Three different hosts put on San Ramon's holiday season. City Center Bishop Ranch runs a ticketed ice rink plus free events on its plaza. The City of San Ramon and the San Ramon Historic Foundation run free Saturday programs at Forest Home Farms. Local dance, music and choral groups fill the Dougherty Valley stages and the library. For most of November and December, each host has the calendar to itself on a given day.
Saturday, December 5, is the exception. A city 5K, a candle-making morning at the farm, Santa at City Center, a Nutcracker matinee weekend and a holiday swing dance all fall on that one date. To plan the season well, it helps to know who runs what, because that tells you what each stop costs and whether you need to book ahead.
Who runs what, and what it costs
The three hosts pay for the season in different ways, and that shapes what you'll find at each one.
| Host | Main venue | What it costs | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Center Bishop Ranch | Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink, Alexander Square | $23 per 90-minute skate session for ages 3 and up, rentals included; tree lighting and Santa visits list no admission | Rink tickets online; fire pits by reservation |
| City of San Ramon with the San Ramon Historic Foundation | Forest Home Farms Historic Park | Free Saturday activities, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Some programs and the specialty tours require registration |
| Community arts groups | Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, Dougherty Station Community Arts Center, San Ramon Library | From free to $39.69 per show | Tickets through the city box office or the presenter |
City Center's rink is the paid anchor. According to Patch, sessions start daily at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. There is an extra 11 a.m. session Friday through Sunday and a 9 p.m. late skate on Fridays and Saturdays. Private fire pits seat up to four and come with a s'mores kit. The rink also runs a five-week Learn to Skate program for ages 5 to 14. Tickets and the full schedule are on the rink's ticket page.
The farm works on the opposite model. The city describes its Fun on the Farm Saturdays as free crafts and activities about farm life and the late Victorian era, offered by the City of San Ramon and the San Ramon Historic Foundation together.
In November, the hosts mostly take turns
The rink opened with a ceremony on November 6, where Olympic gold medalist and Alamo resident Kristi Yamaguchi cut the ribbon. Public skating began November 7 and runs through January 3. Family Photo Nights fall on November 12 and 19 during the 5 and 7 p.m. sessions.
Most remaining November dates belong to a single host:
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The farm's Bread & Jam day follows wheat from the field to the table. Kids thresh, grind and sift kernels into flour. That evening at 7:30, the San Ramon Library Foundation's jazz series brings the John Santos Quartet to the library for a Latin jazz show.
- Friday, Nov. 20. City Center's Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony runs 6 to 7 p.m. The Monte Vista Band and a group of singers perform before Santa arrives.
- Saturday, Nov. 21. Turkey Time at the farm. Santa visits also begin in Alexander Square that weekend, noon to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 26. The Bishop Ranch Turkey Trot runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. It's an all-ages 5K that welcomes dogs, plus a Tiny Turkey Fun Run for kids under 5. It supports the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and registration is through the Bishop Ranch Turkey Trot site.
There is some overlap in November, but the busy days are spread out. A family could get to almost everything without having to pick.
December 5, from morning to night
On the first Saturday in December, the three hosts' schedules land on the same day:
- 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. Day-of registration for the city's Bah Humbug! 5K opens at San Ramon Central Park Community Center, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. Online registration closes December 4.
- 9 a.m. The Bah Humbug! run/walk starts and finishes at the Community Center. It's chip-timed and family-friendly. Finishers get a holiday long-sleeved shirt and the race's Bah Humbug! ornament.
- 11 a.m. The first rink session of the day at City Center, since Saturdays get the early start.
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Candle Making at Forest Home Farms. In the 1800s, candles were the only light after dark, and children collected and melted beeswax to make them. Kids make their own candle to take home.
- Noon to 4 p.m. Santa visits Alexander Square at City Center.
- 6:45 p.m. Doors open at San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery St., with youth musicians playing before the main show.
- 7:30 p.m. Two shows start at the same time. San Ramon Valley Dance Academy's Impressions of the Nutcracker opens at Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, and Rob Dehlinger & His Alpha Rhythm Kings play a Holiday Swing Dance Party at the library.
Most of the day fits together. The 5K is done before the farm opens, and the farm's three-hour window overlaps Santa's afternoon at City Center, so a morning race, a candle and a Santa photo can all fit before mid-afternoon.
The two 7:30 shows
Only the evening forces a choice. The Nutcracker has two more shows the next afternoon, Sunday, December 6, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. The swing dance happens only once. Tickets are on the city's box office page.
The swing dance closes out the San Ramon Library Foundation's "Adventures in Jazz" series, which is in its 30th anniversary year. Per the city's event listing, general admission is $39.69 and student tickets are $24.23. The series' own site asks guests to come in their finest clothes and dancing shoes, and lists the shows as co-sponsored by the Library Foundation and the nonprofit Jazz in the Neighbor.
That leaves a simple plan for anyone who wants both. Go to the swing dance Saturday night, since it won't come around again this season, and catch the Nutcracker on Sunday afternoon. Santa is also back at City Center that Sunday from noon to 4.
The rest of December
Beyond December 5, the December calendar is spread across weeknights and other weekends, and only December 19 comes close to the same pileup:
| Date | Event | Host and place | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec. 3 | K-Pop Music Night, 5 and 7 p.m. | City Center rink | Rink admission |
| Thu, Dec. 10 | Stars & Stripes on Ice Music Night, 7 p.m. | City Center rink | Rink admission |
| Sat, Dec. 12 | Holiday on the Farm | Forest Home Farms | Free |
| Sun, Dec. 13 | San Ramon Community Chorus Holiday Concert, 2 p.m. | Dougherty Station Community Arts Center | Free |
| Thu, Dec. 17 | Olivia Rodrigo Music Night, 7 p.m. | City Center rink | Rink admission |
| Sat, Dec. 19 | Victorian Christmas tours | Forest Home Farms | Registration required |
| Sat, Dec. 19 | Hōkū & Mistletoe, 4 p.m. | Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center | Ticketed |
| Dec. 19–20 | Final Santa weekend, noon to 4 p.m. | Alexander Square, City Center | No admission listed |
Three things on that list are worth a closer look. On December 12, the farm puts on a full old-fashioned holiday gathering with Santa, ornament making, a puppet show, holiday entertainment and refreshments. That makes it the city's free Santa option, a week before City Center's last Santa weekend.
The San Ramon Community Chorus concert, listed by Your Town Monthly, is free at 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road.
December 19 is the second-busiest Saturday of the season. The farm's Victorian Christmas tours require registration, and the city describes its Victorian holiday Glass House tour as ending with carols on the walk to the Boone House, plus nutcracker nibbles and mulled apple cider. Later that afternoon, Nā Hula ʻo Mokuʻāina Kūhai Hālau and Motuʻāina Pupu ʻOri present Hōkū & Mistletoe: A Polynesian Style Holiday at 4 p.m. at Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, 10551 Albion Road. Tickets are on the city box office page.
Public skating at City Center continues through January 3.
Food between stops
On a day like December 5, you'll likely need food between the race and the farm. Erik's DeliCafe has moved to 159 Market Place, according to the Mercury News. Elsewhere in town, the owners of Clementine's are turning the restaurant at 18070 San Ramon Valley Blvd. into Casa Mia, a Mexican-and-American concept, as DanvilleSanRamon reported in October.
At Bogosian & Co., we follow the local calendar as closely as the market. If a move within the San Ramon Valley is on your mind for the new year, Schedule a Free Consultation, and we can talk through timing around the holidays.
