California is known for diversity, and when it comes to Christmas Events it is no different. InTownLive.com has compiled a list of the Top Ten Christmas Events around the state. To qualify, a Christmas Festival must be a major event that attracts thousands attendees. It should be unique, fun, extravagant and put revelers in the holiday spirit. As an example, the Huntington Harbour Festival of Light (December 17 & 23) is a great December Event with a long history. It started in 1963 and attracts over 25,000 people who cruise the waterways and enjoy the holiday spirit in style. Staged by the Philharmonic Society, the Cruise of Lights is also the community’s main fund raising event in support of Orange County’s children’s music education and appreciation programs.
The Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade, held on December 5th, is a good example of an unusual December Festival. It is the ultimate small-town Christmas Event where vintage and modern tractors, antique trucks, human-powered vehicles decorated with dazzling lights, roll down Calistoga's scenic Main Street.
San Francisco is known for doing things in a big way, and the Dickens Christmas Fair is a truly grandiose Christmas Festival that takes event goers back in time to Christmas past. The holiday spirit is brought to life when old London streets are recreated inside the Cow Palace. Hundreds of costumed characters, from both literature and history, mingle with bustling crowds searching old time shops for holiday gifts and crafts. Join the Christmas festivities November 27, 28, 29 - Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm.
No place can evoke an old-fashioned Christmas Celebration better than California's historic Gold Rush towns of Nevada City and neighboring Grass Valley. Downtown Nevada City is the home base for Victorian Christmas, with singers, bagpipers, a living nativity scene and chestnuts roasted on an open fire. A few miles down Highway 49, Downtown Grass Valley celebrates its heritage with Cornish Christmas, a tradition honoring the Cornish miners from the 1800's Gold Rush days. Musicians, merchants, food vendors and visitors will take to the streets to rejoice in the holiday spirit every Friday night from November 27 through December 18, 2009.
Orange County's Crystal Cathedral's Glory of Christmas is a theatrical extravaganza filled with splendor and pageantry. The Christmas Event features a full Symphony Orchestra, live animals, flying angels and amazing special effects. The Cathedral's world-renowned pipe organ fills the all-glass structure with glorious sounds of Christmas. December 3, 2009 to January 3, 2010
Click on a thumbnail photo below to discover the Ten Best Christmas Events and Christmas Festivals near you.
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