2022 Guide to Sonoma County Events This Winter

One of our favorite times to visit Wine Country is in the winter. It’s less crowded, but no less gorgeous, with its serene, misty wintertime beauty. And, despite the colder weather and grapeless vines, the area has no shortage of events and no shortage of fine wines. No matter if you’re traveling for the holidays or staying local, these winter events in Sonoma County have got just the right mix of wine, food, and festivities.

Sonoma Plaza Holiday

Courtesy of Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau

Sonoma Plaza

November 19 – December 31, 2022
Cost: Free

The Sonoma Plaza in the town of Sonoma is a national historic monument, an eight-acre park with stately trees and quiet, pedestrian pathways. From November 19th until the end of the year, these trees will be filled with more than a quarter-million lights (not to mention winter wonderland cheer) to usher in the holiday season. Come out November 19th in particular, as there will be a tree lighting ceremony, musical and dance performers, plus plenty of local food, wine, hot cider, hot chocolate, and sweet treats.

453 1st Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476, (707) 996-2109

Santa Rosa Turkey Trot

Courtesy of Scena Performance

Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa

November 24, 2022, 8:00 AM
Cost: $30 – $40, free for children under 5

Before some typical Thanksgiving gluttony, work up an appetite with friends and family at the Santa Rosa Turkey Trot. You can walk or run the 5k, depending on how speedy you want to be – the most important thing is that you gather your loved ones and get moving. Prizes will be awarded to the first finishers, and also given for great turkey costumes, so trot festive! In addition to getting your blood flowing (and working off some of those pumpkin pie calories), know that your entry is going to a good cause. Event benefits will go to local charities, so you’ll be spreading that holiday cheer while getting in a bit of exercise.

350 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Cirque de Bohème

Courtesy of Cirque de Bohème

Cornerstone Sonoma

Select dates November 25 through December 25, 2022, 1:00, 3:00
and 5:00 PM
Cost: $39 for adults, $29 for kids 15 and younger

No need to go to Paris, or even Las Vegas, to see the spectacle that is a Cirque show. At Cirque de Bohème in Sonoma, you’ll find gravity-defying acrobatics, impressive balancing acts, and entertaining mimes in this performance inspired by the French circus tradition of the 1920s – think Moulin Rouge, but with a holiday twist. This fantastical event is sure to transport you to a magical world filled with enchantment, adventure, and wonder.

23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476, (707) 933-3010

Holidays in Healdsburg: Sip, Savor, and Shop

Courtesy of Wine Country Walking Tours

Healdsburg Plaza

November 25 – December 30, 2022, 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM
Cost: $119

Offered for just five weeks each year, Holidays in Healdsburg: Sip, Savor, and Shop are guided walking tours of charming downtown Healdsburg. With festive decorations, joyful carolers, horse-drawn carriages, and a gorgeous Christmas tree, there’s already plenty of spirit in the air to add to your favorite holiday aromatics and flavors. Starting from the Gazebo in the Plaza, this four-hour daytime tour includes four or five stops for delicious food and wine, making for a fun and festive way to explore downtown Healdsburg.

217 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 433-6935

Winter Lights

Courtesy of Facebook: Downtown Santa Rosa

Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa

November 25 – December 31, 2022
Cost: Free; Ice Skating Starts at $8.50

Head to Santa Rosa this holiday season when Winter Lights descends upon downtown’s Courthouse Square. Kicking off with a Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 25th from 4 – 7 PM, complete with live entertainment, holiday drinks and treats, and photo opps with Santa, the fun continues with Skating on the Square, featuring kids’ skate clinics with Snoopy, Drag on Ice for Pride on December 9th, and even a New Year’s Eve Skating Show to close out the holiday season. Adding to the festivities: a special holiday market every Sunday, restaurants offering holiday specials, and more.

90 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair

Courtesy of City of Santa Rosa

Finley Community Center

December 3 – 4, 2022, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $5, free for children 12 and under

More than 90 local artists will be on hand at this festive shopping event, where quality, handcrafted holiday gifts and unique home goods will be for sale. It’s a great opportunity to get a head start on your holiday shopping while embracing all the Christmas feels. There will be live entertainment, a kids’ craft area, kettle corn, and plenty of snowmen and decorated trees for the perfect photo opp. Once you’ve checked everyone off your list, you can jump on Rosie the Trolley for a free ride to the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens Holiday Open House, happening the same weekend.

2060 West College Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401, (707) 543-3737

Merry Healdsburg Tree Lighting

Courtesy of Unsplash

Healdsburg Plaza

December 2, 2022, 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Cost: Free

The charming town of Healdsburg is bringing the merry vibes this season when its downtown plaza transforms into a winter wonderland fit for the whole family. The fun kicks off with a tree lighting ceremony at 6:30 PM, followed by plenty of ways to get into the holiday spirit – think family activities, carolers, live music, hot chocolate, carriage rides, and a visit from Santa, naturally.

Healdsburg Avenue and Matheson Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Holiday Tour and Tasting

Courtesy of Jordan

Jordan Winery

December 1 – 16, 2022 (Thursday to Monday only), 1:00 PM
Cost: $85

Celebrate the season, Wine Country-style, at Jordan Winery with their holiday wine tasting experience. You’ll definitely know you’re on the nice list when you kick off the day with a sampling of Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble, paired with Jordan’s own artisanal caviar. After exploring the historic winery and barrel room, the experience continues with a seated fireside tasting of select wines, which are served alongside a chef’s selection of hors d’oeuvres, as well as homemade holiday cookies and hot cocoa for the ultimate festive treat.

1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 431-5250

Winter Wineland

Courtesy of Facebook: Landmark Wine

Various Wineries in Sonoma County

January 14 – 15, 2023
Cost: $75 – $95, $10 for designated drivers

Sometimes, with all the feastly holiday events in months past, life feels a little flat on the other side of the new year. Kick the celebration back into gear with the Annual Winter WINEland in Northern Sonoma County. All 70 participating wineries will highlight a vintage, varietal, or vertical tasting for the weekend, so it’ll be a great time to meet winemakers, taste limited production wines, new releases, or library wines, and restock your wine cellar. Each winery will also have a festive photo backdrop so you can capture the fun on camera as you go along.

– Best Sonoma Wines for Thanksgiving –

– Downtown Healdsburg Hotels –

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Author

Julia Chang

Julia Chang is a writer based out of San Francisco, California. In her early twenties, she made the transition from the eat-to-live to the live-to-eat type, and her waistline has suffered since. She works in tech by day and ekes out time to write about food and fiction on nights and weekends. She doesn’t sleep much. Follow her delirium on Instagram @onmywhimsy, and on Twitter @Jurichu.