Mill Valley geared up to celebrate the holidays with its annual Winterfest, taking place on Dec. 8 in downtown Mill Valley for families and children of all ages to enjoy. The festival included holiday dance performances, an electric train ride, open vendors and its highly anticipated tree-lighting ceremony hosted by Mayor Stephen Burke of Mill Valley. The Winterfest was bright and joyous, leaving everyone with holiday cheer and smiling faces.

The festivities began at 2 p.m. with a train ride that offered children a fun way to explore downtown Mill Valley. A wide variety of vendor booths were set up across the street containing entertainment for kids and offering seasonal treats.

At 4:30 p.m., entertainment ramped up with different teenage dance groups who showcased their talent to holiday music. Happy Feet, a local children’s dance studio, also performed tap dancing. 

The highlight of the afternoon came at 5:30 p.m. when Burke led the much-anticipated tree-lighting ceremony. He started by giving a speech in which he thanked Measure B for passing. Once the tree was lit it shined brightly emitting different colors into the celebration.

Susan Lopes works at the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, helping to promote Mill Valley businesses through policies and additional assistance. She has also helped in sponsoring Winterfest for the past ten years. This year, she and other members hired a production manager and had student volunteers help set up the festival.

“This is the first year we had the train. To me, this is the busiest [Winterfest] I’ve ever seen,” Lopes said.

When asked how the atmosphere felt to her, Lopes was overwhelmed with a sense of joy.

“The kids are so happy [and] there are so many of them,” Lopes said.

Community member Tara Larson Gray attended Winterfest for the first time this year since moving to Mill Valley over the summer. She was excited to see local performances and kickstart the holiday season with her newborn baby.

“We loved seeing all the kids [and] families, we enjoyed the local student dancers and

also thought the train ride was really fun,” Gray said.

Gray found the atmosphere to be festive, friendly and joyful, as well as being a great local experience to get to know the community.

“I came with my husband, my newborn, Theo, our dog, Addy, my brother and his fiance and my parents. We made it a whole family outing – it [was] very family-friendly for all ages,” Gray said.

The event was a great way to jumpstart the holiday season. More than 1,000 people were in attendance, which created a sense of community to go along with the holiday cheer. The next downtown Mill Valley event, Holiday Bash, is being hosted this Thursday, Dec. 12.