Gingerbread House Decorating for Kids in the Bay Area

Gingerbread houses are a holiday tradition for many. This holiday season, you'll find many classes, workshops, and other events where you and your kids can construct and decorate your very own gingerbread house. You can also check out the work of talented gingerbread artisans in the Bay Area, including a 25-foot-tall gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Here's our guide to gingerbread events for families this December.

Gingerbread House Decorating in Marin & the Bay Area

• Gingerbread House Decorating
  Tiburon Holiday Festival
  Saturday, December 7, 1–5 pm
  Kids can create their own gingerbread house at one of the 3 sessions: 1–2 pm, 2–3 pm & 4–5 pm. Cost: $35 per house. Reservations recommended by calling (415) 435-5633. Event details.
• Gingerbread House Decorating
  Williams Sonoma, San Francisco
  Saturday, December 8, 11 am
  Decorate your very own gingerbread house, then take it home to show off to your family and friends. Suitable for Ages 8-13. Cost: $30 per child, Includes Gingerbread House Decorating Kit. Call the store to reserve your spot. Location: 2000 Chestnut Street, San Francisco.  Event details.
• Gingerbread Doghouse Workshops
  Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
  Saturday, December 14–Sunday, December 15 (see times below)
  Assemble and decorate Snoopy’s doghouse out of gingerbread—complete with a marshmallow Snoopy on top! Schedule: December 14, 10:00 am–Noon (Parent and child, Pre-K and up), December 14, 1:00–4:00 pm (Grades K–6) and December 15, 1:00–4:00 pm (Grades K–6). Advance registration required—register online at schulzmuseum.org/classes-camps or call (707) 284-1272. Location: 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. Event details.
• Gingerbread Cat & Dog House Decorating Workshop for Kids
  Marin Humane, Novato
  Saturday, December 21, 10:30 am–12:30 pm
  Get in the holiday spirit and join in the fun of an age-old tradition – gingerbread house decorating! Gingerbread house masters John and Megan Lorenzen will be here to help you create a gingerbread dog house or a gingerbread kitty condo. All materials will be provided. We’ll end our session with a display of all the fabulous creations before you take them home. Designed for kids 8-12 years old who can work independently. This is a kids-only workshop. Cost $30. Due to popular demand, we have added an additional workshop slot from 1:30 – 3:30 pm. Register now!
• Gingerbread House Decorating
  The Terra Linda Community Center, San Rafael
  Saturday, December 14, 9 am–2 pm
  Bring the creativity and leave the mess! Join us in a Gingerbread house making class from ages 5-13. Three different age groups for three different sessions–ages 5 to 7, 9–10 am, ages 8 to 10, 11 am–noon & 11 to13, 1–2 pm. We are looking forward to seeing what the kids come up with! Register online.
• Gingerbread Build
  Downtown Recreation Center, Novato
  Sunday, December 15, 10 am–1 pm
  Join Novato Parks & Recreation as we attempt to create our wonderful City out of Gingerbread! This event includes plenty of festive fun for the entire family. Enjoy holiday music, a spirited photo booth and community cheer while sipping a cup of hot cocoa or coffee. Light snacks will also be provided. Registration fee of $20 includes admission to the event for up to 4 guests and provides one gingerbread kit for the group. A $5 admission fee will be charged for any additional guests joining your group. Kits include one gingerbread house, frosting, and candy décor. For larger groups or families that wish to build more than one house, we recommend purchasing an additional gingerbread house for just $10, which covers admission of an additional 2 guests. Register here

More Gingerbread House Fun

• Fairmont Gingerbread House
  Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco
  November 30–January 1
  Fairmont San Francisco’s two-story, life-sized Gingerbread House in the hotel’s grand lobby has become a must-see attraction for guests from near and far.Fairmont San Francisco’s talented culinary and engineering teams have joined forces to meticulously plan construction of this year’s enormous Gingerbread House, which will be even larger than last year’s stunning, two-story-high Victorian! Once complete, the impressive, edible abode will stand more than 25 feet high, 35 feet wide and 10 feet deep and will feature more than 6,000 homemade gingerbread bricks, 1,650 pounds of candy and 3,300 pounds of royal icing. The gingerbread house’s railroad track also delights guests of all ages, who happily gaze upon this favorite feature. They also offer a gingerbread tea. Event information.
• 13th Annual Gingerbread House Tour
  Downtown Sausalito
  December 1–31
  Take a walking tour and see the amazing custom-built Gingerbread houses, created by local businesses, on display in Saualito. Event information.