The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Santana Row Tuesday, November 15, 2016 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The event includes photos with Santa Claus, live music, performances by local theater groups and at 7:00 pm the lighting of the 40-foot Christmas tree.

Starting at 5:00 pm take a photo with Santa Claus, listen to live music in Park Valencia, performances by local theater groups and much more.

Tree Lighting Ceremony
368 Santana Row, San Jose, 95128
408.551.4611

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 from 5:00 pm
Free

For pre-school aged children and their parents, the 2016 Halloween Spooktakular Family Fun Fest, Tuesday, October 25th from 10am to noon at Park Valencia, Santana Row.
The Halloween Fun Fest features free entertainment, interactive games, hands-on activities and educational activities. Wear your costume and trick or treat The Row. There will be arts and crafts, face painting, pumpkin decorating, halloween photos at more.

Park Valencia, Santana Row
368 Santana Row, San Jose
408.551.4611.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Free

This Friday, June 26 between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm, Pinkberry is giving away a free small swirl of its two newest flavors, Coconut and Passionfruit.

That brings Pinkberry’s list of non-fat frozen yogurt to five, including the flavors: Original, Green Tea, and Pomegranat.

Pinkberry Santana Row
368 Santana Row #102
San Jose, 95128
408-557-8333

It’s billed as the largest music festival in the world, and it’s landing in San Jose for the first time. The Fête de la Musique is an annual global music explosion that happens in 350 cities on five continents on the longest day of the year, June 21. (San Jose thought it was better than the rest of the world and bumped it up to tomorrow, June 20.)

The rules of the festival: Admission should be free, the musicians should perform for free, amateurs must be just as welcomed as professionals, and there should be a diverse range of genres represented. By every measure I can find, San Jose’s participation will do exactly this.

It’s happening at Santana Row, where headliners include Tété, who is being called the “French Ben Harper,” and Eric John Kaiser, who calls himself “Portland’s French Troubadour.” The rest of the crazily diverse lineup can be found at the San Jose Jazz website. And when I say diverse, I mean there’s hip-hop, jazz, rock, folk, classical, funk, gospel, blues, pop, indie and swing on the lineup. Crazy diverse.

For more info, check out the international home page (in English). The Merc also does a writeup here.

What: Fête de la Musique
Where: Santana Row, at Winchester and Stevens Creek boulevards, San Jose. Free parking. (Directions)
When: Saturday, June 20, 2009, 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Contact: 408.551.4611.

This Tuesday is Santana Row’s 7th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony beginning at 6:30 pm.

Festivities include live music, choirs, carolers, stilt walkers, hot chocolate sampling and activities for children.

The annual (40-foot) Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at approximately 6:30 pm in Park Valencia; also, the lighting of more than 500,000 twinkling lights throughout Santana Row.

Scheduled on the Celebration Stage on Olin Avenue: San Jose native Katee Shean (So You Think You Can Dance), The Nutcracker performed by The Joy of Dancing, also a sneak peek of San Jose Repertory Theatre’s holiday production Around the World in 80 Days.

Santana Row
368 Santana Row, San Jose

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Free event

Before Santana Row, there was Town & Country Village, a sprawling one-level, Spanish-style buildings with stores and restaurants. Before Town & Country Village, there was a 65-acre pear orchard.

The festival includes chef demonstrations, wine tasting, live entertainment and samplings of pear-influenced recipes by Santana Row Chefs.

Wine tasting, $20 for six tastes with 20% of proceeds donated to Hospice of the Valley.

Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis will appear at noon in Santana Row Park with a Q&A and book signing. Tickets for this event will be distributed in Sur La Table at Santana Row with the purchase of Giada’s Kitchen.

Santana Row
Winchester & Stevens Creek Boulevards, San Jose

Sunday, October 19, 2008
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Free except for wine tasting and the Giada De Laurentiis event.

I met Nina Hautumm while waiting in the lobby of the San Jose Repertory Theatre. We were both there to see the World Premier of Sherman’s Way. I discovered that Nina herself was a moviemaker. Sharp Cookies is a short comedy (17 minutes) and is one of the winners of the ‘Vuze Audience Favorites.’ I told her that I would catch it on Sunday.

Reaching into her Cinequest Gift Bag, she came up with a 12oz bag of Peet’s Coffee. She asked, “Do you like coffee?” Nina doesn’t drink coffee is the reason she gave it to me.

Nina asked me, “Where are the shops?” She wanted to pick up a few things, maybe some new shoes. Without going into the whole where in the heck are the shops in San Jose debate, I directed her to Santana Row and Valley Fair.

Sharp Cookies

Vuze Audience Favorites

A Freebie at Santana Row!

Today, what’s left of it, and all day tomorrow buy any 6-inch Subway sandwich and get another one for free.

(I didn’t ask but it is most likely: Get another of equal or lesser value for free.)

SUBWAY
377 Santana Row
San Jose, CA 95128
Ph. 408-984-7821

It’s high time I resumed the Indian restaurant series. At least Gary has been prodding me for long. And it’s good to blog about one of the best that we have — Amber.

It would be difficult to dispute its position as the best Indian restaurant out here. I should say that it’s almost on par with the top restaurants back in India.
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Before Santana Row, there was Town & Country Village, a sprawling one-level, Spanish-style buildings with stores and restaurants. Before Town & Country Village, there was a 65-acre pear orchard. This Sunday Santana Row celebrates its 5-year anniversary with its first annual Pear Festival.

Festival attendees will be able to meet pear farmers, taste the pear-influenced creations of chefs during the Santana Row Chef Challenge, attend a pear dessert demonstration, enjoy performances by local folk, country and jazz musicians, visit the farmer’s market, along with other activities.

Learn new pear recipes, growing techniques and more from the growers themselves; also, sample different types of pears from across the country. 10:00am. – 6:00pm

The Santana Row Chef Challenge with Chefs David Bastide (Left Bank), Vittal Shetty (Amber India), Michael Dunn (Yankee Pier), Stephen J. Romeo (Straits Café) and others compete using fresh ingredients from the Santana Row Farmers’ Market, as well as any spice or meat/fish they wish, the chefs must create a pear-themed dish in only 30 minutes. The lucky spectators get to be the judges. 11:00am, 2:00pm & 4:00pm

Bay Area chef and author of award-winning dessert cookbooks Alice Medrich will demonstrate her pastry techniques when she prepares a special pear dessert. Noon

Santana Row
Winchester & Stevens Creek Boulevards, San Jose
Sunday, Oct. 7
10:00am. – 6:00pm
Free

Driving Directions