Two Decembers ago, Tracy Way was a short street linking Bridgeway to the ferry. Today it is a tree-lined pedestrian path and small park. Blue benches and picnic tables line the promenade, flower baskets hang overhead, and the ferry-entry plaza at the far end is larger than it used to be. On Thursday, Dec. 3, at 6:15 p.m., the city's holiday tree will be lit there.
That lighting opens Sausalito's December, and the order of the season matters. The first ten days are small, close together and centered on the rebuilt ferry landing. Then the calendar builds to Dec. 12 and 13, when the Lighted Boat Parade, the Winter Market and the Jingle Bell 5K all fall on one waterfront weekend. Knowing that order makes it easier to plan the month.
The stage for the opening night
The plaza hosting the tree lighting came out of the City of Sausalito's Ferry Landside Improvement Project. The city described it as a $2.5 million, grant-funded effort paid for by the Federal Transit Administration, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and the city itself. In July 2024, the City Council awarded a $1,416,000 construction contract to Bauman Landscaping Inc. and approved a $258,511 contingency on top of it.
According to the Marin Independent Journal, construction started in fall 2024, landscaping wrapped up in July 2025, and the ribbon cutting was Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. The work turned Tracy Way into a promenade, enlarged the plaza at the ferry entrance, and added new paths, bike parking and accessible parking. Downtown businesses paid for the blue-themed benches, the picnic tables and the hanging flower baskets.
The finishing touches were installed by people from town. According to the city's newsletter, Public Works maintenance staff assembled the Vestre furniture, and Sausalito Beautiful volunteers helped plant the Tournesol planters. The promenade runs between Parking Lot 1 and Viña del Mar Park, so the tree lighting and the park's holiday features this month are a short walk from each other.
Thursday, Dec. 3: one hour at Tracy Way
The 5th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is a short evening. It runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and starts with a welcome from Mayor Woodside. Sing-alongs and performances follow from local groups including The Frosties and the Marin Girls Chorus. Santa arrives soon after for photos, and the tree is lit at 6:15.
The lighting also starts Holiday By The Bay, the downtown program that runs Dec. 1 through 31. It is put on by the City, the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and community volunteers. Through the month it includes carolers and live performances, holiday displays, shopping specials, waterfront photo spots and a Santa mailbox at Viña del Mar Park. It is free throughout. Because the lighting is on a Thursday, it fits after work and before dinner on Bridgeway. Organizers designed it as the town's kickoff for the season.
Saturday, Dec. 5: a breakfast with a resident rate
Two days later the season moves to the Sausalito Yacht Club for Breakfast with Santa, run by the city's Parks and Recreation Department. There are two seatings, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Santa arrives during the first seating, and the second ends as he heads back to the North Pole. Breakfast is pancakes, sausage, milk and juice. Santa visits each table, families can take a photo with him in front of the tree, and there is a kids' craft and live holiday piano.
Tickets are $25 per person for residents and $30 for nonresidents. That $5 gap makes it one of the few events this month with a resident rate. Children under 2 eat free but still need to be registered for a seat. Groups larger than six may be split across tables, and there is one table that seats ten. Special requests are handled first come, first served. Questions go to Parks and Recreation at (415) 289-4152 or [email protected].
Dec. 8 onward: the gingerbread tour
The Chamber's 20th Annual Gingerbread House Tour & Competition fills the stretch between the first weekend and the parade. Houses go on display Dec. 8 and stay up through Dec. 31, and voting opens Dec. 8. Maps will be available at participating merchants and at the Ferry Landing.
The tour runs for more than three weeks, so it works on an ordinary weekday walk to the ferry, a coffee stop or an errand downtown. Unlike most of December's events, it has no single date to plan around.
Dec. 12 and 13: the waterfront weekend, hour by hour
Over two days, Sausalito hosts the 39th Annual Lighted Boat Parade & Fireworks, its after-party, a Sunday race with brunch, and a Winter Market that now runs both days.
- Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. The Sausalito Winter Market opens at the Sausalito Center for the Arts, 750 Bridgeway. It is free and has booths from more than 25 local Marin artisans and makers. Past vendors have included Heath Ceramics, Botnia Skincare, Amanda Hunt Jewelry and Mercy Vintage.
- Saturday, 5 p.m. Reserved premium seating opens at Gabrielson Park. VIP entry to the Captain's After Party at The Spinnaker, 100 Spinnaker Drive, also begins at 5.
- Saturday, 6 p.m. The Lighted Boat Parade begins along the waterfront.
- Saturday, about 7:15 p.m. Fireworks over the bay.
- Saturday, 8 p.m.–10:30 p.m. General admission to the after-party at The Spinnaker. It is ticketed, and dinner is not included.
- Sunday, 7:30 a.m. Bib pickup for the Jingle Bell 5K on Humboldt Avenue.
- Sunday, 8:30 a.m. The 5K starts, and the kids' fun run follows at 9:15.
- Sunday, from 9 a.m. Brunch at The Spinnaker. Reservations are required.
- Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Day two of the Winter Market at 750 Bridgeway.
The Winter Market is the main change this year. The 2026 market has grown from one day to the full weekend, which puts a free, local maker market on Bridgeway both days of Winterfest. On Saturday, the market closes at 5 p.m., the same time premium parade seating opens a short walk away. That makes it possible to shop the afternoon and stay for the parade without driving anywhere.
What to know before parade night
The parade has run for 39 years, but a few of its rules are easy to forget from one December to the next. All of them come from the Winterfest FAQ:
- Watching is free. The parade and fireworks can be seen from public waterfront areas, and the FAQ names Gabrielson Park as the best spot. Paid premium seats are optional and limited.
- It runs rain or shine. The parade is not canceled for rain, so if the forecast is wet, plan for it.
- Dogs stay leashed. The Sausalito Police Department reminds owners that dogs may not run loose in city parks and public spaces. The only exception is the Sausalito Dog Park next to MLK Park.
- Dinner needs a plan. Organizers recommend reserving early because waterfront tables fill fast. Downtown Sausalito's waterfront dining guide lists Angelino, Barrel House Tavern, Scoma's, The Spinnaker and Suzette.
- Check the ferry before you rely on it. Golden Gate Ferry posts its Sausalito–San Francisco timetables and holiday calendar on goldengate.org. It's worth checking the Saturday schedule before inviting guests from San Francisco.
After that weekend, the gingerbread houses stay on display through Dec. 31 and Holiday By The Bay continues downtown through the end of the month.
Whether you're walking down Tracy Way on Dec. 3 or watching the parade from Gabrielson Park on the 12th, December is a good time to see how Sausalito's waterfront looks and works. If you're thinking about what your waterfront or hillside home might be worth in that setting, Eric Schmitt can walk you through it privately. Request a confidential home valuation.
