Novato Has Two Santa Visits on December 5, and November Sets the Schedule

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Santa makes two stops in Novato. From 10 a.m. to noon he takes family photos at the Margaret Todd Senior Center on Hill Road. At 4 p.m. he rides a firetruck into Old Town for the Community Tree Lighting Festival. Two groups put on Novato's holidays. The City's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department runs one set of events, and the Downtown Novato Business Association runs the other. Both land on the same Saturday.

Most of what happens that day is free and open to anyone who shows up. The events with capped time slots or a fixed number of kits opened registration in early November. So by today, Thursday, Nov. 12, several of the season's dates have already started.

Two hosts, one Saturday

The City's events are centered on the Margaret Todd Senior Center at 1560 Hill Road. This is where the Holiday Crafts Faire, Photos with Santa and the Gingerbread Build happen. The Downtown Novato Business Association runs the street events. On the first Saturday in December, Old Town streets close to cars for the tree lighting, with live performances, artisan vendors, food and drink, kids' craft projects and the firetruck arrival. Visit Marin lists the same 4 to 7:30 p.m. window for 2026.

Because the two programs share a date but not a location, Dec. 5 can fill a whole day:

The faire runs until 4 p.m. and the tree lighting starts at 4 p.m., so the day hands off from one event to the next. Santa follows the same route, from the photo slots on Hill Road in the morning to the firetruck downtown in the afternoon, where, as the business association puts it, he "and his elves can hear the wishes of all the kids."

What November already opened

Each of the season's limited events has its own sign-up date or window. Here they are in order:

1. Nov. 2: Registration opened for Photos with Santa. Time slots are limited, only one person per family needs to register, and each photo includes a goodie bag "from the North Pole."
2. Nov. 3: Registration opened for the Dec. 12 Gingerbread Build through the City's recreation registration portal.
3. Nov. 9: The North Pole mailbox opened at the Novato Gymnastics Center, 950 Seventh St. Its mail slot is open around the clock, and it takes letters through Dec. 4.
4. Nov. 12: Visit Novato lists the Novato Holiday Shopping Kickoff with Made Local Marketplace and MarinArts for today. It's billed as a holiday shopping celebration with handcrafted gifts and original artwork by Marin artists and makers.
5. Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday, with events, discounts and sip-and-shops at local businesses across town.

The mailbox has one rule that families tend to miss. The City says a letter must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope to get a reply. The last day for letters is Friday, Dec. 4, the same evening the Crafts Faire opens. A family could drop off the last letters at Seventh Street and then head to Hill Road for the faire.

The faire starts on Friday night

The Holiday Crafts Faire runs over two days. It starts Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., then continues Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free both days. The City says more than 50 artisans will sell handmade jewelry, ceramics, specialty foods, wreaths, ornaments, and bath and body products, with entertainment throughout and food available.

Friday night is the only part of the faire that doesn't overlap with Santa photos or the downtown festival. People who want to shop the faire without planning around the Saturday schedule can come then. Vendor applications have closed, so the list of sellers is set.

Two practical details from the City apply on both days. First, bring cash, because the City can't guarantee every vendor accepts credit cards. Second, parking is in the senior center's main lot, with overflow at the Hill Education Center lot and the Hill Recreation Area bocce and pickleball court lot. For questions or to join the event email list, the department lists 415-899-8290 and [email protected].

The shopping weeks lead up to the faire

The shopping events between mid-November and Dec. 5 have something in common with the faire: they're about buying from local makers. Today's MarinArts kickoff focuses on handmade gifts and work by Marin artists. Sixteen days later, on Small Business Saturday, Visit Novato lists six shopping areas around the city:

• Downtown Novato
• Hamilton Marketplace
• Pacheco Plaza
• Novato Faire Market
• San Marin Shopping Center
• Tresh Triangle

Those six areas spread Nov. 28 across the city's shopping centers. A week later, the faire brings 50-plus artisans into one building, and the tree lighting brings downtown businesses out onto closed streets. Across two weekends, local shopping moves from neighborhood shopping centers to a single room on Hill Road to Old Town.

A week later, gingerbread at 1 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, the Margaret Todd Senior Center hosts the Gingerbread Build. The 9:30 and 11 a.m. sessions include holiday music, hot chocolate and coffee. Kits are $20 for up to four people and $16 for each additional kit.

The 1 p.m. session is new this year. The City describes it as sensory-friendly and designed for people of all ages with disabilities, sensory sensitivities or other access needs. It has quieter music, a smaller group and a space for breaks. A smaller group means fewer spots, so this is one of the November registrations worth doing early.

The last stop is at noon on New Year's Eve

The Downtown Novato Business Association closes the season with an event that has nothing to do with the faire or the tree. At noon on Thursday, Dec. 31, a ladder truck drops thousands of small bouncy balls onto the street from 40 feet up for the Bouncy Ball New Year Countdown. Kids get a souvenir hard hat and can keep as many bouncy balls as their pockets and buckets can hold. Since it's at noon, families with young kids can celebrate New Year's without staying up until midnight.

The two hosts split the season between them. The City's season runs from the mailbox opening on Nov. 9 through the gingerbread sessions on Dec. 12. The business association's starts with the tree lighting on Dec. 5 and ends with the bouncy balls on Dec. 31.

If you're settling into a Novato home this season or thinking about what comes next, Falla Associates can tell you how homes near Old Town and the Hill Road side of town are valued right now. Get a Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through the numbers for your street.