| Livermore History Center | Highway Garage Open |
| Museum on Main St | |
| Pleasanton Farmer's Market | Ravenswood Docent Tours |
| Niles Canyon Railway | Livermore Amateur Radio Klub Meeting |
click for more photos
Dates at the right
Experience the magic of our brightly decorated holiday train, covered with thousands of lights, as it winds through the darkness of Niles Canyon on a 75-minute round-trip ride from Niles to Sunol and back, and the later train from Sunol to Niles and back.
This annual fundraising event is presented by the Pacific Locomotive Association to benefit Niles Canyon Railway projects throughout the year. We are sincerely grateful for all of our supporters who help our non-profit, tax-exempt, living history museum continue to operate and grow.
Trains run both from Sunol to Niles and back, and from Niles to Sunol and back.
Location: Downtown Sunol
Times: Departures from 4:30pm from Niles, 7:30 from Sunol
Admission: General seating is $25 (+2.24 fee) ages 3 and up. See the Niles Canyon Railroad.
$17 (+1.84 fee) for Wednesdays: Dec 3, 10, 17
Reserved seating in the Dome Car is $40 (+2.99 fee).
Private Caboose: $600 (+25.96 fee) for up to 24 people.
eLivermore Photos.
More info: Niles Canyon Railroad. Info should be on the Niles Canyon site mid to late September. Ticket purchases around the 2nd week of October.
2014 Dates - From Sunol
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Nov 30 7:30 | Dec 3 7:30 | Dec 5 7:30 | Dec 6 7:30 | |||
| Dec 7 7:30 | Dec 10 7:30 | Dec 12 7:30 | Dec 13 7:30 | |||
| Dec 14 7:30 | Dec 17 7:30 | Dec 19 7:30 | Dec 20 7:30 | |||
| Dec 21 7:30 | Dec 22 7:30 | Dec 26 7:30 | Dec 27 7:30 | |||
| Dec 28 7:30 |
2014 Dates - From Niles
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Nov 28 4:30 | Nov 29 4:30 | |||||
| Dec 3 4:30 | Dec 5 4:30 | Dec 6 4:30 | ||||
| Dec 7 4:30 | Dec 10 4:30 | Dec 12 4:30 | Dec 13 4:30 | |||
| Dec 14 4:30 | Dec 17 4:30 | Dec 19 4:30 | Dec 20 4:30 | |||
| Dec 21 4:30 | Dec 22 4:30 | Dec 26 4:30 | Dec 27 4:30 | |||
| Dec 28 4:30 |
Firehouse Arts Center
Thurs-Fri
Your suggestions will inspire holiday themed games, scenes, and improv un in the first act. The audience will them vote for which short scent Creatures of Impulse will make into an entire improvised 'play' in the second act.
Sponsor: City of Pleasanton
Location: Firehouse Arts Center - 4444 Railroad Ave, Pleasanton
Times: 7:30pm
Admission: $10 to $5
More info: www.firehousearts.org
Dec 5
Friday
Andy McKee
Since his signature song Drifting became one of the first videos to go
ultra-viral on YouTube in 2006, Andy McKee has become a worldwide ambassador
for a new era in acoustic virtuosity. His guitar can approximate the
polyrhythmic interplay of a percussion ensemble, the harmonic sweep of a
string section, the dazzling runs of a bluegrass bass-and-banjo duo, and
virtually anything else his original compositions and carefully chosen
covers require. With his unique skill and creativity, McKee inspires and
intrigues music fans around the world.
Sponsor:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Times: 7:30pm
Admission: $60/$42 Students (17 & under): $16
Tickets: Bankhead Theater Box Office info -
LVPAC Online Ordering page
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center - eLivermore.com theater page
Fri
It’s our annual holiday event. Join in singing Part I of Handel’s great masterpiece, including the Hallelujah Chorus.
Sponsor: Valley Concert Chorale
Location: Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave, Livermore
Times: 7:30pm
Admission: $10 ($11.34 with service fee). Tickets at Valley Concert Chorale website.
