Most of Novato's December holiday events are free and need no planning. The Holiday Crafts Faire charges no admission. The Community Tree Lighting Festival turns Old Town into a pedestrian zone you can walk into. The Bouncy Ball drop on New Year's Eve only needs you there by noon. Some of the smallest events cost $5 or $20, and those are the ones that fill up. Registration for them opened in the first days of November, so planning for December is happening now.
There are two organizers. Most of the daytime events are run by the City of Novato's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department and are based at the Margaret Todd Senior Center on Hill Road. The evening tree lighting belongs to the Downtown Novato Business Association and fills the streets of Old Town. Both come together on one Saturday, December 5.
What Needs Action Before December
Here is the November side of the calendar, in the order the deadlines arrive.
| Event | When it happens | Cost | What to do now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos with Santa | Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to noon | $5 per family | Registration opened Nov. 2; time slots are limited |
| Gingerbread Build | Sat., Dec. 12, sessions at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. | $20 per kit for up to four people, $16 per additional kit | Registration opened Nov. 3 |
| Letters to Santa | Mailbox open Nov. 9 through Dec. 4 | Free | Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply |
| Holiday Crafts Faire | Fri., Dec. 4 and Sat., Dec. 5 | Free admission | Bring cash |
| Community Tree Lighting Festival | Sat., Dec. 5, 4 to 7:30 p.m. | Free | Plan your evening |
According to the City of Novato's events page, Photos with Santa runs in time slots between 10 a.m. and noon. Only one person per family has to register, and each photo comes with a goodie bag. Two hours of slots for a whole city is a small window, which explains why a $5 event needs a reservation weeks ahead.
The Letters to Santa mailbox sits at the Novato Gymnastics Center, 950 Seventh St. It opened Nov. 9, has a mail slot that works around the clock, and stays open through Dec. 4. The City is clear that a letter without a self-addressed, stamped envelope inside will not get a reply. If you're tucking a child's letter into an envelope at the kitchen table, add the stamped return envelope before you seal it.
Friday Night on Hill Road
The holiday weekend starts the evening before the big Saturday. The 2026 Holiday Crafts Faire opens Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. and returns Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Margaret Todd Senior Center, 1560 Hill Road.
The City lists more than 50 artisans selling handmade jewelry, ceramics, specialty foods, wreaths, ornaments and bath and body products, with entertainment and food available on both days. Admission is free. The City recommends bringing cash because it can't guarantee every vendor will take cards.
Friday night is the quieter session. On Saturday the faire shares the building and the morning with Santa photos, so you'll have more room to browse wreaths on Friday night. Parking is in the senior center's main lot, with overflow at the Hill Education Center lot and the parking for the Hill Recreation Area bocce ball and pickleball courts.
Saturday, December 5, in Order
Saturday is when the City's daytime events and the downtown evening event line up back to back. Taken in order, the day looks like this:
- 10 a.m.: The Crafts Faire reopens at 1560 Hill Road, and Photos with Santa starts in the same building. Santa is making his stop at the faire itself.
- Noon: The Santa photo slots end. The faire keeps going.
- 4 p.m.: The Crafts Faire closes. Downtown, the Community Tree Lighting Festival begins.
- 7:30 p.m.: The tree lighting festival wraps up.
The faire closes at 4 p.m. and the festival opens at 4 p.m., so a family with young children can spend the morning on Hill Road, go home for a nap and a meal, and still reach Old Town for the evening. Santa appears at both events. Families who booked a photo slot in the morning can treat the evening visit as a bonus. Families who missed out on a slot still get a chance to see him downtown.
Old Town After Dark
The Downtown Novato Business Association holds the Community Tree Lighting Festival on the first Saturday of December. In 2026 that's Dec. 5, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. The DNBA's events page describes Old Town streets going pedestrian-only for the evening, with live performances, artisan vendors, food and drink, craft projects for kids and the tree lighting. Santa arrives by firetruck so he and his elves can hear children's wishes.
Last year's version gives a sense of the layout. The City's 2025 holiday roundup placed the festival on Sherman Avenue, with live music, dance performances, arts and crafts, vendors and the tree lighting, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Check the DNBA's page closer to the date before setting a meeting spot.
The tree lighting also connects the evening to the City's day events. The same 2025 roundup encouraged residents to shop locally during the season and pointed to the City's Shop Local Novato directory. With Old Town closed to cars and the shops right there, the festival is a good time to do some of that holiday shopping.
The Road Between the Two Halves of Town
This year there's a new factor in getting around Novato in December. The City's Novato Boulevard Improvements project covers the stretch from Diablo Avenue to Grant Avenue. On Sept. 22, 2026, the City Council awarded the construction contract to Team Ghilotti, Inc. The City, the North Marin Water District and the Novato Sanitary District combined their roadway and underground utility work into one project to shorten the overall timeline and limit repeated disruptions.
The City's project page says construction was expected to begin in late October or early November 2026 and take about 18 to 24 months. During that time, the City says to expect periodic traffic delays, lane restrictions and temporary changes to access. The project's construction updates hub gives a tentative November 2026 start and lists a project line at 415-763-7635 and the email [email protected].
The plans call for continuous sidewalks and Class II bike lanes on both sides of the boulevard, roadway widening, updated crosswalks, traffic signals and street lighting, upgraded drainage, and water-efficient, fire-wise landscaping. PG&E has largely finished its major gas and electrical underground work on the corridor. Service cutovers, removal of overhead equipment and telecommunications work will continue into 2027.
The Novato Boulevard corridor ends at Grant Avenue, so a downtown evening on Dec. 5 is close to where the work is planned. The hub is the place to check lane restrictions the week of the festival, and it's worth signing up for project updates before then.
After the First Weekend
The calendar keeps going after Dec. 5, and both of the remaining events reward planning ahead.
The Gingerbread Build returns to the Margaret Todd Senior Center on Saturday, Dec. 12. The 9:30 and 11 a.m. sessions include holiday music, hot chocolate and coffee. This year the 1 p.m. session is new. It's designed to be sensory-friendly for all ages, including people with disabilities, sensory sensitivities or other access needs, with quiet music, a smaller group and a space for breaks. Kits are $20 for up to four people and $16 for each additional kit, and registration opened Nov. 3 through the City's recreation portal. Because that 1 p.m. session is smaller by design, it has fewer spots.
The Bouncy Ball New Year Countdown closes out the year in Downtown Novato at noon on Dec. 31. Thousands of small bouncy balls drop onto the street from a ladder truck 40 feet up. Kids get a souvenir hard hat and can keep as many balls as their pockets and buckets can hold. The noon start means families with young children can count down to the new year well before bedtime.
If questions about the town come up between events, whether that's the Novato Boulevard project, Old Town or anything else around here, Julie Upton will give you a straight, practical answer. Let's Connect.
