San Francisco Bay Area family events
24 upcoming. Family-friendly events across the San Francisco Bay Area: festivals, museums, storytimes, markets, and seasonal fun.
TomorrowSaturday, October 17
9am to 4pm, through Oct 18$30
SausalitoThe museum's annual Halloween party now runs every October weekend with a giant spider to dash under at the entrance, a bug dig in glowing dirt, fizzing brew mixing in Goblin Village, a beast-building art station, and live bug presentations with the Beetlelady. Costumes encouraged, stroller-friendly, rain or shine.
9:30am to 5pm, through Oct 18$27
OaklandOakland Zoo's Halloween weekends bring a Saturday costume contest at noon in the Wildlife Theater, creepy-crawler encounters at the House of Bugs and the Reptile Room, and a scavenger-style hunt for limited-edition animal trading cards around the zoo.
10am to 4pm, through Oct 18$18
OaklandA brand-new autumn celebration at Fairyland with a giant leaf pit to jump in, warm seasonal flavors, hands-on arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt, and nature-inspired activities under the turning trees.
10am to 5pm, one of 5 dates
WoodsideFall celebration across the historic estate with giant pumpkins, cider, churros, and fall photo ops. Traditions in Bloom days (10am to 5pm) include Indigenous People's Day programming (Oct 12), Diwali with dance and a garden game (Oct 17, 11am to 2pm), and Dia de los Muertos family activities and performances (Oct 25, 10am to 5pm).
11am to 3pmFree
SunolA free family festival at the Sunol visitor center with tule boat weaving, pine nut bead bracelets, branded bandana crafts, Ohlone and Victorian-era games, lasso practice, live folk music, and acorn brownies from Cafe Ohlone. Bring a picnic.
1 to 9pm, through Oct 18
GilroySweet and not-too-spooky Halloween celebration with trick-or-treating on the BOO Trail, a sing-and-dance musical show, character meet-and-greets, a Halloween light tunnel, themed rides, and interactive pumpkin wands for a clue hunt. Oct 31 runs 11am to 5pm; costumes encouraged for all ages.
SaturdayOctober 24
10am to 2pmFree
San FranciscoCome in costume to the Randall Museum's annual free Family Halloween Day. Kids travel the trick-or-treat trail, make creepy crafts, play ghoulish games, peek at the live animal room, and catch live music and theater entertainment, with costume awards through the day.
10am to 5pm, through Oct 25$18
San JoseNot-too-spooky eco-friendly Halloween at the zoo with a creepy-crawly critter show, costume parade, cute and creepy crafts, ghoulish games, animal encounters, and Halloween-themed animal enrichment like pumpkins for the animals.
11am to 2pm
San FranciscoA daytime Dia de los Muertos program about the monarch butterfly, whose migration arrives in Mexico around Day of the Dead. Paint a butterfly or butterfly wing, add a personal message, and it joins a colorful community art installation built with the Marigold Project and local elementary students. Included with museum admission.
SundayOctober 25
11am to 4pm$10
OaklandOMCA's 32nd annual Dia de los Muertos celebration fills the gardens with community ofrendas, live performances, art activities, and traditional food. The formal welcome starts at noon; picnic blankets and low-back chairs are encouraged.
2:30 to 4:20pm$35
San JoseSymphony San Jose's Halloween concert with spooky favorites (Ghostbusters, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, the Batman theme) plus an on-stage costume contest for kids who dress up. Family-framed by the presenters as a Halloween concert for the whole family.
ThursdayOctober 29
3 to 7pmFree
San FranciscoFoodwise's Mission market goes festive for Dia de los Muertos and Halloween: marigolds and ofrenda flowers from local farms, pan dulce and calavera cookies, papel picado and life-size loteria card photo ops, family-friendly crafts for kids in costume, and live music on the Little Mission Studio stage.
SaturdayOctober 31
9:30am to 4:30pm
San JoseDaytime Halloween celebration at the purple museum with a costume parade, Glow Bones activity, a Monster Mash dance zone, fall art, and a build-a-ghost science activity (10am to 3pm). Costume spotlight moments at 11am and 2pm. Kid-focused and playful, nothing scary.
12 to 7pm$28
OaklandFairyland's Halloween-day party turns the park into a mad science lab with trick-or-treat stations, hands-on STEM experiments, bouncy houses, sensory play zones, live performances, and themed crafts. Costumes encouraged.
SundayNovember 1
10am to 2pm
San JoseJoyful Day of the Dead family celebration with sand painting, calavera painting, marigold butterfly mask making, Aztec dancers, giant skeleton puppets, and a lively Calacas procession led by Teatro Familia Aztlan with a stop at Lupe the museum's mammoth.
SaturdayNovember 7
10am to 2pm
San JoseDiwali family celebration with hands-on Diya lamp making, Rangoli artwork, a kids' dance workshop, a read-aloud, and Bhangra and Kathak dance performances. Includes a cloak-decorating activity for the Bandi Chhor Divas tradition.
3 to 5pm
San FranciscoThe Symphony's 19th annual Day of the Dead celebration starts with family-friendly preconcert activities in the lobbies: live catrinas, interactive altars, and art installations honoring the Mexican state of Tlaxcala. Then Jose Luis Gomez conducts Latin American concert music with dancers from Casa Circulo Cultural. Kids' tickets are half off.
SaturdayNovember 14
11am to 5pm, through Nov 15$5
San FranciscoRenegade Craft's winter fair brings 250+ independent makers to the Festival Pavilion for a weekend of holiday shopping: ceramics, knit hats, snacks, and more, with outdoor food trucks. Indoors, rain or shine.
ThursdayNovember 19
10am to 5pm, through Nov 22$40
San FranciscoThe Exploratorium's seasonal light exhibition fills the galleries with luminous artworks: an artificial sun of moving mirrors, a room of nearly 500 glowing orbs, shadow-to-star constellations, and light-play tinkering activities for kids. Runs Nov 19 through Jan 24 (closed Mondays); dates below are the opening week.
FridayNovember 27
12 to 10pm, through Nov 28Free
San JoseDowntown San Jose's free 45-plus-year holiday tradition: a walk through 600+ community-decorated trees, animated displays, lights, live entertainment, and free photos with Santa every night Nov 28 through Dec 24. Sensory-friendly Special Inclusion Sundays Dec 13 and Dec 27 (9am to 2pm). Open noon to 10pm daily through New Year's Day.
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Seasonal events in San FranciscoSeasonal and holiday events around San Francisco: fall festivals, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, Diwali, and holiday-season happenings.
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