More info: Valley Concert Chorale
Sat-Sun
Join us for a Livermore Valley wine country holiday tradition. Wineries showcase their decorated tasting rooms with special wines, arts, crafts, holiday music, activities and more. Donated toys are given to the local Toys for Tots program. Admission is free, however, tasting fees may apply and vary by winery.
Participating Wineries:
Bent Creek, Big White House WInery, Bodegas Aguirre, Caddis Winery,
Concannon Vineyard, Crooked Vine Winery, Cuda Ridge Wines, Dante Robere
Vineyards, Darcie Kent Vineyards, Eagle Ridge Vineyard, Eckert Estate
Winery, Ehrenberg Cellars, El Sol Winery, Elliston Vineyards, Fenestra
Winery, Garre' Vineyards & Winery, Las Positas Vineyards, Les Chenes Estate
Vineyards, LOngevity Wines, McGrail Vineyards & Winery, MItchell Katz
Winery, Murrieta's Well, Nella Terra Cellars, Nottingham Cellars, Occasio
Winery, Page Mill Winery, Retzlaff Estate Winery, Rodrigue Molyneaux,The
Singing WInemaker, The Steven Kent Winery, Wente Vineyards, Winemaker's
Studio, Wood Family Vineyards
Sponsor:
Livermore Valley Winegrowers
Association
Location: Participating Valley Wineries
Times: Noon to 4:30pm
Admission: Free. Tasting Fees may apply and vary by winery.
More info:
Livermore Valley Winegrowers
Association or (925) 447-9463
Click above for photos
Saturday
Kick off the holiday shopping season downtown and enjoy horse drawn carriage rides, holiday performances and...
We're bringing FROZEN to Livermore!
Elsa and Olaf will be sledding in from up north to join us at Lizzie
Fountain in Downtown Livermore for snowflakes, facepainting, hot chocolate
and surprise entertainment! The fun begins at 11am and will continue through
4pm.
Sponsor: Livermore Downtown Association
Location: Downtown Livermore
Times: noon to 4:00pm
Admission: Free
More info:
Livermore Downtown
Association,
(925) 373-1795
Click above for photos
Saturday
The 2013 Downtown Livermore Holiday Sights & Sounds Parade will feature local marching bands, music, light displays, and of course SANTA CLAUS!!! Tree lighting to follow parade.
Sponsor: Livermore Downtown Association
Location: Downtown Livermore
Times: Parade from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Tree lighting following the parade
Admission: Free
More info: Livermore Downtown Association or (925) 373-1795
At the Bankhead Theater
Sat
Barnes: Academic Festival Overture
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites (Selections from both suites)
Dvorak: Symphone No. 8
The Livermore-Amador Symphone and new music director Lara Webber begin
their musical adventures together by celebrating some of the best loved
symphonic words of all time. Johannes Brahms salutes academic life
with what he called "a very boisterous potpourri of student songs" (mostly
popular drinking songs). To his delight, when Brahms conducted the
premiere the students gleefully sang along. Edvard Grieg's incidental
music to Ibsen's masterpiece, Peer Gynt, paints vivid musical pictures of
the Norwegian sunrise and captures the raw emotion of lost love, and we
barely escape the clutches of the troll king! Antonin Dvorak;s
sunniest symphony brings our adventure to a joyful conclusion.
Sponsor: Livermore
Amador
Symphony
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Time: Prelude talk from 7 to 7:30pm. Symphony concerts begin
at 8:00pm
Admission: $35 / $29 / $25. Youth (high school & younger): $10 Season tickets
(Dec, Feb, April, May concerts): $110/$99/$85; Youth $40
Tickets: Bankhead Theater Box Office info -
LVPAC Online Ordering page
More info:
Livermore-Amador
Symphony (925) 373-6824, or
Bankhead Theater
Saturday
The City of Pleasanton will once again salute the season by hosting the Annual Hometown Holiday Celebration to be held on Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 5:00 to 7:15 p.m. along Main Street in downtown Pleasanton.
This free, family-friendly event features a festive community-based parade followed by the lighting of a holiday tree in front of the Museum on Main.
