Gamble Garden Winter Festival

On an early December evening, the old Gamble house glows from every window. Strings of lights run through the hedges and the formal garden. Hot chocolate and cookies wait in a tent on the lawn. Inside the house, the rooms are packed with holiday vendors. Outside, children line up for a photo with Santa and his sleigh. This is Gamble Garden's Winter Festival, a three-day holiday event in Old Palo Alto that raises money for one of the city's best-loved public gardens.

This guide covers the garden's story, what is on at the 2026 festival, tickets, parking and what to pair with a visit. The 2026 festival runs Thursday, December 3 to Saturday, December 5, under the theme "Where Winter Blooms." For the rest of the season, see our holiday season guide.

About Gamble Garden

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is a free 2.5-acre public garden at 1431 Waverley Street, in Old Palo Alto. Its centerpiece is a house built in 1902 for Edwin Percy Gamble, the youngest son of Procter and Gamble co-founder James Gamble. His daughter Elizabeth lived there for decades and left the property to the city when she died in 1981 at 92. In 1985 the City Council voted 8 to 1 in favor of turning it into a public garden, run by a nonprofit.

The garden is open daily during daylight hours and admission is free. Its big fundraisers fill the calendar: a spring tour of private gardens in April, an Easter egg hunt and the Winter Festival in December. Our Gamble Garden guide covers the house, the garden rooms and everyday visits.

The 2026 festival at a glance

Also on the program are Over the Garden Fence: Winter Edition, a sale of vintage and previously loved items, plus a winter plant sale, a silent auction and a holiday raffle. Details and booking links are on the garden's Winter Festival page.

How the festival has grown

Gamble Garden does not publish a founding year for its holiday festival, so we do not give one. Recent editions show a steady format built around the house and its lights. In 2025 the festival opened on Thursday, December 4, with a grand opening party that included a holiday tree lighting and early access to the marketplace and vintage sale. Tickets for that party were $95. The holiday tea ran on December 5 and 6, 2025, at $85 per person, with seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and an extra 2:30 p.m. seating on Saturday. The marketplace spread through the Gamble house and outdoors under a canopy of lights.

For 2026 the garden added a wine and mocktail tasting to opening night, billed as its first. It also themed the family evening "Through the Looking Glass," with a Faerie Village on the grounds.

The main events

Holiday Marketplace

The marketplace is the part most visitors come for. More than 30 vendors sell holiday gifts and decor inside the house and in the garden. Coffee is on the house. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Children 12 and under get in free. The garden had not listed adult admission for 2026 on its festival page as of November 1.

Holiday Tea

The tea is a sit-down affair at community tables in the main house, with tea sandwiches, scones and a selection of teas. Seatings in 2026 are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on December 4 and 5. Reservations are required and seats are limited, so book early. In 2025 the $85 ticket included the marketplace on the day of your seating.

Once Upon a Garden

The family evening on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., turns the grounds into a Faerie Village. Kids can have photos taken with Santa and his sleigh, meet storybook characters and a holiday fairy on stilts, make crafts and get hot chocolate and cookies at the Gnome Nom Cafe. Adults get a complimentary glass of champagne. Tickets went on sale October 1.

Opening Night Party

Thursday's party, from 5 to 7 p.m., is the adults' night: holiday music, hors d'oeuvres, the garden's first wine and mocktail tasting and the first chance to shop the winter vintage sale.

Tips for visiting

• Book the tea and the family evening early. Both have limited capacity.
• Go Friday morning for the best choice at the marketplace and the vintage sale.
• Bring a tote bag. Palo Alto restricts checkout bags.
• Dress warmly for the evening events. December nights in Palo Alto often drop into the 40s °F.
• Members get discounts on ticketed events, so a membership can pay off if you plan to attend several.

Parking and getting there

Gamble Garden sits on a residential block of Waverley Street near Churchill Avenue. There is no large lot, so plan on street parking in the surrounding neighborhood and expect it to fill during the evening events. Read posted signs before you leave the car. Our parking guide explains the city's rules.

The garden is about a mile from downtown, a flat walk or short bike ride along quiet streets. From Caltrain, Palo Alto station on University Avenue and California Avenue station are both within reach on foot or by bike. Bring a light for your bike if you are coming to an evening event.

What to do nearby

With children, pair the festival with the Junior Museum and Zoo or Rinconada Park, a few blocks away on Middlefield Road. Note that the zoo closes at 4:30 p.m. from November 1, 2026. The city's free tree lighting at Lytton Plaza is on Friday, December 4, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the same evening as Once Upon a Garden, so families will need to choose. Later in the month, neighbors on Fulton Street light up Christmas Tree Lane. Our holiday lights guide lists other displays.

The lane's dates are set by the neighbors each year, so check before you go. For holiday gifts beyond the marketplace, our holiday shopping guide covers downtown and Stanford Shopping Center. Coming from out of town? You can compare hotels in Palo Alto for the first weekend of December, often a quieter time for rooms than summer.

Frequently asked questions