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The Ghost of Christmas Past visits Ebenezer Scrooge. "A Christmas Carol" is staged throughout the venue all day, giving attendees a chance to run into Dickens characters everywhere they turn. Bianca Hernandez/KQED
The Ghost of Christmas Past visits Ebenezer Scrooge. "A Christmas Carol" is staged throughout the venue all day, giving attendees a chance to run into Dickens characters everywhere they turn. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
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PHOTOS: Step Into Victorian London at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

News Fix

PHOTOS: Step Into Victorian London at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Bianca Hernandez
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For some Bay Area residents, it's not Christmas until they've taken a stroll through the streets of Victorian London.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, in its 35th season, is a celebration of all things Charles Dickens and Victorian, where people can walk the streets of 1800s London without leaving the Bay Area.

The halls of the Cow Palace are transformed for five weeks every year in an immersive environment that can feel like walking into a Charles Dickens novel. Literally. Performers stage "A Christmas Carol" every day, so fans of the story can run into Ebenezer Scrooge or one of ghosts as the tale plays out in the streets.

Throughout the day visitors can partake in ballroom dancing, learn sea shanties at the docks or try to run into Queen Victoria herself. The sights and sounds (and smells) of London are recreated each year by a crew of dedicated performers.

Carol singers dressed in head-to-toe Victorian attire spread holiday cheer as they sing through the halls of Cow Palace, which has been converted into the streets of Victorian London.
Carol singers dressed head-to-toe in Victorian attire spread holiday cheer as they sing through the halls of the Cow Palace, which has been converted into the streets of Victorian London. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
It's opening weekend of the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, an immersive event that brings participants into Victorian London.
It's opening weekend of the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, an immersive event that brings participants into Victorian London. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
With multiple stages, a music hall and a dances spaces, there's a constant lineup of performances to see.
With multiple stages, a music hall and dance spaces, there's a constant lineup of performances to see. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
The venue at the Cow Palace is transformed into the streets of London. From Fezziwig's fancy home, to the dicier dock areas, people can experience a very Dickensian London.
The Cow Palace is transformed into the streets of London for the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. From Fezziwig's fancy home to the dicier dock areas, people can experience a very Dickensian London. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
It even smells like London! With vendors and performers constantly making food, the smell of cinnamon and spice permeates the entire venue.
It even smells like London. With vendors and performers constantly making food, the smell of cinnamon and spice permeates the entire venue. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
A real printing press is used throughout the fair, one of many touches that makes the experience feel like stepping into another era.
A real printing press is used throughout the fair, one of many touches that makes the experience feel like stepping into another era. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)
Participants in the fair take part in weeks of workshops that prepare them to give a seamless performance for the holiday season.
Participants in the fair take part in weeks of workshops that prepare them to give a seamless performance for the holiday season. (Bianca Hernandez/KQED)

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