Kicking off the parade will be one of Pleasanton’s award-winning high school marching bands from either Amador Valley High School or Foothill High School. The band is followed by a wide array of holiday inspired entries including Pleasanton’s own Balloon Platoon, the Pleasanton City Council, hundreds of Cub Scouts and Brownies, local car clubs, performing arts groups, and much more.
Main Street will close to vehicular traffic at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 7. Parade viewers are encouraged to shop and dine in historic Downtown Pleasanton after staking out their viewing turf.
The Hometown Holiday program relies on the support of the community to make the event a success and volunteers are still needed! Those interested in volunteering for the event are encouraged to visit www.hometownholiday.com.
In the event of rain, a parade cancellation telephone hotline will be
implemented and updated each hour after 2:30 p.m. on parade day, December 7.
The Cancellation Information Phone Line is (925) 931-5352.
Sponsors: Downtown Association & City of Pleasanton Parks and Community
Services
Location: Main Street, Pleasanton
Times: 5:00pm to 7:15pm
3:30-7:30pm Main Street closed.
5:00pm Holiday Parade
6:45 to 7:15pm Tree Lighting Ceremony
More info: Pleasanton
Events,
Pleasanton Downtown Association.
SSunday
The Celtic Christmas Concert & Gathering will celebrate its fourth year with a special musical treat.
Pog Mo Thoin, fronted by Irish-born Gabe Duffin, is a popular local band that features lively jigs and Irish folk songs, including past-Tempest fiddler Michael Mullen. For this event, the show includes special guest Steve Kritzer and a guest appearance by Erin Ruth Thompson.
Gathering & potluck at 6pm, concert approximately 7:30. This family friendly event will feature live music, a potluck meal, free cider & tea. Wine and beer will be available for purchase.
$20 Admission at the door, pre-sale tickets through December 6th are $15 at the Bankhead Theater Ticket Office, 2400 First Street, Livermore, at 925-373-6800 or www.bankheadtheater.org. Limited advance tickets available through Panama Red Coffee Company, members of the band, and through info@bothwellartscenter.org.
Guests are asked to bring the potluck dish of their choice.
The event is produced by Gabe Duffin with support by the Bothwell Arts
Center and LVPAC, and is a fundraiser for the Bothwell which benefits local
cultural arts. The Bothwell is located at 2466 8th Street and is a project
of Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, a not-for-profit corporation.
Sponsor: Bothwell Arts Center
Location: Bothwell Arts Center,
2466 8th St. Livermore.
Times: 6:00 to 9:00pm
Admission: $15 in advance, $20 at the door, students 13-18 years of
age $5, 12 and under free. .
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Sunday
An Irish Christmas
All the joy, hope, laughter and spirit of the season come together in a
night of storytelling, song and dance that sparkles with life and a wee bit
of Irish “magic.” There is exhilarating step dancing and age-old dances over
brooms, on half doors and around butter churns. Pipes, fiddles, flutes and
drums bring to life music from Carol of the Bells to ancient Irish hymns and
melodies. Special guests such as Kevin Horton of Riverdance help make this a
unique and un-forgettable celebration of Christmas from the heart of
glorious Ireland.
Sponsor:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Times: 2:00pm
Admission: $60/$42 Students (17 & under): $16
Tickets: Bankhead Theater Box Office info -
LVPAC Online Ordering page
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center - eLivermore.com theater page
Thurs
Kick off your holiday season with locally made "small" art and handcrafts.
Enjoy spiced cider, cocoa with a special peppermint kick to warm your toes while you peruse artsy gift ideas from many of the Bothwell's 29 resident studio artists, teachers and guests, featuring original small paintings, glass ornaments, beautiful jewelry, antique collaged notecards, wreaths and handmade holiday decor, giclee and color matted prints and notecards displaying artists' original paintings, for one-of-a-kind gift giving. Original paintings and art available for purchase.
Fabulous Holiday Gift Basket Door Prize includes goodies such as a $100 Wente Winery Gift Card, a Southwest $100 Gift Card, Gift Cards from Barnes & Noble and Jamba Juice, See's Candy, Twas the Night Before Christmas book and a Keepsake Holiday Ornament all in a Beautiful Woven Wicker Basket.
