🌟Local Kiddo SF

Your weekend plans, handled.

Author

Jasmine Alves
December 06, 2025

📆Issue No. 45 - December 6-7, 2025

This weekend the holiday season is in full throttle, and I need to tell you about a few "last chance" situations before we dive in.

ODC’s The Velveteen Rabbit closes this weekend. If you've been meaning to go, this is your final call. Sunday is literally the last performance. Don't be the parent crying into their coffee next week because they missed it. (It's me. I've been that parent.)

Same goes for the current exhibits at the Institute for Contemporary Art SF (ICA SF). The shows wrap up soon, so if contemporary art with the kiddos is on your list, make it happen this weekend.

Also, San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker officially opened yesterday. The gold standard. The one against which all other Nutcrackers are measured. If you're planning to go, you already know. (I'm personally holding out for the Sensory Friendly performance on December 28 for a relaxed environment, adjusted lighting and sound, a more accessible experience for kids and adults who need it. Mark your calendars.)

Now, let's talk about Saturday. It's basically Nutcracker Day in SF. We’re recommending THREE different Nutcracker experiences happening, from a 50-minute version perfect for little ones to a Wicked-themed dance-along to a free chair dance class at the library. Pick your adventure.

Also, can we talk about holiday markets for a second? This weekend is absolutely stacked with opportunities to shop local and skip the Amazon guilt spiral. Hit up Dogpatch Holiday Market, Holiday Mercantile in Golden Gate Park, SFMOMA’s Holiday Market, Mercatino Di Natale at Fort Mason, Sunday Shopping & Shorts on Waverly, or the Lakeside Holiday Market. Your neighbors made cool stuff. Go buy it.

Let's get into the weekend.

⚡ TLDR: Weekend Gameplan

Holiday Highlights

Saturday:

Sunday:

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✍️ FILL OUT THIS FORM ✍️

🎄Holiday Highlights🎄 

Your comprehensive guide to every festive event happening this weekend and beyond!

THIS WEEKEND (Dec 6-7)

WEEK OF DEC 8-14

WEEK OF DEC 15-21

WINTER BREAK (DEC 22-JAN 4)

ONGOING THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS

Saturday Highlights

This is THE Nutcracker for families with younger kids. At just 50 minutes, it's designed for attention spans that max out around the time Clara gets the nutcracker. Mark Foehringer's company has been doing this for years and they've absolutely nailed the balance of magic, dancing, and "keeping wiggly kids engaged." Affordable, zany, and genuinely fun danced storytelling at its best. If your preschooler is Nutcracker-curious but you're not ready to drop serious cash on SF Ballet tickets (yet), start here.

Worth Knowing:

  • Saturday, December 6 at 11:00am or 1:30pm; Sunday, December 7 at 11:00am or 1:30pm (runs on Saturdays and Sundays until December 21)

  • Cowell Theater, Fort Mason

  • Tickets from $23.50-$65.50

  • 50-minute production

A FREE Nutcracker experience at the library? Yes please. This one is part performance history and part movement. You'll hear stories from San Francisco Ballet's archives and then get up and do a chair dance class. It's interactive, it's educational, and it costs exactly zero dollars. Perfect for ballet-curious kids who want a taste before committing to a full performance. Show up early; this one will fill up.

Worth Knowing:

  • Saturday, December 6, 11:00am-12:15pm

  • SFPL Main, 100 Larkin Street

  • Free

  • 30-minute talk about San Francisco Ballet’s history of performing the Nutcracker

  • 30-minute fun and easy Chair Dance Class inspired by the Nutcracker

The beloved Dance-Along Nutcracker gets a Wicked twist this year, which means the crossover content we didn't know we needed. You’re not just watching, you'll waltz, march, pirouette, AND sing along to music from the Nutcracker ballet, Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, and The Wiz, performed LIVE by the 75-piece San Francisco Pride Band. This tradition has been running for 40 years for a reason. It's chaotic and joyful and the kind of thing your kids will remember forever. If you've got a theater kiddo or a kiddo who simply cannot sit still during performances, this is your answer. Let them BE the show.

Worth Knowing:

  • Saturday, December 6, 3:00pm or 7:00pm; Sunday, December 7, 11:00am or 3:00pm

  • Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street

  • Tickets start at $30 for kiddos and $50 for adults

Sunday Highlights

I genuinely love that this exists. A rave. For babies. At the Asian Art Museum. DJ Chico Chi spins kid-friendly beats while your little kiddos crawl/toddle/run around a museum setting. The music stays under 85 decibels, safe for little ears (though bring headphones if yours are extra sensitive). Even better, the museum's current exhibition is literally called "Rave into the Future: Art in Motion," so the vibes are fully aligned. It's sensory play meets dance party meets cultural institution.

Worth Knowing:

  • Sunday, December 7, 10:30am-12:00pm and 1:30pm-3:00pm

  • Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street

  • Free

  • Music under 85 decibels to keep it safe for the little kiddos (feel free to bring headphones)

  • The Rave into the Future exhibition will be closed from 10:30-3:00pm but will reopen during the 3:00-3:30pm set.

SF Symphony's annual family holiday concert is legitimately one of the best ways to introduce kids to orchestral music. It's festive, it's age-appropriate, and the musicians actually engage with the audience. Two showtimes means options, do the 11am and grab lunch in Hayes Valley after, or take your time with the morning and hit the 3pm. Either way, it's a beautiful way to share live music with your kids.

Worth Knowing:

  • Sunday, December 7, 11:00am or 3:00pm

  • Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue

  • Tickets from $65.00

  • Artists include Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Carolyn McArdle, Elijah Cineas the San Francisco Boy Chorus, Young Women’s Choral Projects, Mariachi Bonitas, Kugelplex, San Francisco Ballet School and San Francisco Symphony

✨Full List of What’s Good This Weekend✨

Ongoing:

Saturday, 12/6: 

Sunday, 12/7:

Found a spot that works for both you and the kiddos? Tell us – we read everything.

Until next week,

Jasmine @Local Kiddo — Because good taste doesn’t end at parenthood.

P.S. Forward this to a parent who is still trying to figure out what to do during their kiddo’s wake window.

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