On Friday, Dec. 4, the City of Santa Clara lights its holiday tree at Central Park from 5:30 to 8 p.m. At 7:30 that same evening, Santa Clara University opens its 27th Annual Festival of Lights inside Mission Santa Clara. Over at Westfield Valley Fair, carolers perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. that night too. Three holiday events land on the same evening, and two of them come from institutions that have been setting the city's December rhythm for decades.
That evening is a good summary of how the season works here. The city, the university, the Triton Museum of Art and a maker fair at the Convention Center each run their own schedules. Through November those schedules stay spread out, then they all meet in the first week of December.
The Mission Starts First
The season inside Mission Santa Clara starts before Thanksgiving. On Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., SCU's Fall Orchestra and Wind Ensemble plays the Mission under conductor Anthony Rivera. The orchestra's half of the program pairs the first two movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 with Gershwin's "An American in Paris." The following week, the Fall Jazz Band and Combos Festival runs Nov. 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. in the campus Music Recital Hall.
On campus, the de Saisset Museum's exhibition "The Four (Revisited)" runs through Dec. 11. The museum is closed Nov. 21 through 30 for the academic break, though. If it's on your list, that leaves two windows: the days before Nov. 21, or the stretch between Dec. 1 and Dec. 11.
The university's own concert listing says the Festival of Lights has "marked the beginning of the winter season" for 27 years, with seasonal lighting and decorations inside the historic Mission. The fall concerts lead up to it.
The First Gift Weekend Belongs to the Triton
The first big shopping day on the city's calendar comes before Black Friday. The Triton Museum of Art holds its Holiday Art Fair on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's free and indoors, with 25 to 30 local vendors: artists, small businesses and community nonprofits. The museum asks visitors to RSVP on Eventbrite.
Arrive early for the music. The fair's page lists Victorian Carolers sets at 10:00, 10:35 and 11:10 a.m., each about 20 minutes long. After 11:30, it's shopping only.
The timing on the north side helps that weekend. The 49ers play the Vikings on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, so Levi's Stadium has no home game. Weekends in this part of the season don't stay that quiet for long.
Thanksgiving Weekend Moves North
Black Friday and the Saturday after it shift the action to Great America Parkway. San José Made's SJMADE Holiday Fair takes over the Santa Clara Convention Center at 5001 Great America Pkwy. on Friday, Nov. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 28, open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. San José Made calls it "the largest winter holiday craft fair in the Bay Area," with more than 350 makers, artists, bakers and small businesses. Admission is free.
A few details from the organizer's page can save you a trip back to the car:
- Free parking is available in the Convention Center Parking Garage and the Tasman Parking Garage next door.
- No outside food or drinks are allowed, except empty canteens. Water fountains are spread through the hall.
- Venue rules mean no food trucks or cooking stalls. The venue's concessions sell sandwiches, salads, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
- Only service animals are allowed inside.
The day after the fair closes, the same neighborhood fills up again. The 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1:25 p.m. The team's ticket page bills it as "Thanksgiving Weekend with the 49ers." If you're heading anywhere near Tasman or Great America Parkway that weekend, Friday and Saturday are fair days and Sunday afternoon is game day.
Dec. 4, Hour by Hour
Everything leads up to the first Friday in December. Here's how that evening lays out across the city:
- 5:30 p.m. Gates open at Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd., for the City's Holiday Tree Lighting. The city lists a visit with Santa, food, holiday music, live performances by local groups, booths, kids' activities and the tree lighting itself. Carolers start at Westfield Valley Fair at the same hour.
- 7:30 p.m. The Festival of Lights begins at Mission Santa Clara, with SCU's Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. The Valley Fair carolers wrap up.
- 8 p.m. The tree lighting ends at Central Park.
The tree lighting and the Festival of Lights overlap by half an hour. Doing both in one night means leaving Central Park early or walking into the Mission late. The festival's second performance is the easier fix. It runs again Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Families can stay at the park through the lighting on Friday and save the Mission for Saturday.
Saturday has a daytime option too. The Triton Museum hosts a free artist talk and gallery tour with Rose Sellery on Dec. 5 from 1 to 2 p.m. An afternoon at the Triton and an evening at the Mission fit into the same day without overlapping.
The Park Hosting the Tree Lighting Is Mid-Project
Central Park will hold the city's biggest holiday gathering while the entrance and parking project is still underway. Phase 1 covered upgrades to the Pavilion parking lot and concrete pathways, and the city's September bulletin expected it to wrap up by the end of September. Phase 2 has begun at the Kiely Boulevard and Kaiser Drive entrance. It covers a new entrance and traffic signal improvements and is expected to run into summer 2027.
The city's project page, last updated Sept. 3, listed what was open at that point:
| Area | Status on the City's Sept. 3 project page |
|---|---|
| Pavilion parking lot | Closed |
| Pavilion picnic area and restrooms | Closed; public restrooms near the Lawn Bowl facility |
| Arbor picnic area and restrooms | Open but limited, reached from the Kiely Boulevard side |
| Magical Bridge Playground and basketball courts | Open during construction |
| Parking | CRC Lot, or the Pavilion Lot once reopened |
For a 5:30 p.m. event on a December Friday, that table answers two practical questions: where to park and where the restrooms are. Check the city's Central Park project page before you head out for the latest status. The city's tree lighting page has event details. You can also call the Community Recreation Center at 408-615-3140.
The Week After
The season winds down over the next two weeks. The de Saisset's "The Four (Revisited)" closes Dec. 11. Valley Fair has more caroling on Dec. 12 and Dec. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and a Hanukkah menorah-lighting ceremony on Dec. 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The 49ers' last home game of the calendar year is against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1:25 p.m.
The weekly routine keeps going through all of it. The Saturday farmers market at Jackson Street and Homestead Road is listed by its operator, Urban Village Farmers' Market, as a weekly, year-round market open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the operator's page for any holiday closures before you go.
Here are the main dates in one place:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov. 13 | SCU Fall Orchestra & Wind Ensemble | Mission Santa Clara | 7:30 p.m. |
| Wed–Thu, Nov. 18–19 | SCU Fall Jazz Band & Combos Festival | Music Recital Hall | 7 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 21 | Triton Holiday Art Fair | Triton Museum of Art | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Fri–Sat, Nov. 27–28 | SJMADE Holiday Fair | Santa Clara Convention Center | 11 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 29 | 49ers vs. Seahawks | Levi's Stadium | 1:25 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec. 4 | Holiday Tree Lighting | Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd. | 5:30–8 p.m. |
| Fri–Sat, Dec. 4–5 | 27th Annual Festival of Lights | Mission Santa Clara | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec. 5 | Rose Sellery artist talk | Triton Museum of Art | 1–2 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec. 13 | 49ers vs. Rams | Levi's Stadium | 1:25 p.m. |
If you're mapping out your Decembers in Santa Clara for the long haul, I'd love to help with the bigger picture too. Darlene Perry tracks what's happening around the South Bay all year, and if this season has you wondering what your own place near Central Park or the Mission is worth, get your free home valuation.
