Below are fun upcoming events for kids and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. This list is updated frequently, so check back often.
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Featured Events
Monster Truck at Five Little Monkeys (Free) ~ Berkeley, August 6
Meet a REAL Monster Jam Monster Truck at Five Little Monkeys! Which truck will it be? You’ll have to come to find out! Featuring raffles, prizes, crafts, hands on toy testing, and a REAL Monster Truck! Enjoy a real Monster Truck without the noise (perfect for even the littlest Monster Truck enthusiasts!) Thursday, August 6 at Fourth Street & Delaware in Berkeley, 3-6PM.
String & Shadow Puppet Theater at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park ~ Alameda, August 14
String & Shadow Puppet Theater returns this summer with a brand-new production, Night at the Grand Opera! Set in a grand old European opera house, this puppet show unfolds over one candlelit night, where collapsing cardboard sets, crafted from cardboard and papier-mâché, reveal backstage drama, love triangles, revolutionary plots, art-loving flies, and disaffected vermin. A delight for the whole family! Friday, August 14th | 6:30pm – 8:00pm. Suggested Donation: $20/Adult, $10/Child. Please RSVP.
Little Treasures: Play, Shop, Swap ~ San Jose, August 30
Discover Little Treasures, a joyful gathering for families of all ages, in partnership with MOTHER. Dive into playful activities and hands-on experiences throughout the day, with a lineup of programming featuring sessions of story, movement, and music designed to engage and inspire. Browse a curated mix of clothing, toys, and accessories, with both new finds and gently loved favorites chosen for their style and quality. Meet local makers and small businesses offering handmade goods.
Dinos Alive Immersive Experience ~ Oakland, through September 7
Travel back millions of years for an epic adventure through the age of dinosaurs! Encounter life-size animatronic giants, from swift Velociraptors to the mighty T-Rex, and explore immersive prehistoric environments that bring the Jurassic era roaring to life. Perfect for families, kids, and dinosaur fans of all ages, this unforgettable experience combines thrills, discovery, and hands-on fun in one larger-than-life adventure.
Vivid: Immerse Your Senses ~ San Francisco, through September 6
Descend from a verdant rainforest canopy to the pitch darkness of a bat cave, journey from golden prairie grasses to an invisible underground realm teeming with life, and sink from creaking ice floes to the ocean depths sperm whales call home—all without leaving Golden Gate Park. New exhibit Vivid: Immerse Your Senses is a multisensory experience at the California Academy of Sciences that transports visitors to six of Earth’s most awe-inspiring ecosystems via ultra high-resolution video, ambient soundscapes, and nature-inspired scents. Included with admission.
Raptor Encounter (Free) ~ Morgan Hill, July 26
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust and master falconer and educator Antonio Balestreri for a Raptor Encounter in Morgan Hill! Guests will experience a presentation featuring several species of native owls, falcons, and hawks, focusing on the roles raptors play in our environment, raptor biology, and conservation. Sign up for this unique opportunity to see these rescued and captive-bred raptors up close.
Touch a Truck SF ~ San Francisco, September 19
Touch a Truck SF is now in it’s third year as a big fundraiser for Miraloma Cooperative Nursery School. At the event, kids get hands-on experience to sit in the seat, honk the horn (for the final hour), pretend to drive, and get up close and personal with your favorite vehicles, including police cars, school buses, diggers and more!
July 2026 (also see Outdoor Movie Nights)
Beauty and the Beast – San Francisco, July 14 – August 9
Wheels on the Bus – Palo Alto, July 15 – August 2
The Sound of Music by Broadway San Jose – San Jose, July 21-26
Storyteller Kirk Waller (Free) – Albany, July 22
Unique Derique (Free) – Sunnyvale, July 23
A Year with Frog and Toad by PYT – Mountain View, July 23-26
Rene y Familia (Free) – San Francisco, July 24
Outdoor Movie Night: The Parent Trap (Free) – Antioch, July 24
Starlight Movies In The Park: Back To The Future – Alameda, July 24
Movies in the Park: GOAT (Free) – Berkeley, July 24
Picnic Flix: Super Mario Galaxy (Free) – Dublin, July 24
San Jose Giants Fireworks Night – San Jose, July 24
Movie Nights in the Park: Elemental – San Jose, July 24
Movies on the Beach: A Minecraft Movie (Free) – Santa Cruz, July 24
Once Upon a Mattress – Half Moon Bay, July 24-August 19
Uncle Jer’s Traveling Bee Show (Free) – South San Francisco, July 25
Waterfront Flicks: ET – Oakland, July 25
