Section
368 listings in 25 counties. Parks, museums, kids' events and free days. Every listing links to its source.
Every listing links to its source · Updated
24 picks
Autumn celebration with arts and crafts, nature activities, seasonal flavors and a giant leaf pit, 10am-4pm.
Drop-in tarantula meet-and-greets, 12:30-1pm and 2-2:30pm.
Fairyland's Halloween trick-or-treat event with bounce houses, crafts, live performances and STEM activities, 12-7pm. Costumes encouraged, not required.
16 picks
Special-event weekend at Black Diamond Mines, from 10am both days.
Naturalist-led program on the miners of the Mount Diablo Coal Field and the area's geology. Sessions at 10:30am, 11:30am and 1:30pm. Registration required.
Delta shoreline with a visitor center, a paved and relatively flat trail, and a fishing and observation pier. No parking fee.
15 picks
Library talk on pollinators, 1pm.
Island state park in San Francisco Bay, reached by ferry from Tiburon or San Francisco. Some services and facilities are restricted. Tiburon ferry round trip $18 adults 13-64, $16 seniors 65+, $15 ages 6-12, $6 ages 3-5, 2 and under free. Through Oct 31 it runs Wed-Sun; in Nov-Dec, weekends only plus Nov 11 and Nov 27.
Hands-on museum for children ages 0-8 at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. EBT/SNAP/WIC tickets $5 (up to 4).
12 picks
Nearly 150 artworks and photographs by Disney designer and art director Mary Blair, from the Walt Disney Family Museum. Through Jan 10, 2027.
Holiday crafts, milling demonstrations, folk music, cider and cookie decorating, 10am-2pm.
Fully restored water-powered grist mill built in 1846 by Edward Turner Bale and Maria Sobranes Vallejo Bale, with guided tours and exhibits. Three miles north of St. Helena on Highway 29.
20 picks
The Exploratorium's winter light exhibition. Free with museum admission.
One-mile trail of lights through the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Most nights sell out in advance.
SF Rec & Park camp at the city's archery range: basic recurve and compound archery, field games and crafts, ending with Archery Tag at Ocean Beach. Drop-off and pick-up at Cabrillo Playground.
17 picks
Anniversary celebration at Pigeon Point Light Station, 1pm-7pm.
Self-guided elephant seal viewing April-November, no tours or reservations needed. The round-trip hike takes about two and a half to three hours. A free seal-viewing permit is required and is issued at the park 8:30am-3:30pm.
On Sundays a 3.8-mile stretch of Cañada Road, between the Filoli entrance and Highway 92, closes to cars for cycling, walking, jogging and roller-skating.
20 picks
Children's Halloween event, 2:00 pm.
Community Day at the San José Museum of Art, 11am.
Halloween trick-or-treating throughout the museum, with hands-on spooky science and laser shows. Oct 31, 10am-5pm.
15 picks
Holiday kickoff at the city's Paradise Valley Golf Course with Santa, a kids' craft corner, a holiday market, a golf cart parade and holiday treats. Food and drinks for purchase.
First Street merchants open their doors with treats, costumed carolers, live entertainment and a Christmas tree lighting.
Tree lighting at Children's Wonderland with live music, hot cocoa and photos with Santa. Gates open 5pm; tree lighting at 6:30pm.
19 picks
Free family day with costumes, food, Halloween and Día de los Muertos crafts and wildlife displays.
Stories, crafts and a screening of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for ages 1-5 and caregivers; come in costume. Trick-or-treating starts at 11am.
Self-guided activity for dogs and their people, with prizes; Halloween prizes for dogs in costume.
16 picks
Trick-or-treating at Main Street shops in downtown Placerville, with a costume contest and carnival games.
Lighting of the 65-foot fresh-cut Christmas tree at The Shops at Heavenly Village, hosted by Senator Alexandra Duarte and Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, with a live performance by Mark Mackay. Afterward, Santa lights the tree daily at 5:30pm through Christmas. Parking in the Bellamy Way garage.