Happy Small-idays occurs during a special Open Studios at the Bothwell
Downtown Art Studios on 62 S. L Street on December 11 from 6-8pm, with an
ever-changing palette of fun artsy gifts.
Sponsor: Bothwell Arts Center
Location: Bothwell Downtown Arts Center,
62 So. L Street
Times: 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Admission: Free
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Dec 19-21
Fri-Sun
This new musical, which retells the familiar Disney story from Geppetto's perspective, features the beloved classic songs 'When You Wish Upon A Star' and 'I've Got No Strings' alongside a host of new songs by Stephen Schwartz, tackling timely issues about what it means to be 'the perfect child.'
Civic Arts Stage Company
Sponsor: City of Pleasanton
Location: Amador Theater, Pleasanton
Times: Fri: 7:30pm. Sat: 2:00 & 7:30pm. Sun: 2:00pm
Admission: $18 to $6
More info: www.firehousearts.org
Firehouse Arts Center
Fri
Grammy-nominated contemporary instrumental legend David Lanz has enthralled music lovers around the world for decades. He returns to the Firehouse with a very special Holiday Concert, featuring his beloved classics (such as A Whiter Shade of Pale, Cristofari's Dream, Dar Horse) plus wonderful newly composed and arranged pieces. Joining him is the angelic-voiced Kristin Amarie. An evening of transcendent music with the Maestro and his muse.
Sponsor: City of Pleasanton
Location: Firehouse Arts Center - 4444 Railroad Ave, Pleasanton
Times: 8:00pm
Admission: $28 to $16.20
More info: www.firehousearts.org
Sat, Sun
Favorite Masterworks: Johann S. Bach's Cantata 140 "Wachet Auf"
New Discoveries: Cecila McDowall's Ave Maris Stella
Plus traditional carols and sing-alongs.
Sponsor: Valley Concert Chorale
Location: Saturday: Trinity Lutheran Church 1225 Hopyard Rd, Pleasanton
Sunday: First Presbyterian Church, 2020 Fifth St (4th & L), Livermore
Times: Saturday: 7:30pm; Sunday: 3:00pm
Admission: $20 ($21.69 with service Fee) Student: $10 ($11.34 with service fee). Tickets at Valley Concert Chorale website.
More info: Valley Concert Chorale
Dec 13
Sat
Cantabella Children's Chorus - Make We
Merry
The 1 PM show features the three Cantabella Training Choirs, as well as
selected pieces by the Performing Choirs.
The 4 PM show features the Performing Choirs - Children's, Junior Honors,
Chamber, and Honors Choirs.
Doors open 1/2 hour before the show.
Sponsor: Cantabella
Children's Chorus
Location:
St.
Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 4001 Stoneridge Drive, Pleasanton
Times:
1:00pm
(training choirs & selected pieces by the performing choirs)
4:00pm (performing choirs)
Admission:
Adults: $18 in advance, $20 at the door; children under 18 FREE
More info:
Cantabella Children's Chorus
Firehouse Arts Center
Sat
With songs like We've Only Just Begun, For All We Know, and Rainy Days and Mondays, THE CARPENTERS left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of the culture and music of the 1970's and 1980's. Their story and legacy lives on. Michelle Whited leads the popular CLOSE TO YOU musical group which pays tribute to THE CARPENTERS with a stunning presentation, recreating the signature sounds which made them so distinctive. In addition to other songs including Top of the World, I Won't Last a Day Without You, Superstar and, of course, Close to You, this special Holiday presentation also features selections from The Carpenters' Holiday Album, CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT.
Sponsor: City of Pleasanton
Location: Firehouse Arts Center - 4444 Railroad Ave, Pleasanton
Times: 8:00pm
Admission: $25 to $13.5
More info: www.firehousearts.org
Dec 13
Saturday
LVO is pleased to produce the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors for the Christmas season in collaboration with the First Presbyterian Church of Livermore. This family-centered, one-act opera will help introduce the beauty of opera to the next generation. Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors premiered on Dec. 24, 1951 for a televised version commissioned by NBC Opera Theater and aired many times as a yearly Christmas tradition. Livermore Valley Opera hopes to make Amahl a tradition in the Tri-Valley.
