The East Bay Entertainment Destination Kicks off the Holidays with Music, a Community Parade and New Seasonal Shops
CenterCal, a full-service commercial real estate company, officially kicks off the holiday season with strolling holiday music and its second annual holiday tree lighting in partnership with the City of Emeryville on Friday, December 2, 2022. Beginning at Emeryville City Hall, a community parade will start at 6:30 pm and revelers will make their way across the South Bayfront Pedestrian-Bicycle Bridge. The parade will finish at the foot of the bridge in front of Bay Street Emeryville’s Grand Christmas Tree, where holiday characters and VIPs will light the holiday tree with a special guest appearance by a very special Santa.
“This year our annual tree lighting and holiday parade is extra special because we’ve decided to go car-free so that all participants can safely walk, bike or scoot from City Hall to Bay Street together as a community,” said Emeryville Mayor John Bauters. “And I’m excited to share that we’ve been in talks with Santa Claus to let some very special local kids join him for reindeer rides and other fun surprises. So, I look forward to seeing Emeryville residents and guests share in the holiday spirit with music, singing and dancing to kick off the season with a wonderful celebration.”
Attendees will be treated to music and fun with many of the local shops and restaurants participating in sampling and offering prizes. Food trucks will also be stationed along Bay Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic during the event. Revelers are invited to visit with both new and established shops and eateries that will be hosting activities, giving out prizes and running sales throughout the event.
Joining Bay Break in December, just in time for the holidays is the latest restaurant to open, Uchiwa Ramen. Named for the Japanese colloquialism “uchi-soto” meaning “insider-outsider” in reference to how one treats guests, for Uchiwa Ramen it symbolizes its premium on hospitality and creating a welcoming environment to enjoy traditional Japanese comfort food.
“The holidays certainly are the most wonderful time of the year at Bay Street Emeryville,” said Christa Williams, Marketing Manager. “Our annual tree lighting ceremony began last year as a celebration of the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the South Bayfront Pedestrian-Bicycle Bridge and this year it marks the beginning of a new chapter at Bay Street Emeryville with the all-new Bay Break Dining Terrace open to the public for all to enjoy.”
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, Bay Street Emeryville is partnering with AVE Emeryville for a toy drive in partnership with Toys for Tots. Generous guests are invited to donate unwrapped, new items as gifts for newborns to teenagers whether toys, clothing, infant items, board games, video games, crafts of blankets. Drop offs are accepted at the Bay Break Terrace, near Barnes & Noble Café and will be accepted by one of our amazing Bay Break ambassadors.
The shopping, dining and entertainment destination will also host several seasonal shops for a limited stay at Bay Street:
Crystals & Sage, located next to Purple, specializes in unique crystals with a variety of uncut stones, rings, necklaces, statues art and more. The right gift this holiday season for the crystal enthusiast in your life can be found at Crystals & Sage.
Pier 39 Posters by Virtual Framing, the largest poster store in the world, not only features famous movie and music posters but a wide variety of pop art, maps and charts, imaginative pop culture mashups and can even turn your photos into high-quality prints with custom framing. With more than 2,000 posters to choose from, Pier 39 Posters can help you find what you’re looking for and is located on the upper level, next to Barnes & Noble Café.
Sport City, located next to Bath & Body Works, carries a variety of hats, jerseys, clothing and sports accessories including official licensed NFL, NBA, MLB and MLS gear. Whether it’s for the big game or a weekend meetup with friends, Sport City will have you dressed for the occasion.
Starting the day after Thanksgiving, patrons will enjoy a sing along or take in a tune while shopping as Bay Street Emeryville hosts a variety of holiday musical acts. Nearly every weekend from 1 pm to 4 pm, Kringle & Jingle, the Musical Toy Soldier Guard, Solstice String Trio or a string quartet will serenade guests with holiday music.