For the past two years, downtown San Rafael's biggest holiday event shared a date with Shop Small Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year it has a date of its own. The City of San Rafael has scheduled the 45th Holiday of Lights & Winter Wonderland for Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. The City calls it a "new date," and its Recreation team is producing the event with the Downtown Business Improvement District.
That one change moves the rest of the calendar too. Shop Small Saturday falls on November 28. The Winter Wonderland tree lighting comes a week later, and the downtown menorah lighting follows the next evening. Instead of one crowded Saturday, Fourth Street now has two holiday weekends, each with its own purpose.
Three Years, Three Versions of the Same Tradition
The event's recent history explains why the 2026 version matters. It has changed shape every year.
| Year | Date | Hours | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Saturday, Nov. 30, Shop Small Saturday | Noon to 6 p.m., tree lighting at 5:30 | Street festival on Fourth Street |
| 2025 | Saturday, Nov. 29, Shop Small Saturday | 5 to 7 p.m. | Tree-lighting gathering at Downtown Plaza, 1000 Fourth St. |
| 2026 | Saturday, Dec. 5 | 1 to 6 p.m. | Afternoon festival on Fourth Street, A Street to Lootens, ending with the tree lighting |
For 2024, the Downtown BID and the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce issued a request for proposals seeking a professional producer for a 43rd annual festival on November 30. The plan called for a holiday marketplace, Santa photos, costumed characters, live entertainment, and children's activities, timed to coincide with Shop Small Saturday. The day went ahead as planned. The Marin Independent Journal's photo report from that afternoon shows a DJ, food trucks, a train ride, and Santa and Mrs. Claus on hand.
The 2025 event was much smaller. The MarinArts listing for the 44th annual celebration described a two-hour evening program at Downtown Plaza: a tree lighting, a selfie station, a lighted archway, hot cocoa, costumed characters, a decorated fire department truck, and music. Fourth Street was closed from Lootens to A Street from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. that day. In its 2025 annual report, the BID listed Holiday of Lights & Winter Wonderland among the partner events it promotes but does not produce.
So the 2026 plan does two things at once. It brings back the five-hour afternoon format of 2024, and it moves the event off Shop Small Saturday. The City's announcement gives no reason for the new date, and it doesn't say whether December will be the permanent home.
What December 5 Looks Like on Fourth Street
The event site places the 45th celebration on Fourth Street between A Street and Lootens. Admission is free. The program includes Santa visits, kids' train rides, inflatables and a play area, children's entertainers, face painting, live music, food and drink vendors, activity booths, and participating downtown businesses. The tree lighting closes the day. The program doesn't list a parade. Besides the City and the BID, the site names the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce as a coordinating partner.
Because the event starts at 1:00 p.m., families with young children can come for the train rides and Santa early in the afternoon, while the tree lighting still gets its after-dark moment at the end. The 2025 format offered only the evening portion.
The City is also asking for help. Community groups, organizations, and businesses can apply to take part by hosting an activity. The City is also seeking sponsors at several levels to pay for activities, entertainment, and decorations.
November 28 Now Belongs to the Shops
With Winter Wonderland gone from Thanksgiving weekend, Shop Small Saturday on November 28 has Fourth Street to itself. The Downtown BID runs it as a campaign to bring customers into local shops and restaurants, alongside its Holiday Window Contest and a downtown holiday gift guide. Last year's participating merchants included T&B Sports at 1345 Fourth Street, Tam Commons at 1300 Fourth, McRoskey Mattress Company at 1320 Fourth, Rebound Bookstore at 1611 Fourth, Dharma Trading Company at 1604 Fourth, Ranch Water at 711 Fourth, and Metta Yoga at 851 Fourth.
The same day also opens the season's longest-running event. Downtown's fifth annual Elf Hunt runs from November 28, 2026, through January 10, 2027, along Fourth Street from Lincoln to H. Pick up a map at T&B Sports, 1345 Fourth Street, and turn in the finished map at Mike's Bikes, 836 Fourth Street. This means the holiday season downtown begins on the shopping Saturday, a week before the tree is lit.
For anyone with a new place to try, the West End has an addition since summer. Chef Alexander Alioto turned The Kitchen Table at 1574 Fourth Street into Alioto's Focacceria, which opened in August, according to the Marin Independent Journal. It serves focaccia sandwiches, pinsa, house-made pasta and sauces, salads, pantry goods, and wine to go, daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Those hours fit a Shop Small afternoon well.
A Weekend That Carries Into Sunday Night
The new date puts Winter Wonderland directly before another downtown tradition. The fourth annual Menorah Lighting & Gelt Drop is scheduled for Sunday, December 6, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Downtown San Rafael Plaza, 1000 Fourth Street. The program includes music, the lighting of a giant menorah, and a gelt drop by the fire department.
This year the two lightings take place on consecutive evenings on the same street. The tree lighting ends the afternoon on Saturday, and on Sunday evening the menorah is lit at the plaza. That is where the 2025 tree lighting was held.
Five days later, the BID's 2nd Friday Art Walk returns on December 11, after its November 13 date. The San Rafael Lighted Boat Parade on the Canal is still listed as "December TBD" on the BID calendar. The 2025 parade ran on December 13, two weeks after that year's downtown tree lighting. A date should be announced as December gets closer.
The Canal Opens the Season First
Before any of the downtown events, the season starts in the Canal neighborhood. San Rafael's 38th annual DÃa de los Muertos celebration fills the Albert J. Boro Community Center, 50 Canal Street, on Saturday, November 7, from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. Admission is free. According to the City, the afternoon begins with family art workshops, face painting, food for sale, and altar viewing in the gym. At 6:00 p.m., Danza Azteca Mixcoatl leads a walking procession through the Canal neighborhood, and Ballet Folklórico Netzahualcoyotl performs at 7:30, followed by a community dance.
The celebration also reaches Fourth Street. Altars can be set up at the community center on November 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., or in a downtown business window through November 7. Volunteers who sign up by October 31 get a free meal, and organizers will sign off on community service hours. The event site has details on the day's activities.
The Season, Date by Date
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. DÃa de los Muertos at Albert J. Boro Community Center, 50 Canal Street, with the procession at 6:00.
- Friday, Nov. 13. 2nd Friday Art Walk downtown.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. Shop Small Saturday on Fourth Street. The Elf Hunt begins and runs through Jan. 10, with maps at T&B Sports.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. The 45th Holiday of Lights & Winter Wonderland, Fourth Street from A Street to Lootens, ending with the tree lighting.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Menorah Lighting & Gelt Drop at Downtown San Rafael Plaza, 1000 Fourth Street.
- Friday, Dec. 11. 2nd Friday Art Walk downtown.
- December, date to be announced. San Rafael Lighted Boat Parade on the Canal.
At The Shone Group, we pay attention to the traditions that give a town its rhythm through the year, and the people who keep them going. If you're thinking about a home where these December weekends are a short walk away, we'd be glad to talk it through with you. Let's Get Started.
