Vallejo's Mad Hatter Holiday Festival Transforms Downtown into Wonderland Experience

The Mad Hatter Holiday Festival returns on Saturday, December 6, 2025, transforming Vallejo's historic downtown district into a fantasy world that attracts thousands of visitors with its creative lighted and fire-shooting Wonderland recreations. The festival blends classic holiday traditions with a twist: a fairytale world that will be unveiled before everyone's eyes who decides to walk through the looking glass and experience the enchanting moment of this Wonderland recreation.

The festival features a spectacular parade led by larger-than-life Wonderland characters, including the Mad Hatter and his marvelous tea party guest. The procession includes award-winning Burning Man mutant vehicles and creations of serpents, dragons, and an oversized lighted dancing Cheshire Cat, March Hare and Lion King. There will be a restored 48 and 8 train from the 1900s in its full glory blowing its horn with its awesome sound down the main street to the festival grounds. Additional parade participants include Darth Vader and his Storm Troopers, Marching Bands, Maritime Cadets in their blues, lighted floats, cultural groups, Aladdin's Lamp, the Grinch and its dancing followers and Krampus, the half goat seeking misbehaving children.

There are two announcing stages: one created for Burning Man as the Stairway to Heaven that is an elevated chair fifteen feet above the Mad Hatter Holiday Parade as they pass and the second stage another block down hosts a Hatter's Queen Court that will also be crowning young princesses and Queens before the parade begins. The festival grounds are full of lights, food trucks, hot cocoa, holiday vendors, live music, and all of the Wonderland Tea Party Characters to interact with families. There are also two giant firing feathers encircling an area for picture taking and a lighted red bell-ringing train to usher families about and around the large glowing holiday tree.

The tree lighting program takes place on a huge Victorian Ship which has a 30' colorful blimp on its top. There will be performers singing holiday tunes along with Santa and his elves, the mayor will welcome in the holiday season as our Grand Marshals: Freddie Stone of Sly & The Family Stone and Amanda Williams, a single mom, who put her life on the line for another in a devastating situation, will begin the countdown to light the 3,000 bulbs on the giant tree. The conclusion of the festival is when the lighted boat parade illuminates the waterway after the tree lighting - a magical time, a forever memory.

Hyperion Community Partners LLC partners with the City of Vallejo in a private/public partnership to produce their two major holiday events: The Mad Hatter's July 4th Waterfront Celebration and the Mad Hatter Holiday Festival, Parade & Tree Lighting the first Saturday of December. Its leaders are Frank Malifrando and Michael Bauman along with our partnership with Kathy and Shannon O'Hare of Obtainium Works, the creative compound of the extraordinary creations. More information about the event can be found at HatterVallejo.com and a video showcasing the festival experience is available at YouTube.