Annual Events
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Daily visits with Black Santa Claus (December 13-15 and 20-23)
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Fabulous fairy light displays
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Rides are a delight at night!
Colorful costume celebrations, twinkling winter enchantments, and summer campouts on the shores of Lake Merritt—Children’s Fairyland celebrates throughout the year. (We also have a gala dinner the last Wednesday in May; it’s one of our most magical events.)
Fairy Winterland
- Catch the clickety-clack of the world-famous Tap Dancing Christmas Trees;
- Delight in the holiday program presented by our Children's Theatre Personalities;
- Catch The Velveteen Rabbit, and our other holiday puppet shows;
- Snap your kiddo dancing under our "snow showers;"
- Cozy up with a cup of hot cocoa or cider, on us;
- Hop on the Jolly Trolly, again and again — rides are unlimited!
and lots more!
Check the full Fairy Winterland schedule for dates and times of special performances.
Turn the Page! children’s book festival!
Presented by Kaiser Permanente Thrive with support from Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California, Chronicle Books and 510Families.
Our fourth annual Turn the Page! children’s book festival will take place Saturday, May 18, with a new bookstore partner: East Bay Booksellers.
- Enjoy read-alouds by authors and live art demonstrations by illustrators
- Meet more than 30 authors and illustrators and ask them about their craft
- Buy books from Oakland’s own East Bay Booksellers and have them signed
- Celebrate young writers and their work at our Kid Author Table
- Visit Oakland Public Library's Fairyland Branch to sign up for the new Fairyland library card, designed by local illustrator Michael Wertz. Or use your creativity to make a bookish craft with OPL librarians!
With special presentations by: Annie Barrows, Lisa Brown, Nidhi Chanani, Kamaria Lofton, Todd Parr, and Michael Wertz
Featuring: Simone Alexander, Alexandra Boiger, Sally Bolger, Alina Chau, Angela Dalton, Jill Diamond, Marcus Ewert, Alexis Fajardo, Sandra V. Feder, Michael Fleming, Meg Fleming, Alexandria Giardino, Melissa Greenberg, Jeanne Walker Harvey, Sarah and Ian Hoffman, Eda Kaban, Lourdes Rivas, Janine Macbeth, Innosanto Nagara, Donald Oppenheim, James Robinson, Simone Shin, Regina Shklovsky, Dashka Slater, Nikki Shannon Smith, Jane Solomon, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Meera Sriram, and K-Fai Steele
Fairyland 4 Grownups
Oaklandish and Children’s Fairyland are teaming up once again to host a night of pure imagination — for grownups only!
#Fairyland4Grownups is one of the few chances you can experience our magical midcentury storybook park without a child. On Friday, August 16, from 7 to 10 p.m., adults 21+ (only) get the rare occasion to romp around Fairyland! There will be dancing to tunes by DJ Dion Decibels in Old West Junction, local brews and food, performances (including a puppet show), and more.
All proceeds benefit the good work we do at Fairyland.
Have questions? Check the event’s FAQ on the Oaklandish blog. They have more detailed information on this special adults-only event.
Drawn Together: A Celebration of Bay Area Artists at Fairyland
Thought #Fairyland4Grownups was your only way to get into Fairyland without a child? Think again! On the evening of Friday, September 27, adults get another chance to experience the after-dark magic of our mid-century storybook theme park during Drawn Together.
Now in its seventh year, this intimate art event pulls in over 50 local artists who will be creating Fairyland-inspired art live onsite. Later in the evening, those artworks will then be sold for a fixed price of $40 each.
On top of all that, you will also have the opportunity to get sparkly extensions from the Fairy Hair Spa, learn what’s in the cards for you with a tarot reading from The Hanged Man.
Proceeds will help make Fairyland affordable for all families, and free for those most in need. Space is extremely limited — get your tickets before they sell out! Early bird tickets (before August 31) are $25. On September 1, and until September 27, they go up to $28. If there are any available after that, we will sell them at the door for $30.
Beer and wine are complimentary, and food is available for purchase. But do note that this is truly an adults-only event. No one under 21 will be admitted because alcohol will be served.
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Jack O’Lantern Jamboree
More delightful than frightful, more kooky than spooky — there’s no better place for family-friendly fall fun and games than Fairyland’s Jack O’Lantern Jamboree. Now in its 38th year, this annual Halloween-time tradition happens in 2019 on October 26 and 27.
Dress-up your family in costumes and come enjoy a full roster of autumnal activities from 10 to 5 each day, including goody bags, treat stations and bouncy jumpers for big and little kids. Plus, pirate school, parades, unlimited rides, hands-on arts and crafts, balloon twisting, live performances, puppet shows, and lots more! See our schedule for full list of shows.
You can buy your tickets ($12/pp/per day, or $6/pp/per day for members) at our fairy gates on the days of the event. As always, to enter Fairyland, adults must be accompanied by children and children must be accompanied by adults. Sorry, passes, coupons and/or vouchers are not valid for this event.
Jack O’Lantern Jamboree is made possible each year through contributions from our generous local sponsors. Contact us to add your company’s name to the list.
2019 Sponsors
We would like to thank our donors for helping make this event possible.
Dr. Michelle Agazzi DDS
Donald Ruddell, DDS