Summer Sleepover at Children’s Fairyland – Oakland, July 25
Family Day at Museum on Main (Free) – Pleasanton, July 25
Fun on the Farm (Free) – San Ramon, July 25
Circus Bella Circus in the Park (Free) – Burlingame, July 25
Little Explorers Petting Zoo (Free) – Fremont, July 25
Free Summer Weekend at Museum of Craft and Design (Free) – San Francisco, July 25, 26
High School Musical 2 – Sunnyvale, July 25 – August 2
Circus Bella Circus in the Park (Free) – San Francisco, July 26
Sundays at Hagemann Ranch (Free) – Livermore, July 26
Kids Air Fair – San Carlos, July 29
Lil’ Barnyard Bonanza (Free) – Palo Alto, July 29
Puppet Show from Wylding Wood (Free) – Sunnyvale, July 30
Unique Derique (Free) – San Francisco, July 31
Giants Slumber Party – San Francisco, July 31
Outdoor Movie Night: Holes (Free) – Antioch, July 31
Moonlight Movies: The Princess Bride (Free) – Danville, July 31
Family Movie Night: Hoppers (Free) – Palo Alto, July 31
Movies on the Beach: Jurassic Park (Free) – Santa Cruz, July 31
Boardwalk Summer Luau – Santa Cruz, July 31
August 2026 (also see Outdoor Movie Nights)
Waterfront Flicks: Maleficent – Oakland, August 1
Magic Kitchen – Oakland, August 1
Movie Nights in the Park: How to Train Your Dragon – San Jose, August 1
Cereal Cinema – Oakland, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Space Week Festival – Oakland, August 1, 2
Summer Camp Night at Gilroy Gardens – Gilroy, August 1-2
Sundown Cinema: Barbie (Free) – San Francisco, August 2
Free First Sundays at NUMU (Free) – Los Gatos, August 2
Storytime with Anna at the Foster Museum (Free) – Palo Alto, August 2, 16
Cal Sailing Open House (Free) – Berkeley, August 2, 30
National Night Out – Hercules, August 4
National Night Out – Martinez, August 4
Bubble Show with Mike the Bubble Man (Free) – Sausalito, August 5
Bubble Bonanza – San Carlos, August 5, 30
Big Bubble Show (Free) – South San Francisco, August 6
California Discovery Trail Experience at Oakland Zoo – Oakland, August 6
Napa County Fair – Napa, August 6-9
Eddie Madril (Free) – San Francisco, August 7
Magic Show with Perry Yan (Free) – South San Francisco, August 7
Movies in the Park: Super Mario Galaxy (Free) – Berkeley, August 7
First Friday at CuriOdyssey – San Mateo, August 7
Free First Friday at the San Mateo County History Museum (Free) – Redwood City, August 7
Movies in the Park: GOAT (Free) – Cupertino, August 7
Movie Night: The Bad Guys 2 (Free) – Saratoga, August 7
Movies on the Beach: Goonies (Free) – Santa Cruz, August 7
Sonoma County Fair – Santa Rosa, August 7-16
San Jose Giants Fireworks Night – San Jose, August 7, 14, 28
Happy Anniversary, Schulz Museum – Santa Rosa, August 8
Kids Night Out at Color Me Mine – Alameda, August 8
Family Nature Adventures – Oakland, August 8
Summer Sleepover at Children’s Fairyland – Oakland, August 8
Hanabi Judo Parent’s Night Out – Albany, August 8
Second Saturday at Gamble Garden (Free) – Palo Alto, August 8
Movie Nights in the Park: Shrek – San Jose, August 8
2nd Saturdays on the Farm (Free) – Watsonville, August 8
Carquinez Model Railroad Society Open House – Crockett, August 8 & 9
Bay Area Aloha Festival – San Mateo, August 8 & 9
Caterpillar Puppets (Free) – San Francisco, August 14
Movies Under the Stars: GOAT – San Pablo, August 14
Port of Oakland Harbor Tours (Free) – Oakland, August 14
Outdoor Movie Night: Hoppers (Free) – Hayward, August 14
Family Movie Night: Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Free) – Palo Alto, August 14
Sunset Cinema: Superman (Free) – Santa Clara, August 14
Movies in the Park: A Bug’s Life (Free) – Cupertino, August 14
Movies in the Park: UP (Free) – Oakland, August 15
KidStock (Free) – Mountain View, August 15
Movie Nights in the Park: The Wild Robot – Los Gatos, August 15
Paw Patrol Workshop at Lowes – Several Locations, August 15
Junior Zookeeper Experience – Walnut Creek, August 16
Santa Clara County Fair – San Jose, August 19-23
Movies in the Park: Despicable Me (Free) – Orinda, August 20
Movies In The Park: The Spongebob Movie (Free) – Berkeley, August 21
Summer Outdoor Movie Night: Zootopia 2 (Free) – Union City, August 21
Movies in the Park: Freakier Friday (Free) – Cupertino, August 21
Brick Blast: LEGO Fan Collection – Santa Clara, August 22
Movie Nights in the Park: A Bug’s Life – Watsonville, August 22
Sunday Streets – San Francisco, August 23
My Neighbor Totoro – Berkeley, August 23
Full Moon Eclipse Hike – Clayton, August 27
Starlight Movies In The Park: The Goonies (Free) – Alameda, August 28
Movies in the Park: Superman (Free) – Cupertino, August 28
Puppet Fair Weekend at Children’s Fairyland – Oakland, August 29, 30
Weekend Farm Tour – Los Altos Hills, August 29, 30
Neon Scorpion Hikes – Clayton, August 29, 30
Sundays at Hagemann Ranch (Free) – Livermore, August 30
View next month’s events
