Sebastopol's December Comes Down to One Long Weekend

Today the City of Sebastopol begins its holiday moratorium on non-emergency construction in the downtown corridor. The pause runs from November 19, 2026, through January 4, 2027, and the city's stated purpose is to make sure construction doesn't get in the way of holiday sales and activities at downtown businesses.

That gives downtown about six and a half weeks to itself, and the calendar for those weeks is lopsided. Much of December's activity falls between a Thursday evening and a Sunday afternoon, Dec. 3 through Dec. 6, with the tree lighting, the 30th Goddess Crafts Faire, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts makers market and the Sunday farmers market stacked on top of each other. Everything else this season either leads up to that weekend or comes after it.

Before the Weekend, a Harvest and a Handoff

The first event on the calendar is tomorrow. On Friday, Nov. 20, Gold Ridge Organic Farms at 3387 Canfield Road hosts its Olio Nuovo Harvest and Milling Experience from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $65, and it's listed on the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce calendar.

A week later, McKinley Street changes hands. Cozy Plum, the plant-based eatery at 6970 McKinley St., serves its last day on Saturday, Nov. 28. As The Press Democrat reported, it's closing after nearly seven years, the last three of them in Sebastopol. The same story reports that Ming Gao and Kasey Liu, owners of Shogun Japanese Restaurant in Santa Rosa, were finalizing a lease for the space. They plan a traditional Chinese restaurant with handmade dumplings and noodles, along with some vegetarian dishes for the customers Cozy Plum has served. "We're trying to do something different, and share what we love," Liu told The Press Democrat. The couple hopes to open in February 2027 once construction on the space begins this winter.

On South Main Street, Bonnie Bagels & Co. at 280 S. Main St. will be heading into its first holiday season. The shop soft-opened in August, held its grand opening and Chamber ribbon cutting on Oct. 24, and lists hours of Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to Deli Market News. If you're out early for a market on the first Saturday or Sunday of December, those morning hours line up well.

Four Days, Mapped

The busiest stretch of the season starts on a weekday morning and wraps up on a Sunday afternoon.

Thursday is a weekday, so the tree lighting fits the evening after work. The Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce lists the Analy Jazz Band, Sebastopol Ballet and Mr. Music on the Plaza program, with Santa arriving by fire truck, plus refreshments and children's activities. Earlier that day, Sonoma County Library holds Toddler Storytime with a craft at the Community Center Youth Annex, so families with small children can make a full day of it.

Sunday, Dec. 6, Is the Crowded Day

On Saturday there's one big draw. Sunday brings three events across three venues with overlapping hours, so the order you visit them in matters.

The Goddess Crafts Faire turns 30 this year. Triple Goddess Productions organizes it, and the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center hosts it without producing it. Alongside handmade crafts and food, the lineup includes Sasha Rose, Megan McElroy and Rachel Tree, Joanne Rand, Suzanne Sterling, bellydance and a drum circle, with MC Mamazon hosting. Part of the proceeds goes to the Living Room.

The Sebastopol Center for the Arts has more than 35 vendors at its Art + Makers Market. From 2 to 4 p.m., it also hosts the opening reception for its annual Members' Art Show, so the afternoon becomes a gallery opening as the market winds down.

Here's one way to fit the day together using the published hours:

1. 9 a.m. Start at the Sebastopol Farmers Market on the Downtown Plaza. It runs year-round on Sundays, and this one closes at 1:30 p.m.
2. 10 a.m. SebArts opens its makers market at 282 S. High St.
3. 11 a.m. The Goddess Crafts Faire opens its second day at 390 Morris St. and runs until 7 p.m.
4. 2 p.m. Head back to SebArts for the Members' Art Show reception, which overlaps with the last two hours of the market.
5. Late afternoon. Of the three, the Goddess Faire stays open the longest.

Dec. 11 Moves Indoors, After Dark

Once the big weekend is over, the season moves from daytime shopping to evening programs. On Friday, Dec. 11, Sebastopol's two arts venues each have something on.

At the Community Cultural Center, Rainbow Girls play their annual holiday show with special guest Schlee in the Main Hall. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the show runs from 7:30 to 10 p.m., and tickets are $34 to $60.

The Sebastopol Center for the Arts uses the same night to start its next festival early, with a 6 to 8 p.m. screening of Hunky Jesus that kicks off the 2027 Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival. Guests listed are director Jennifer Kroot, Sister Roma and Honey Mahogany. Because the screening finishes at 8 p.m. and the concert ends at 10 p.m., the two listed time slots overlap rather than running one after the other.

Dec. 20 Is the Last Third Sunday of the Year

HEAD WEST Marketplace holds its Barlow market on the third Sunday of each month from March through December. The Chamber's listing describes 50-plus makers, crafters, artists, designers and vintage sellers, with local music. According to HEAD WEST, a small in-house team produces, juries and curates each market.

The December 20 market at 6770 McKinley St. opens at 11 a.m. It's the last date on HEAD WEST's 2026 Barlow schedule. Since the next one is in March, this is the last chance this year for makers' gifts that skips both mall parking and shipping deadlines.

Taken together, December runs from a free Plaza event on the 3rd, to two makers' markets on the 5th and 6th, to two evening arts programs on the 11th, and finally to the HEAD WEST market at The Barlow on the 20th. The farmers market fills every Sunday in between.

When the Pause Lifts

The construction moratorium ends after January 4, 2027. About a month later comes Gao and Liu's February 2027 target for opening the dumpling-and-noodle restaurant at 6970 McKinley St., once construction on the space gets underway this winter.

The Sunday farmers market on the Plaza runs year-round, and the Chamber's next big date is the Apple Blossom Parade & Festival on April 24–25, 2027.

If you're thinking about listing your Sebastopol home in spring, the quiet weeks after the holiday pause are a good time to talk pricing and preparation. Rhonda Alderman can tell you what your home could bring and what staging could add before the Apple Blossom crowds return. Request Your Complimentary Home Valuation.