Placerville's annual tree lighting festival, with live music, food and drinks, Santa Claus and the lighting of the Christmas tree at the Bell Tower. Dress up for the Whoville costume contest at Placerville Antiques.
14 picks
Halloween haunted house at the 1908 Watson Cabin, the oldest log structure remaining in the North Lake Tahoe area, from the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society. Free 5th annual haunted house during the Tahoe City Trick or Treat event.
Annual fair (formerly the Native Craft Fair) with handmade jewelry, beadwork, pottery, textiles and carvings from Native artisans; held rain or shine.
Local businesses, organizations and schools decorate trees around The Square: watch the grove light up, make holiday crafts, enjoy music, visit Santa and shop local vendors.
25 picks
Fairytale Town's 40th annual Safe & Super Halloween, circus-themed this year, with crafts, games, magic and trick-or-treating; come in costume.
Outdoor ice rink in Ali Youssefi Square outside Golden 1 Center, a downtown tradition for over 30 years. Veterans skate free.
The evening starts with Polar Express characters in the passenger station, then a one-hour train ride to the North Pole with hot chocolate and a treat, carols, and Santa handing every passenger a silver sleigh bell. Santa visits afterward in the Eagle Theater.
5 picks
Halloween trick-or-treating along downtown Yuba City's Plumas Street, from the Yuba City Downtown Business Association.
Yuba City's annual Sikh parade at the Sikh Temple Gurdwara on Tierra Buena Road, with an open house and reception at the temple the day before (Oct 31).
Free opening reception for the Art Box Holiday Marketplace, featuring local artists, with 10% off during the reception. The marketplace stays open through Dec 19.
14 picks
A high-flying homage to 1980s amusement parks, built around a giant Ferris wheel and mechanical rides, with acrobatics, aerial feats and juggling. About 1 hour 45 minutes with one intermission.
Free, family-friendly open house at the Bohart Museum, home to about eight million insect specimens and a live petting zoo of hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas. UC Davis entomology students share their research. Weekend parking is free.
The Tony-winning musical about the spirited orphan who charms Oliver Warbucks, featuring "Tomorrow", at the historic Woodland Opera House.
7 picks
Yuba College's fall instrumental concert at the Marysville campus theatre.
Naturalist-led car caravans of about 2 hours through District 10, 23,000 acres of flooded rice fields north of Marysville with one of the valley's largest seasonal concentrations of tundra swans, plus ducks, geese, herons and raptors. Little to no walking; limited to 8 vehicles; registration required.
Yuba College's winter instrumental concert at the Marysville campus theatre.
13 picks
Maestro Ming Luke leads the Merced Symphony in holiday classics and festive favorites at the historic Merced Theatre.
The Chamber of Commerce's lighted night parade, themed "Elves on Parade," followed by awards, carolers and the tree lighting in Henry Miller Plaza, with arts and crafts, choirs, marching bands and food vendors.
Marie's Nutcracker comes to life on Christmas Eve in a production with 40 dancers, more than 150 hand-sewn costumes and hand-crafted sets. Runs 1 hour 40 minutes with a 20-minute intermission; ages 2 and up.
16 picks
The 28th annual festival celebrates the cranes' return to the Delta with presentations, workshops, an art show, vendors and conservation exhibits, plus guided tours to crane-viewing sites (tour prices vary). Opening events Friday evening.
Billed as the largest Nutcracker production in North America, the 34th annual tour launches in Stockton with an international cast, acrobatics and larger-than-life puppetry set to Tchaikovsky's score.
A CDFW docent-led evening tour to watch sandhill cranes fly in to roost, with very little walking. Bring binoculars, a camp chair and warm layers.
12 picks
Free music, dancing, chalk art, lawn games, reptiles, face painting, balloon animals, prizes and more for the whole family.
A new science fiction ballet based on the H.G. Wells novel, moving from Victorian scenes to dystopian landscapes.
A night of clean comedy with Nazareth, 2026 Dry Bar Comedian of the Year, plus Gilbert Esquivel and Cizzle C.
