Dickens Christmas Fair
Cat is entertainment director for this wonderful holiday event, produced by Red Barn Productions.
The fair runs weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas at San Francisco's Cow Palace.

Here are the two pieces that NBS shot on Charles Dickens which include bits of our fair! Thet were shown Christmas eve and Christmas day, repectively.
NBC Nightly News Clip
NBC Today Show Clip




With St. Patrick's Wild Geese
Dickens 2003 (taken by Howard Gold)
From the Dark Garden Window
Dickens 2004 (taken by Verna Parino)

What: The Great Dickens Christmas Fair: A holiday adventure into Victorian London, partying with hundreds of costumed players in 90,000+ square feet of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance parties and Christmas shops on winding lanes. It’s a twilight evening in Charles Dickens’ London Town – a city filled with lively and colorful characters from both literature and history. Enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air.
Cries of street vendors hawking their wares ring out above the bustling crowd. Dozens of lamplit shops are filled to overflowing with Christmas presents.
Where: Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, San Francisco
When: Five Weekends including the Friday after Thanksgiving  November 23rd-December 23rd, 2007; 11:00am - 7:00 pm
Who: Brought to you by Red Barn Productions and the Patterson Family, who created and directed the popular Renaissance Pleasure Faire at Black Point in Marin for 25 years, the Dickens Christmas Fair is a treasured Bay Area tradition since 1970.
Ticket Prices
Admission Prices at the Gate
General Admission: $22.00
Senior(62 and over)/Student/Military: $19.00 (photo ID required)
Children 5-11: $10.00

Pickwick Club Season Pass Prices:
Adult $65.00, Child 5-11 $30.00

Please note: parking fees are $10.00 per car (charged by the Cow Palace)
Ticket Sales:
For discount advance ticket sales, http://dickensfair.com/tickets.htm
Parking: $10.00 (charged by the Cow Palace)
Entertainment: Continuous performances on five stages and in the streets feature lively and colorful characters from Dickens' London. Included will be energetic song and dance in Fezziwig's Warehouse, boisterous music hall performers in Mad Sal's Dockside Alehouse, chimney sweeps, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and that evil genius Fagin.

At FEZZIWIG'S WAREHOUSE, the popular Bangers and Mash String Band provides lively accompaniment, and all patrons are invited to join the Dance Party in reels, jigs, polkas and waltzes as young Scrooge's employer, Mr. Fezziwig, holds his holiday celebration for employees. The Siamsa Scottish Dancers are there as well, with lilting Highland tunes and stirring steps. When the bands pause for a well-earned rest, visitors can join in a lively round of "Wink," "Stagecoach," or other parlour games.

The grand VICTORIA & ALBERT BIJOU MUSIC HALL provides visitors with a wealth of entertainments from which to choose.  For the young and young at heart, there’s the outrageous Christmas Pantomime with sudden magical transformations and boisterous comedy. Once a day, the stage is invaded by the dangerous pirates and lovely damsels of a 60-minute adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.  Trey Cromwell, Professional Showoff will dazzle all with his juggling and escape artistry.  A lurid Melodrama bursts upon the stage, as performed by the Crummles Theatrical Troupe of Nicholas Nickleby fame and all will marvel at the amazing illusions of the famous Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.  Later in the day, grown-ups up will appreciate the more adult fare of the artistic, yet provocative Naughty French Postcards. (18 and over, please)

Beyond Grenadiers Gate lies THE LONDON DOCK, Thameside home to the Paddy West School of Seamanship & other nautical riffraff. Look out for carousing sailors! Buy them some grog and they’ll sing you a song.

Stepping inside the colorful ADVENTURERS' CLUB elicits exciting tales of military and scientific exploits, all for the glory of Britannia. Famous figures of the time congregate here to discuss and demonstrate science, exploration, literature and the arts. Perhaps a member of the Royal Household might even stop in!

Children and parents alike will enjoy the SUGARPLUM PLAYHOUSE where sweet caroling rings out and Father Christmas himself holds court by a great toy-bedecked tree, jovially inviting young lads and lasses to join him for a lasting holiday photo memento. Children will delight as the Piccolo Puppet Players present Mr. Punch and his lovely wife, Judy, while Alice has a tea party that the wee ones can join.  La Legion Fantastique will thrill children of all ages, with marvelous inventions and exhibits of strange relics from the incredible exploits of the characters from Jules Verne’s novels, all hosted by Phileas Fogg himself!

Down by the Thames, sounds of raucous merriment draw the venturesome soul to MAD SAL'S DOCKSIDE ALEHOUSE. The saucy Ladies' Oratorical and Recreational Society amuse with rousing and racy harmonizings, all led by Mad Sal herself. Patrons can join in singing rowdy favorites in Sal's Music Hall show, where a brassy bevy of bold high-kicking beauties from across the Channel take to the stage in the wicked Can-Can.  Pipe and Bowl Morris give a lusty rendition of the ancient morris dance, the gentleman of Brass Farthing lift a lusty good ale with their songs and the jolly tars of the Paddy West School of Seamanship troll out Songs of the Seven Seas.


Food & Drink: Gourmet chefs will offer delicious foods from around the world, including fish and chips, English bangers, Greek delicacies, French onion soup, and enticing desserts. Craft Ales from local breweries and well-known British imports will satisfy the heartiest thirst. A wide selection of fine wines and champagne will be available by the glass.

Shopping: Visit the shops of London to find one-of-a-kind treasures, Victorian reproductions, fine art, romantic clothing, glittering pewter, and dazzling jewelry. Complete your holiday shopping or discover the perfect dress for that New Year's Eve party. Shopkeepers will welcome you, share a story or two, and send you on your way (hopefully laden with packages) with a hearty "Happy Christmas."



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