Rediscovering the Magic of Dickens Fair: A Victorian Era Holiday Tradition
Opening up the doors this past weekend, The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party (also called Dickens Fair) has once again transformed the Daly City’s Cow Palace into the cobblestone streets of Charles Dickens’ Victorian London. For five weekends only, through December 17th, visitors can meander through four acres of Victorian theaters, pubs, and dance halls, encountering a myriad of costumed characters and shop over 100 beautiful shops within Dickens’ temporary city.
The chimney sweeps will make you giggle – photo by Vita Hewitt
This year was my second year attending Dickens and it’s become my favorite holiday tradition. Similar to the Renaissance Festival, many people decide to dress in Victorian era attire for the event so that they can fully immerse themselves in the experience. So, getting prepared for the event includes many discussions between my friends and I around what we planned to wear and also what parts of the fair we didn’t want to miss. If you have only one day you plan on going, making sure you’re all aligned on each of your favorite activities is helpful so that you’re sure to check everything off your must-see list.
Photo by Vita Hewitt
Before we go into all of the amazing things at Dickens you just NEED to check out, we wanted to address the boycott which, exciting news, has now been lifted. We’re so glad to hear that the two parties were able to come to a positive next step together in time for this year’s fair.
When we covered this event last year, we learned that there had been an active boycott of Dickens since 2021. The joint statement from The London Solidarity Network and the organizers of The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, Red Barn Productions speaks to several ways they will work together towards “a more collaborative and equitable future for all involved.” These key actions encompass reconciliation, social justice, and equity, diversity and inclusion, effective communication, and ongoing collaboration.
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to deepen our commitment to an equitable, collaborative, and inclusive Great Dickens Christmas Fair. The end of this boycott marks a new beginning, and we look forward to a brighter future for all involved,” their statement reads.
Dancers will surely entertain you – photo by Vita Hewitt
The Top 10 Must-See Attractions at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party
A literal city has been built within the Cow Palace. Over 3+ weeks, master carpenters and artists created a stunning display with holiday garland decorating every nook and cranny of the event. Theatrical guides will give you the lay of the land in a tour of London via a narrated tour that will likely include characters from the works of Mr Dickens himself.
In no particular order, here are my favorite memories from this year’s adventures at Dickens.
Take a tour of London with this character – photo by Vita Hewitt
The 100+ Shops Within The Fair
This will forever be my top reason to head over to Dickens Fair. You may not know this about me yet but my Dad is a working artist. He’s a potter and has been for my whole life. So when it comes to craft fairs, I’m pretty picky about craftsmanship.
I had a great time inside the toy shop where I was encouraged to pick up any toy and play – photo by Vita Hewitt
Dickens has top-tier artisan made goods. Dare I say it, likely one of the best craft shows in The Bay Area if not the actual best. Each artisan here at the fair handmakes their goods and you can tell they really take pride in their work. If you can’t make it over to Dickens, you can shop all of the wonderful shops via links on the Dickens website.
There are amazing new pottery vendors this year – photo by Vita Hewitt
Spot The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future
Being able to interact with so many characters is part of the fun. While you shop for the perfect handmade gifts, you may cross paths with the likes of Father Christmas, the lively Mad Sal and her companions, Mr. Dickens himself, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
The ghost of Christmas Present with Scrooge – photo by Vita Hewitt
The Many Many Shows
We sat down and watched a few shows which included a few clowns, interesting talks about how life would have been during the Victorian era and even watched a sword swallower wow a packed audience.
The sword swallower was a great show! – photo by Vita Hewitt
Chimney Sweeps put on a show – photo by Vita Hewitt
A Beer or Cider from The Pub
This year, they have new beer and cider vendors. If you’re into beers, you’ll be enjoying classic brews by Anderson Valley and Healdsburg Brewing Company. Their ciders feature a local small business called – Sincere Cider! Sincere Cider has a great origin story. They started their business right before the pandemic shut things down and it pushed them to lean in even harder to get their ciders into shops. Since then they have landed in hundreds of local shops. It’s great to hear a success story coming out such dark times. I’m looking forward to getting to know them more and sharing more of Sincere Cider’s story.
Waiting at a bar – photo by Vita Hewitt – photo by Vita Hewitt
Having DIY Your Own Fairy House
There’s an adorable kids area again this year and they’ve brought back the DIY Fairy House area with everything you need to make your backyard fairies feel cozy and at home.
Fairy house making – photo by Vita Hewitt
Fizzwigs Dance Party
I love watching the dancers at Fizzwigs entertain the crowd with period-perfect performances and group dances with ease.
Dancing at Fizzwigs – photo by Vita Hewitt
Holiday Caroling Along The London Docks
Carolers – photo by Vita Hewitt
Make a Giftable Candle
I love that there are so many interactive elements within Dickens. In the candle shop, you can dip your own candle in colors and patterns you choose yourself – a perfect holiday gift for a loved one this holiday.
Dipping a candle is a fun DIY experience – photo by Vita Hewitt
Watch a Puppet Show
There are a few puppet shows to see – this one is from Dangerous Puppets – photo by Vita Hewitt
Talk with a Silly Chimney Sweep – the Clowns of Dickens Fair
As you can see, Dickens is truly a fully-immersive family affair which has something for everyone and the perfect way to embrace the holiday spirit! It’s a tradition that I look forward to coming back to myself year after year.
The chimney sweeps always make me laugh – they are my favorite characters every year – photo by Vita Hewitt
Follow Dickens Online Here:
Facebook: @Dickensfair
Instagram: @Dickensfair
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
Children under 5: ALWAYS FREE
Active Military: 1st & 2nd Weekends FREE Admission
General $25-$45
Pickwick Club 2023 Season Pass (Good for ALL dates): $160.00 (a $495.00 value!)
Twilight (Entry after 3:00pm) $18-30
Experience Add-ons Ticket Pricing:
– Jekyll & Hyde and the Elixir of Madness self guided Puzzle Pub Crawl: $65.00 per person
– Port & Chocolate Tastings at The Green Man Inn: $20.00 per person (at 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm)More information on our https://dickensfair.com/experiences
https://dickensfair.ticketspice.com/dickens-fair-port-tasting-2023
Experience tickets sold separately and do not include your admission to the event.
Become a detective if you’d like with the Sherlock Holmes Experience! – photo by Vita Hewitt
Hilarious characters are everywhere – photo by Vita Hewitt
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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