Mrs. Peerybingle believes the job of The Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party (weekends through December 21 at the Cow Palace, Daly City) is to bring joy, to give people the chance to step outside their lives for a moment. And the 2025 Dickens Fair delivers Mrs. Peerybingle’s sentiment in a deep, layered, immersive jubilation. With more than 1200 costumed participants including over 400 actors swirling through the Cow Palace, Red Barn Productions has once again brought Victorian London (or a reasonable facsimile of it) to life.
As you explore the fair, pay attention to the tiny period details—set decorations, costumes, songs, a distinct lack of cell phones. Talk with the character: Ask about their lives, likes, stories. Each tiny piece adds up to an all encompassing experience.
And of course, experience as much as possible. Dance at Fezziwigs, see Jeremiah Johnson’s Trickish Matters show (which ends with a balancing, juggling spectacular), solve the new Sherlock Holmes puzzle, join a “snowball” fight, learn something new at the Athenaeum club. Take time to seek out quiet moments: Relax in a chaise lounge tucked in a corner of Mad Sal’s, play a round of checkers or backgammon at the Greenman Inn, settle around a dimly lit table at the Bohemian Bar, and canoodle with your sweetie while sipping absinthe.
While pursuing the wares and partaking of the delicacies, harken to vendors’ tales of their deep and loving connections to the fair. Lodema the Potter believes the Dickens Fair is “the best event in the world.” For her, the camaraderie of the staff creates a feeling of safety. Her hand-painted ceramics have been a fair staple for decades. Professor Prospero’s Creature Caravan and Curiouser and Curiouser Printmaking are family. Huda Al-Jamal, the printmaker, this year introduced the Dream Box Theatre Troupe of high school students to the fair. Like Lodema, Al-Jamal agrees that the fair is an amazing world full of talented artists.
Curious about chimney sweeps? There’s a model of a Victorian chimney, so one can see how small a person had to be to fit inside. Visit Charles Dickens in his study to see facsimiles of his hand-written manuscripts, chat with historian Thomas Carlyle (whose historical work informed A Tale of Two Cities), and view a taxidermied version of Dickens’ pet raven, Grip.
Like new versions of old favorites? The newly named Surrey Theatre (formerly the Victoria and Albert) hosts the Crummels Theatrical Troupe, which presents a waggish rendition of the troupe’s “rehearsal” of the final scene of Romeo and Juliet. Utilizing a witty framing device—several members of the troupe are missing—The Crummels double up on parts, employing a dummy “Osric” from the wings and enlist audience members. Volunteered by a friend, audience member Christian made the role of Juliet his own—charming everyone. In the Shakespearian spirit of frolicking experimentation, the troupe remakes the somber scene into slapstick comedy, changing the ending and announcing that Benvolio is now Benvolia.
The Victorians were fascinated with unusual pets, including squirrels. Mrs. Pardiggle hosts Hope, the therapy squirrel of Chancery Lane. Relax, dear reader, Mrs. Pardiggle has all appropriate permits and, in real life, she works with YGGDRASIL: Urban Wildlife Rescue. Hope was born with a condition that has made her unable to live in the wild, and she is completely at ease in loud spaces, unlike wild squirrels. During other parts of the year, Hope is a surrogate mother to orphaned squirrels. While the overall goal of YGGRASIL is helping people live in harmony with wildlife, Hope is a gift not only to orphaned squirrels, but also Chancery Lane actors (and occasional guests). Creating the fair’s vast experience is no small feat for the actors—a few minutes cuddling with Hope rejuvenates the soul.
Depicting both the rough and refined aspects of Victorian London, the fair reminds that the complexities of life are not new; conflicting societal views existed before our very polarized world of today. The “Gin is Sin” temperance movement is balanced by the gin-swilling folk of the London docklands: They joke that Scrooge is better than the Temperance Society because he ruins life one day a year, but the society ruins life everyday. The prim Fezziwigs struggle when their daughters ask to dance the waltz, deemed a bit risque. Charles Darwin holds forth at the Athenaeum Club to discuss how his life’s work challenges creationists.
Sponsored link
Kevin Patterson, founder and co-producer of Red Barn Productions, loves the “magic of having it all come together year after year.” That magic is the result of the actors, vendors, staff—who dedicate months of their lives to create the illusion: taxidermied animals, vintage housewares, period recreations. Nary an actor “drops the penny” and breaks character. —Patty Riek
THE GREAT DICKENS CHRISTMAS FAIR AND VICTORIAN HOLIDAY PARTY runs weekends through December 21, 10am-6pm, at the Cow Palace, Daly City. More info here.