.

DEC. 17-18: Dollie & Me Holiday Tea. At The Westin St. Francis.

DEC. 17-18 & 24: Breakfast With Santa: Hyatt Regency SF, Embarcadero Center. Don't miss the 2022 Snow Village display in the lobby.

DEC. 18: Holiday Craft Making. Ideal for families.

DEC. 18: JCCSF Glowing Hanukkah Pop-Up & Menorah Lighting: Ghirardelli Square. Have light-up, glittery, glow-in-the-dark outfits? Wear 'em!

DEC. 18: Bill Graham Chanuakah & Menorah Lighting: Union Square. "Lighting it up since 1975."

DEC. 18: KITKA Women's Vocal Ensemble: Wintersongs. "Abundant feast of sacred & secular songs for holiday season."

DEC. 24: SF Gay Men’s Chorus 'Holiday Spectacular: Home for the Holidays': Castro Theatre. The return to historic Castro Theatre for first time in three years.

DEC. 24: Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Christmas Eve Concert. At Great American Music Hall.

THROUGH DEC. 24: Smuin Contemporary Ballet's "The Christmas Ballet" - "Declared 'sheer joy…the finest toast to the season' by the San Francisco Chronicle."

THROUGH DEC. 24: 'A Christmas Carol': American Conservatory Theater. A holiday tradition for San Francisco Bay Area families for nearly 50 years.

THROUGH DEC. 30: World Premiere of New 'Sleeping Beauty' Panto for the Holidays. "Slapstick humor, one-line zingers, outrageous characters & send-ups of current events."

THROUGH DEC. 31: 'Dear San Francisco' Holiday & NYE Edition: Club Fugazi. ""Leap into the holiday season with the show thousands have fallen head over heels for!"

DEC. 31: New Year's Eve with ALESSO + Open Bar. "Regarded as one of best New Year’s events in the country!"

THROUGH JAN. 16: SF Union Square Safeway Holiday Ice Rink. Bay Area tradition with themed Drag Queens On Ice, Learn to Skate, Flashback Fridays, Polar Bear Skate & more.

----------

SAN JOSE:

THROUGH JAN. 1: 'Christmas In The Park' Holiday Walk-Thru: Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Free to all. Tree lighting is Nov.25.

THROUGH JAN. 1: Blinky's Holiday Lights Drive-Thru: Lake Cunningham Park. Load up the gang! Tickets on sale.

DEC. 15-18: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Presented by Silicon Valley Shakespeare.

THROUGH DEC. 18: The Nutcracker. With live orchestra.

DEC. 17: Winchester Mystery House 'Holidays with the Historian' - Step back in time with treats, caroling & more. Victorian costumes encouraged.

DEC. 16-18: History Park Heritage Holiday Light Show. With "sleigh" rides, games, food trucks & more.

DEC. 18: Santana Row Chanukah Concert & Menorah Lighting. Get your tickets!

DEC. 19: Menorah Lighting. At Westfield Oakridge with Chabad of San Jose.

THROUGH DEC. 23: Willow Glen Christmas Lights Pedicab Tours. Children 5 and under ride for free.

DEC. 29-30: Aiden Sinclair’s Ghost Of Christmas Passed: Winchester Mystery House. "Once upon a time, Christmas was more than a celebration of giving."

DEC. 31: New Year's Eve San José Chamber Orchestra 'Celebration' Concert. "Reception following with a bubbly New Year's Eve toast!"

-----------

SAN LEANDRO:

DEC. 14: Free, Family Craft Night: Celebrate Winter Holidays. With hot cocoa, cookies & short, animated film.

DEC. 17: 'A Time To Be Jolly' Puppet Show. Free, family fun at the library.

----------

SAN RAMON:

DEC. 17: 'Fun On the Farm' Christmas Cards Craft: Forest Home Farms Historic Park. Event is free.

DEC. 17: SRPC's Annual Christmas Event for Kids. Festive afternoon at Christ Community Church.

DEC. 18: GRAND Christmas-New Year Dinner Party. Hosted by SanGaMa.

DEC. 18: Community Chanukah Celebration: City Center Bishop Ranch. Hosted by Chabad of Danville & S. Ramon.

THROUGH JAN. 8: Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Skating Rink: City Center Bishop Ranch. Open daily, even on holidays.

---------

SUNOL:

THROUGH DEC. 28: Holiday Train Of Lights: Niles Canyon Railway. Tickets always sell fast, so don't delay.

----------

UNION CITY:

DEC. 17-18: Bay Philharmonic Presents: A Holiday Spectacular. Featuring Bay Philharmonic, choirs, vocal soloists, ballet dance company & Santa.

----------

WALNUT CREEK:

DEC. 16-18: 'The Biggest Gift' Christmas Theater With Tucker the Elf: Lesher Center. A family tradition in the East Bay.

DEC. 17: Holiday Movie Marathon. PJs welcomed at Rotator Taproom.

DEC. 17: Open Air Artisan Faire | Makers Market. Finish your shopping!

DEC. 18: Chanukah Celebration & Grand Menorah Lighting: Broadway Plaza. With live music, juggling, latkes, donuts & tallest menorah in Contra Costa.

THROUGH DEC. 22: 'A Christmas Carol': Lesher Center. "Critics have called it 'THE Christmas Carol to see in the Bay Area.'"

THROUGH DEC. 24: Photos With Santa: Broadway Plaza. Book your spot to see the jolly one!

DEC. 24: Chanukah On Ice & Menorah Lighting: Outdoor Skating Rink. Tickets on sale.

DEC. 31: New Year's Eve Casino Night. At the Elks Lodge with dinner & dancing.

THROUGH JAN. 8: Holiday 'Garden of D’Lights': Ruth Bancroft Garden. Annual, magical walk-thru for the season.

-------------

FOR COMPLETE BAY AREA GUIDE: Hanukkah Fests & Christmas Lights Displays 2022: SF Bay Area

---------------

ALSO SEE: SF Bay Area Crab Feeds 2023: All-You-Can-Eat, In-Person & Drive-Thrus