by Noella Noelophile®
Just two weeks from today, “Victoria Station” will be welcoming dozens of guests.
Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig and their co-celebrants will joyously swirl across the dance floor.
Sherlock Holmes will lead amateur sleuths on an investigation. Separately, a search for the renowned Dr. Henry Jekyll will require guests to explore a series of Victorian pubs, in search of a magical elixir, purported to cure madness.
And these will be just a few of the events at the Cow Palace, in Daly City, as the 39th annual “Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party” ushers in the Christmas season!
Since 1970, the Dickens Fair has been taking guests to Victorian London for a snowy Christmas Eve celebration. Interactive entertainment, great food, games and one-of-a-kind shopping experiences–often where artisans either create their specialties or teach workshops!–are all part of the festivities.
And don’t be too surprised if you find yourself rubbing elbows with Oscar Wilde, Eleanor Marx, any of the local London suffragette women, any of a hundred Dickensian characters like Oliver Twist and Bob Cratchit…
Photo by Robin Fadtke, Zoart Photography, and used with permission
…or even Mr. Dickens himself.
What you can expect
(Photo by Robin Fadtke, Zoart Photography, and used with permission.)
As you step inside the Cow Palace South Hall, the Bay Area of 2023 will fade away.
In its place, according to a recent email, will be the atmosphere of London’s Victoria Station. Train whistles, steam from imagined trains and conductors greeting you will start the interactive experience.
The conductors will direct you through the station, down the hill into the Historic Exhibition Halls–which have been transformed into Victorian London.
And so the magic begins.
(Photo courtesy of Rich Yee, and used with permission.)
The 2023 edition of the Dickens Fair will include seven entertainment stages.
Performances range from Christmas pantomimes at the Victoria and Albert Music Hall to the mildly-naughty onstage offerings at Mad Sal’s Alehouse. English pantomimes, Bedouin belly dancers, Irish dancers, Punch and Judy puppet shows and even a death-defying sword-swallowing act will all be a part of the Dickens Fair’s entertainment spectrum.
(Photo by Rich Yee, and used with permission.)
Meanwhile, more than 100 shops and vendor carts will offer unique handcrafted goods. Expect to see handwoven textiles, handcrafted Victorian garments, jewelry created from preserved roses, handcarved porcelain and much more, among the lamplit shops.
But don’t expect just to look.
Immersed in Victorian London
( Photo by Rich Yee, and used with permission.)
Every time we’ve attended, Dickens Christmas Fair has been an interactive experience. Come prepared to play darts, paint the roses red for the Queen of Hearts. try for a prize with the London Sweep Dispatch, perhaps take a spin on the dance floor with the Fezziwigs (after the Queen and Prince have led the dancing, of course) and chat with the innumerable characters roaming the streets of Dickens’ London, in this “Victorian Christmas card come to life.”
(Photo by Rich Yee, and used with permission.
Young revelers will get a chance to ride on the hand-powered Adventure Carousel, get involved in hands-on crafts activities, play old-world games and chat with Father Christmas.
While you’ll get to enjoy Victorian high tea, gingerbread or any number of other delicious dishes (the tacos, the year we went, were excellent!), this year marks the debut of some new offerings: Jack and the Beansteak vegetarian foods and Slice of Heaven calzones and flatbreads. (How tempting does that sound!)
(Photo by Amy Hart, and used with permission.)
New this year is the aforementioned Jekyll and Hyde and the Elixir of Madness Pub Crawl, while the Sherlock Holmes Experience, back by popular demand, will challenge participants to solve a new puzzle.
Included with admission to the Dickens Fair are guided tours of London, while younger attendees will enjoy self-guided walking tours. highlighting the “amusements” and “amazements” they can experience while on-site. (Don’t forget to pick up your complimentary guide to the Dickens Fair, The Illustrated London Chimes, upon entry, for a listing of the attractions, performances and experiences.)
(Photo by MarkEYE, and used with permission.)
Now–one word of caution–be sure to buy your tickets early. They’re available online ONLY, and there are a limited number–they may sell out. Here’s the link for information.
All tickets are nonrefundable, but transferable, and you may gift them to any person of your choice. Which strikes me as a great Christmas gift for anyone!
Also? If you are an active member of our armed forces (thank you!), the Dickens Fair offers free admission for you and three guests, the first two weekends of the show. Present your military ID at the Will Call for admission.
(Graphic courtesy of the Dickens Fair, and used with permission.)
Children under 5 are admitted free, and if you have a group of 20 attendees or more, be sure to contact groupsales@dickensfair.com for information about group tickets.
Have a great time–and say “hi” to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, for me!