Amahl, a poor, crippled boy who lives with his widowed mother, is visited
one evening by three kings, who are following the Star of the East to
Bethlehem and stop for shelter at their home. Inspired by the tale of a
kingdom “built on love alone,” Amahl offers his own simple gift to the
Christ Child. The story ends with a miracle sure to warm the hearts of all!
Sponsor:
Livermore
Valley Opera
Location: First Presbyterian Chursh - 2020 Fifth St.
Livermore.
Times: 2:00 and 5:00pm
Admission: $30 ($20 before Dec 1). Children under 17: $12.
More info:
Livermore
Valley Opera
Dec 19,20,21
Sat-Sun
Fri-Fun
Valley Dance Theatre will present its annual full-length production of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic, The Nutcracker, with eight performances beginning Saturday, December 13, 2014 at the Bankhead Theater. The performances will be accompanied by the Valley Dance Theatre Pit Orchestra.
Pre-performance festivities will include carols by Cantabella Children's Chorus and Harmony Fusion Chorus at select performances.
This season's newly-redesigned party attire replicate styles worn in Tchaikovsky's original ballet, set in Western Europe in 1892. They were created for the Christmas party opening scene by Valley Dance Theatre founder Betsy Hausburg and feature richly-colored fabrics, billowing and A-line skirts, abundant beaded trim and intricate embroidery.
According to Hausburg, each new costume took approximately one month to complete, from purchasing period patterns at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco to cutting the fabric (which alone took two days) to the stitching and finishing hand work.
"Every costume must be built for twenty years of use and lots of movement," Hausburg adds. "For example, I use dental floss instead of thread to keep buttons secure. I only wish it were available in more colors! In addition, the outfits must fit multiple sizes with minor or major adjustments each season.
"Costumes greatly enhance a production by complementing the grace and
precision of the dancers," she concludes. "We want our audiences to
experience the same thrill at seeing them as that very first audience felt
in 1892."
Sponsor:
Valley Dance Theater
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Times:
Sat Dec 13: 2:00 & 7:00pm
Sun Dec 14: 2:00pm
Fri Dec 19: 7:00pm
Sat Dec 20: 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Sun Dec 21: 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Admission: $38/$29/$25; Student 17 & under: $19
More info:
Valley Dance Theater or
Bankhead Theater
Tuesday
A Chanticleer Christmas
The Grammy Award-winning “orchestra of voices” brings back a beloved holiday
tradition with A Chanticleer Christmas. From the candlelit chant that opens
the magical evening, through an uplifting and radiant holiday program of
Gregorian chants, modern works and classic carols, every minute is filled
with sheer seasonal delight. Chanticleer’s unique and sumptuous blend of 12
male voices from countertenor to bass join together in a not-to-be-missed
musical event for all ages, filled with the profound, peaceful and joyous
spirit of the season.
Sponsor:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Times: 7:30pm
Admission: $69/$52 Students (17 & under): $16
Tickets: Bankhead Theater Box Office info -
LVPAC Online Ordering page
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center - eLivermore.com theater page
Wednesday
Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
Singer-songwriter Dan Hicks is an American original, one of the defining
figures in American roots music. For decades, Hicks has carved his way
through a number of genres, from western swing and country blues to proto-psychedelia,
cultivating a unique signature sound. His lyrics range from the simply
sublime to the sublimely ridiculous, shot through with an eclectic touch.
Hick’s irresistible sense of rhythm, hip lyrical styling, laid-back
vocalizing, and infamous on-stage wit turns those who hear him into fans for
life.
Sponsor:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center
Location: Bankhead Theater -
LVPAC web
site - eLivermore Bankhead Theater page
Times: 8:00pm
Admission: $60
Tickets: Bankhead Theater Box Office info -
LVPAC Online Ordering page
More info:
Livermore
Valley Performing Arts
Center - eLivermore.com theater page
descrip
Sponsor:
Location:
Times:
Admission:
More info:
