Sausalito Holiday Events Calendar 2024
Sausalito hosts its “Holiday by the Bay” event each year, and the celebrations grow each year as we continue to shrug off the lingering effects of the pandemic. You can check out all of the different events below, along with other local holiday activities that are not formally part of Holiday by the Bay. If you have a non-profit event in Sausalito, Marin City or Muir Beach that you’d like to see on this page, please let us know!
Click here to jump to Fireworks and Lighted Boat Parade
December 2 — Sausalito Holiday Tree Lighting, Music and Santa’s Arrival
On December 2, come down to Vina del Mar Park in Sausalito from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM to take part in the 4th annual Sausalito Holiday Tree Lighting, which kicks off Sausalito Holiday by the Bay each year. The tree is decorated by an all-star team of Sausalito city employees and civic volunteers, and all it will need is to be surrounded by people of good cheer when the lights go on. The tree lighting ceremony, with coffee, treats and more from Sausalito Equator Coffee, will crown the activities at 6:00 PM. The tree was once again the generous donation of Inn Above Tide. Performing Stars and ‘Til Dawn (see video below) will provide musical entertainment as we await Santa’s arrival in Sausalito!
December 1-24 — Sausalito Farms Christmas Tree Lot
Speaking of Christmas trees, the choices are a lot smaller than the gigantic lighted tree in Vina del Mar Park, but you can buy your tree at Sausalito Farms Tree Lot and benefot local schools and charities!
December 2-4 — ICB Artists Reception and Open Studios
The ICB Artists is a group of over 100 artists based in the ICB Building in the Marinship neighborhood in Sausalito. During Open Studios you can meet the artists, buy their work and also discuss private commissions. The historic building is fascinating all by itself, and the artists are welcoming and fun to talk with.
The Opening Reception and Preview is being held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on December 2 at the ICB Building (see map below). The Open Studios are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on October 3-4.
December 3 — Annual Sausalito Breakfast with Santa event at the Sausalito Yacht Club,
Note: You must register in advance for this event. There are two seatings in the morning for pancakes, sausage and good cheer, and Santa is a wonderful host for all the kids. Be sure to have your phone powered up to take pictures! The guests at the first seating get to welcome Santa as he arrives in Sausalito. Those at the second seating get to cheer him as he sets off to continue preparing for the Holidays! Click here for more details.
December 3 — Annual Gingerbread House Tour Kickoff Party
On Saturday, December 3 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, come on down to the Sausalito Visitor Center (near the ferry pier) for the Kick-off party celebrating the 2022 Sausalito Gingerbread House Tour, a long-running event that draws visitors from across the Bay Area. The opening party to launch this year’s expanded tour will feature a sweepstakes drawing and a live performance by the (wonderful) Marin Girls Chorus. Speaking of which, that brings us to… (Continues below after the Marin Girls Chorus video!)
*** Featured Event ***
The Gingerbread Houses in the competition are located in stores and businesses all over Sausalito during December, so hunting for them is a fun activity. (The signs in the front windows will guide your quest and we have a list of participants below on the page in the link above) This program is a long-running centerpiece of Sausalito Holiday by the Bay, with many area residents coming downtown each year to visit all the stops on the Gingerbread House Trail.
For those who like Where’s Waldo the Chamber has Gingerbread House tour maps available at the downtown visitor center by the Ferry plaza. We are proud to once again serve as one of the sponsors of this event in 2022, joining the all-star team at Sausalito’s Kimber Communications.
One word of warning: If you see giant Gingerbread People like the ones above strolling around town and spreading Sausalito Holiday cheer, do not be alarmed. Do not alter your levels of alcohol consumption nor increase your dosage of any medication. This is normal here and you’re gonna be just fine. (But if the oversized cookies are snickerdoodles instead of gingerbread, we advise that you consult a professional.)
December 3-4 — Varda Landing Open Studios
This chance to meet artists and buy their work will run from 12:00 to 2:00 PM on December 3 and 4 at 275 Gate Five Road in Sausalito.
It’s back for 2022 after a too-long Covid interlude! This annual event showcases the work of more than 25 local Muir Beach artists and chefs, with everything from fine art to crafts to unique and yummy food. (Do high-end chefs get offended when you call their carefully-crafted creations yummy? Don’t quote me, please.) And, all this happens in the beautiful environment of West Marin and the GGNRA! Muir Beach, a village located on the bluffs of the Pacific shore just over the ridge from Sausalito and Mill Valley, shares our 94965 Zip Code and we look to always publicize their events. The 2022 Holiday Arts Fair will be held Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Muir Beach Community Center. The event website is here.
December 8 — Spaulding Marine Center Holiday Open House & Craft Fair
From 4:00 to 9:00 PM on December 8, come down to the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center at the intersection of Gate 5 Road and Harbor Drive in Sausalito for their first post-pandemic open house and crafts fair. They’ve invited a bevy (A school? A flock? Certainly not a murder…) of local craftspeople and artists to show their wares. So what sound more interesting? You’ll get to see the inner workings of an operational wooden boatworks that still uses traditional methods for everything from boatbuilding to splicing ropes, and then teaches those skills to new (and old) generations of sailors. And you can scan the tables for unique hand-made items and artwork that could turn out to be a unique holiday gift. Both features sound good to me!
December 9 — Caledonia Street Candy Cane Lane Opening Night
This year’s Candy Cane Lane will feature the big holiday character decorations in Sausalito’s Caledonia Street neighborhood. From 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on December 9 Santa and an assortment of his elves (some of whom look quite familiar to folks around here) will be ready for walk-up photos with the kids. Shops will be open later than usual, and some of the retailers and restaurants will be offering specials for the event. The light displays on Caledonia Street will remain up through the Holidays.
*** Featured Event ***
December 10-11 — Sausalito Winterfest
Click here for our dedicated page with events, links, ticket information and maps for Sausalito’s classic small town Holiday celebration.
- December 10, 2022 — Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade and Fireworks. Click here for our dedicated page with Insider Tips to help you enjoy the parade and fireworks and avoid disappointment.
- December 11, 2022 — Sausalito Jingle Bell Fun Run 5K for adults and kids follows a route along the Sausalito waterfront and is followed by a pancake breakfast for runners.
December 10 – 12 — Holiday Fun at Sausalito Books by the Bay
December 10 — Ciji Ware & The Zany Xmas Sweater Team Comedy Event, with Special Sausalito Musical Guests The Hot Clams
Cascais Plaza at 750 Bridgeway in Sausalito is once again the location for Ciji Ware and her troupe to entertain us with comedy, along with music from Sausalito’s own Hot Clams. Come by from 4:30 to 5:30 PM (before the Lighted Boat Parade).
December 17 — 2022 Sausalito Makers Faire and Santa’s Workshop (with photos!)
Santa himself will also come by to hear what you want for Christmas. (This may also be your last chance to explain to Santa what really happened that night in Vegas in 2013 that put your name on the Naughty List!)
December 17 — Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra Performers Busking for International Tour
Come down to Cascais Plaza at 750 Bridgeway in Sausalito from Noon to 2:00 PM on December 17 to hear members of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra spreading holiday cheer by busking in Sausalito. They’re raising funds for their upcoming international tour, and their program has benefitted youth across Marin for decades.
December 18 — Christmas Concert at Sausalito Center for the Arts
From 4:00 to 5:00 PM at the Sausalito Center for the Arts, join Florence Williams, the Angels of Marin City and other community singers for an inspiring Christmas concert as the Holiday season kicks into serious gear. (And given the forecast for the cold weather to continue, the inside venue will make hearts even warmer!)
December 23 — Holiday Sing-Along with Community Groups
December 31 — New Years Eve San Francisco Fireworks Viewing from Sausalito — You can skip the traffic and parking hassles and watch from a view restaurant in Sausalito! Yes, we’re farther away, but you can see both barges at once and you skip all the hassles from the crowds.
Getting all these “small town America” Sausalito Christmas and Holiday season events coordinated represents a lot of clever (and hard) work by people at the City of Sausalito, the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, the Sausalito Woman’s Club, Sausalito On the Waterfront, the Sausalito Economic Development Committee (EDAC), Performing Stars of Marin and more. Bravo to everyone at these and other groups who do so much to enrich our local Holidays!
