Just don’t call it Christmas!
The annual Winterfest celebration is back at Tilden’s wildly popular steam trains. And that means redwoods covered in glowing orb ornaments, little twinkling lights along the tracks, and staff members in elaborate Victorian-era costumes.
It also means Father Solstice will make his annual appearance, riding on a special train alongside the main line through the woods.
These special weekend in the holiday season are an East Bay tradition, and thankfully the annual event has survived the pandemic doldrums and questions about the Steam Trains’ lease.
Winterfest runs across two weekends in December:
- Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14
- Saturday and Sunday, December 20 and 21
- Trains run 11 am to 7 pm, weather permitting
A quick local tip: the experience changes dramatically after dark. It is colder, it is prettier, and the lines usually get longer.
I visited during the day on the first day of Winterfest this year. My wife and three kids were able to hop on to a train almost immediately. One of the cool things about the festival is that–even though a staff member told us the trains get 2,000+ visits on Winterfest days, they operate two full trains at once.
That allows the staff members to load one train while another completes its 12 minute lap through the redwoods. The end result is that we actually waited a shorter time for our Winterfest ride than for a typical weekend.
Pricing is the same as usual, too:
$4 per ride
$16 for 5 rides
Children under 2 ride free
The staff pulls out all the stops for Winterfest, with every engine and piece of rolling stock operating. There’s a demonstration train riding back and forth on a small stretch of track so you can ask questions about steam power or get a selfie. And then there’s the train pulling Father Solstice.
This mythical figure was described to us as “like Santa Claus, but non-denominational.” Indeed, he wears a flowing Santa style robe, but it’s green.
And really everything about Winterfest manages to focus on natural elements (the trees, the changing of the light, snowflakes, and the like) instead of feeling like a dressed-down or subtly disguised Christmas celebration. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you’ll feel entirely at home here.
The steam train venue is listed at 2481 Grizzly Peak Blvd, Orinda for GPS users. There are picnic tables and plenty of overflow parking. There are also restrooms with running water right outside the trains. No food is served on site, so make sure to bring a picnic (and maybe some cocoa) and enjoy the festivities!
Make sure to check the website for any weather-related closures. And join our free 925 News newsletter so we can update you about all kinds of awesome things to do in the East Bay.
