by Noella Noelophile®
(Royalty-free image by Annette from Pixabay.)
“It’s that time of year…”
When I was a (smaller) kid, that phrase meant frost in the air, crafting ornaments and the sound of distant jingle bells.
Today? Summer is technically not over for several weeks, but we’re already looking ahead to the Christmas season.
And if you’d like to plan ahead to enjoy the festivities, now is the time.
Here are several California Christmas events to put on your calendar.
Irvine Park Railroad’s annual Christmas Train
(Photo courtesy of Irvine Park Railroad, and used with permission.)
No, tickets are not available–yet.
BUT, Irvine Park Railroad has posted on their website that tickets will go on sale on Monday, November 2nd, at 10:00 am, Pacific time.
This 1/3 scale train is a magical experience, dropping passengers off at the North Pole for a Santa visit and taking them through the “Tunnel of Lights” on their return trip.
Not surprisingly, the Christmas Train sells out every year, so you may want to be up bright and early on November 2nd for your chance at tickets. This year’s dates: Friday, November 27th through Wednesday, December 23rd.
And meanwhile, you might like to take a ride on the train through Irvine Regional Park, on a regular weekday or weekend. Weather permitting, Irvine Park Railroad is open seven days a week.
(Royalty-free image by Mariya Muschard from Pixabay.)
Great Dickens Christmas Fair, Daly City
I don’t have a full rundown of this year’s attractions–yet.
What I do know, is that tickets for this beloved Bay Area tradition will go on sale in October.
The Dickens Fair’s website lists their 2026 dates as five weekends: “Nov. 21 – Dec. 20, 2026, plus the Friday after Thanksgiving”, at the Cow Palace.
So, why am I mentioning this here? Two reasons:
They offer a great “Prepare for the Fair” tab on their webpage, with a listing of Dickens’ works, movies you might like to see in advance, and Victorian costume guidelines, if you’d like to attend in costume. In addition, if you’d like to get involved by working at the Dickens Fair, they have a “Participate” tab. (Entertainment proposals for the 2026 season are now closed, according to their website, and the due date for new artisan applications for this year is listed as June 15th, but you may want to check these out for 2027.)
Also, at the bottom of their “Ticketing” page is a box to subscribe to their newsletter, for updates–and I’ll let you know, as soon as I know, what’s in store for us Dickensians this Christmas season in London, Daly City.
(Photo courtesy of Winter Fest OC, and used with permission.)
Winter Fest OC
From the Friday after Thanksgiving until early January, the Orange County Fairgrounds and Event Center become a decidedly “wintry” location.
Ice tubing, ice skating, real snow and Polar Putt-Putt, along with festive lights, live entertainment and nightly tree lighting, are all part of the celebration.
This is Winter Fest OC, Southern California’s largest Christmastime festival, and “Early Bird” ticket sales are happening now.
A quick look at their website shows their popular “Winter Pass”, as well as their “Season Pass” available today for under $50. They also offer a “Platinum Pass”, with unlimited carnival rides, for around $102 at this point.
Winter Fest OC 2026 runs from Friday, November 27th through Monday, January 3rd.
And–that’s it, for now! Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer.