Bay Area Family Events
The Bay Area's biggest family events, ordered by what's coming up next. Exact dates shift year to year — tap the official link to confirm this year's schedule before you go.
Fourth of July Fireworks & Parades
Independence Day fireworks and hometown parades across the Bay Area — from the San Francisco waterfront to Redwood City's big parade and East Bay marina shows. Most are free.
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
The self-proclaimed 'World Pumpkin Capital' throws a giant coastal harvest festival with a costume parade, pie-eating contests, live music, and the famous giant-pumpkin weigh-off nearby.
San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show
The Blue Angels roar over the bay during Fleet Week, with an air show, ship tours, and waterfront viewing. Spectacular and free to watch from the shoreline.
Bay Area Science Festival
Two weeks of hands-on science across the region, capped by the huge free Discovery Day expo with hundreds of interactive booths, experiments, and demos for kids.
The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Step into Victorian London at the Cow Palace: costumed characters, carolers, a Father Christmas, dancing, and old-world holiday shopping across an immersive indoor recreation.
Holiday Lights & Zoo Lights
December fills the Bay Area with walk-through and drive-through light displays — Oakland Zoo's ZooLights, botanical-garden glow trails, and neighborhood spectacles like San Francisco's Tom & Jerry houses.
San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade
One of the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia, with illuminated floats, lion dancers, acrobats, and a 200-foot Golden Dragon winding through downtown and Chinatown. Free to watch from the street.
Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
A two-weekend celebration of Japanese and Japanese-American culture in Japantown, with taiko drumming, martial-arts demos, a grand parade, food stalls, and kid-friendly crafts.
San Mateo County Fair
A classic county fair with carnival rides, farm animals, live music, a petting zoo, and hands-on kids' zones. A Peninsula early-summer tradition.
Alameda County Fair
One of the Bay Area's biggest fairs in Pleasanton: carnival midway, livestock barns, horse racing, concerts, and a huge lineup of family attractions.
Note: these are recurring annual events — we don't invent specific dates. Always confirm the current year's dates, pricing, and hours on the official site.