13 picks
Students of PacRep's Peppy Garner & Darnell Whitt School of Performing Arts stage the musical based on the animated holiday special, outdoors at the Forest Theater. Runs 1 hour 30 minutes with one intermission; ages 4 and up. The Dec 19 show is ASL interpreted.
Historic adobes in Old Monterey open for two evenings with luminarias, holiday decor, music and refreshments. Pick up wristbands and maps at will-call (Stanton Center, Casa Gutierrez or Stevenson House) from 4pm. Rain or shine; no refunds.
Almost 5,000 acres of Big Sur coast range with 15 miles of trails, the Big Sur River mouth and the Cooper Cabin, the oldest building in Big Sur. The old coast road, the East Molera Trail and backcountry trails east of Highway 1 are closed. No dogs.
19 picks
The MAH's community Día de los Muertos celebration with traditional music, dance and art.
An afternoon of spooky fun and trick-or-treating at Santa Cruz Harbor.
Free holiday admission to the Boardwalk: a tunnel of lights, festive decor, free light shows every 15 minutes from 5 to 8pm in the Main Plaza, photos with Santa and 10-15 rides (weather permitting), with $2 rides after 5pm.
8 picks
The 3rd annual Witches Walk brings live music by Triple Threat (4-7pm), the dancing Witches of West Point, food, games, crafts, face painting, a vendor fair, shopping and a 5pm costume contest in the auditorium with categories for adults, children and dogs.
A free, family-friendly Friday evening with live music from Green Broke, Italian Brothers Pizza and wines from the outdoor bar. Kids' activity table; picnic tables first come, first served. RSVP requested.
A holiday tradition of angelic singing, instrumental wizardry and championship Irish step dancing, with vocalist Amelia Hogan and Molly's Revenge fiddler John Weed. Open seating; beer and wine available.
12 picks
A family musical based on Dav Pilkey's Dog Man books, following the crime-fighter with the head of a dog and the body of a police officer against villains including Flippy the cyborg fish and Petey the cat.
Downtown Chico merchants kick off the holiday season with decorations, entertainment and a visit from Santa for family photos.
A stage version of Dickens' story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
14 picks
Lake County Theatre Company and Mendocino College present the Howard Ashman and Alan Menken musical, a romantic comedy set in a florist's shop on Skid Row.
Free classic film screenings: The Maltese Falcon (Oct 27), Casablanca (Nov 10), Arsenic and Old Lace (Nov 24), Forrest Gump (PG-13, Dec 8) and Beauty and the Beast (G, Dec 22). Doors 5:30pm; concessions for purchase; assistive listening devices available.
Lake County Office of Education's Norton Planetarium shows, each about an hour, hosted by astronomer Angelo Parisi, followed (weather permitting) by a look at the night sky through the observatory's telescopes. Fri Oct 30: Danger from Outer Space!; Sat Nov 14: STARS; Sat Nov 21: The Hot and Energetic Universe.
10 picks
Three programs: a 1964 film on acorn harvesting introduced by Eric Wilder (Kashia Band of Pomo Indians) at 1pm, a talk on sudden oak death at 2pm, and an acorn bread demonstration with samples at 2:30pm.
A handmade light show by Gardens staff and volunteers along lighted garden pathways, rain or shine. No dogs; free parking shuttle from the Mendocino College lot at 1211 Del Mar Dr.
A 60-minute holiday play of 12 five-minute scenes based on the verses of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with musical interludes.
12 picks
Trick-or-treat through the Downtown Park and Community Arts Center, with Halloween-themed tables, music on the Downtown Stage and a 5:30pm costume contest.
Buy and sell new and used winter gear for the whole family ahead of ski season, with local shop and resort reps on hand and a silent auction supporting the district's scholarship fund.
A Downtown Truckee tradition for more than 45 years: local children decorate trees for the streets, the Rotary Club of Truckee serves hot cocoa, and Santa arrives for the lighting of the Bud Fish Tree.