On San Ramon Valley Boulevard, the Glass House at Forest Home Farms Historic Park opens its doors on a Saturday morning in December for carols, nutcracker nibbles and mulled apple cider. A few miles away at City Center Bishop Ranch, the Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink has its opening ceremony on a Friday evening in November. Between them, these two places hold most of San Ramon's season from late October through December, and they barely run on the same days.
The farm's programs are on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and most are free. City Center's events fall on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Put the two schedules side by side and you get a full weekend rhythm with very few conflicts. The one exception is Saturday, December 5, when the city's 5K, a candle-making morning at the farm and the first day of Santa visits in Alexander Square all land on the same day.
Saturday Daytime Belongs to Forest Home Farms
Forest Home Farms, at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., runs a "Fun on the Farm" series every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city describes the series as free crafts and activities about farm life and the late Victorian era. It's a partnership between the City of San Ramon and the San Ramon Historic Foundation, and a few events need registration.
Each week has a theme, so every Saturday is different. Here are the remaining dates in the current listing on the city's Forest Home Farms events page:
| Saturday | Fun on the Farm theme |
|---|---|
| Oct. 17 | Iron Horse: trains, the Iron Horse Trail and a take-home craft |
| Oct. 24 | Trick or Treat on the Farm: costumes, activity stations and treats |
| Oct. 31 | Pumpkins, Gourds & Squash, with a winter squash recipe |
| Nov. 7 | Quality Quilts: quilting history and a paper quilt square |
| Nov. 14 | Bread & Jam: threshing, grinding and sifting wheat into flour |
| Nov. 21 | Turkey Time |
| Dec. 5 | Candle Making |
| Dec. 12 | Holiday on the Farm, with Santa, ornament making and a puppet show |
Holiday on the Farm on December 12 is listed in the same free Saturday series, and the city doesn't mark it as needing registration. So the visit with Santa, the old-fashioned ornament making, the puppet show and the refreshments are part of a regular Saturday at the farm.
The Turkey Time listing also explains something you may have seen around town. The city's page says the turkeys seen around San Ramon were brought in from Oklahoma and Texas.
The Farm's Paid Tours Run on Their Own Clock
The farm has two exceptions to its free Saturdays, and both are Glass House specialty tours that need registration.
On Friday, October 30, the farm runs Victorian Mourning Tours in four one-hour slots between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for residents and $12 for nonresidents. The tour covers the hazards behind early deaths in the Victorian era; the Glass House is named for the Glass family. It's open to ages 12 and up but aimed at adults, and anyone 15 or younger needs to come with an adult. It's the only evening event on the farm's fall calendar, and it's the night before Halloween.
On Saturday, December 19, the Victorian Christmas Tours start every half hour from 10 a.m. to noon, at $12 for residents and $15 for nonresidents. Visitors learn about Victorian holiday traditions, then walk to the Boone House singing carols for nutcracker nibbles and mulled apple cider. Registration is through the city's online catalog, and the time slots are listed separately.
City Center Takes Friday Evenings and Sunday Afternoons
City Center Bishop Ranch holds its events on the days the farm doesn't use. All the dates below come from the center's own event pages and local reporting.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2–3 p.m. The annual Howl-O-Ween Costumed Pet Parade brings fresh-baked treats from George, a local pet boutique. The Hub by Pack Animals, a dog gym at City Center, adds a mini obstacle course and a ball-pit sniff patch pop-up. After the parade, The Hub hosts its third annual Haunted Hub, with tickets sold at the door for $20 per dog for members and $30 per dog for nonmembers. Each dog ticket covers up to three people. Patch covered the details on October 8.
Friday, Nov. 6, 6–7 p.m. The Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink holds its opening ceremony, and skating runs through January 3. As of October 10, the rink's ticketing page shows no upcoming events, so 2026 ticket prices and session times aren't listed there yet. For reference, last season's coverage from October 2025 listed 90-minute sessions at $22 with skates included, and part of the proceeds went to Always Dream. Those were the 2025 terms. The 2026 figures may be different.
Friday, Nov. 20, 6–7 p.m. City Center's Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony includes performances and Santa's arrival.
Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5–6, noon–4 p.m. Visits with Santa in the Square take place in Alexander Square.
Every event on that list happens on a Friday evening or a Sunday except the December Santa weekend. That's the only time City Center's season runs on a Saturday.
December 5 Is the Day the Calendars Collide
On Saturday, December 5, three separate events stack up across town.
- 9 a.m. The City of San Ramon's Bah Humbug! 5K starts at the San Ramon Community Center. Registration is $35 through October 31, $40 from November 1 to December 4, and $55 on race day. A group of five costs $160.
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fun on the Farm's Candle Making session at Forest Home Farms covers how children in the 1800s collected and melted beeswax, and visitors make a candle to take home.
- Noon to 4 p.m. Santa visits begin in Alexander Square at City Center.
The times barely overlap, so one family could do all three in order. The 5K price also goes up from $35 to $40 on November 1, three weeks before the farm's Turkey Time Saturday.
A week later, on December 12, Holiday on the Farm brings its own Santa visit to Forest Home Farms. That gives San Ramon two free Santa visits on back-to-back Saturdays, one in a Victorian farmyard and one in a shopping center square.
A Newer Stop Between Events
The newest outdoor option in town opened this summer. Critter Crossroads Park, at Main Branch Road and South Monarch Road, is now listed as open on the city's park page. Its grand opening was scheduled for July 15 at 1045 S. Monarch Road. Patch's preview described playgrounds, picnic areas, a sand volleyball court, fields, a workout area and a walking loop.
Heritage Park is also new this year. It's a 1.4-acre park at Bishop Ranch with a playground, a lawn, a garden and the Little Big House art installation, and it was open by late May. Its location makes it an easy add-on to a City Center Sunday.
Where to Eat Around Both Calendars
The dining options near each anchor have changed this year. At City Center, Meyhouse opened its third location in May. It serves Turkish small plates and has a jazz room, which makes it a good fit for the Friday-evening ice rink and tree lighting events. Gregory's Gourmet Desserts soft-opened July 21 at 2410 San Ramon Valley Blvd., on the same road as Forest Home Farms.
Some regular spots have closed. Dos Coyotes closed its restaurant at 3191 Crow Canyon Place in late September, according to Patch. It was the chain's last Bay Area location. At City Center, the M by Maggie Rizer and Trader boutiques closed this summer. Sunset Development has said those spaces are expected to become an expansion of Aly's Grace, which hadn't been reported as finished as of late August.
The Glass House tours and the 5K require registration ahead of time, with set time slots for the tours and tiered pricing for the race. The free Saturday programs and the City Center events don't list a registration requirement.
For many families, this season also means hosting parents and grandparents who visit for the holidays. Something like a Victorian Christmas Tour at the farm or an evening at the rink can be easy for every generation to enjoy together. If those visits have your family talking about how a parent's housing might work over the next few years, Heidi Kugl is glad to talk it through, from single-story options to 55+ communities nearby. Schedule a Consultation whenever you're ready.
