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While October is chiefly known for the last day of the month, the first full month of fall has plenty to offer in the lead-up to Halloween. From Diwali and PortFest to the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, here’s what’s happening in October sans Halloween festivities. (Here’s our complete guide to Halloween on the Peninsula.) All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Belmont‘s Movie in the Parks series wraps up with “Encanto” Oct. 4.
Beats by the Bay Dandiya will be held in Foster City Oct. 4. The Navratri celebration features live Dandiya and Garba music, a live Bollywood DJ, special performances by local dance groups and fun contests. (Adults $23.18, kids 5 and under free).
Brisbane hosts its annual Day in the Park & Derby Oct. 5. A derby car race kicks off the festivities, followed by Day in the Park with arts and crafts vendors, food, music, a pie-eating contest and other activities.
The Mountain View Fire Department hosts its 17th annual Firefighters Pancake Breakfast Oct. 5 at Fire Station 4 in Mountain View. Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, coffee, milk, juice and fruit. (Adults $15, seniors and kids 12 and under $10). The event also features a silent auction, a fire apparatus exhibition, a rappelling demo and a vehicle extraction experience.
Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo hosts the Chung Yeung Festival Oct. 5-6. Also known as Autumn Remembrance and the Double Ninth Festival, families come to Skylawn to care for the graves of their ancestors and make sacrifices of special paper money and paper winter clothing. Events include a lion dance, free lunch buffet, a giant kites performance and ceremonies led by Sunflower Temple of San Francisco.
Oktoberfest celebrations wrap up this month with Blue Ocean Brewing‘s festivities Oct. 5 in Princeton-by-the-Sea, Mountain View‘s Oct. 5-6 and Campbell‘s Oct. 19-20.
Head to Redwood City for PortFest 2024 on Oct. 5. Join activities on the water ranging from boat ride harbor tours to sailing excursions or take a trolley tour of the port’s industrial businesses (harbor tours $5/person, preregistration required; children under 5 not allowed). Kids’ activities include Touch-A-Truck, marine-themed storytimes and crafts, face painting and more. S.J. Sharkie, the San Jose Sharks’ mascot, will be in the kids’ zone at 11 a.m. Food vendors and a bar from Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company will also be on hand.
Bike Palo Alto Oct. 6 features planned bike routes that take participants to local parks, open space and other destinations. An event fair at Fairmeadow Elementary includes helmet fitting, mini-bike tuneups, a pop-up traffic “garden” and more.
The FabMo Artisans Market returns to the Los Altos Community Center Oct. 6, featuring handcrafted items made by members of the FabMo community from the textiles, wallpaper, tiles and other materials FabMo has saved from the landfill.
Grab drinks at 17 downtown Redwood City establishments on the Upscale Pub Crawl Oct. 9 ($55.20 per ticket). Each spot will have two banned books and a Redwood City Library Foundation volunteer on hand to answer questions. A ticket will entitle you to discounted drinks and small bites.
Head to Foster City for the Water Lantern Festival Oct. 11-12, where you can design and launch a lantern on the lagoon ($28.99 general admission until Oct. 10, $55.99 day of event). Each adult ticket comes with access to food trucks, a floating lantern kit, marker, drawstring bag, playing cards, conversation cards and a scavenger hunt giveaway entry.
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in San Mateo Oct. 12 with music, food, vendors and family-friendly games.
Dine on Pacific Island cuisine at the South Pacific Food Fest night market in East Palo Alto Oct. 12.
The Menlo Park Storytelling Festival begins with performer Olga Loya entertaining visitors with personal and family stories Oct. 12 at “Olga Loya: From the Mexican Border to East Los Angeles” and Filipino heritage storytelling with Eleanor Clement Glass Oct. 23.
Quarry Park in El Granada will host Fallfest Oct. 12 with performances from the Sonoma Bubble Man and Tatsumaki Taiko, a taco truck and ice cream, face painting, crafts and more. Stick around for a movie night featuring “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” at sunset. Mountain bikers will do a demo at the pump track before the movie.
The Bayshore Block Party in Daly City Oct. 12 will feature live music and DJs, food vendors, kids’ activities, live demos and more.
The 2024 Bay Area Diwali Festival returns to Cupertino Oct. 12. The Festival of Lights celebrates light over darkness and sees families come together to light lamps, exchange gifts and share meals. The Cupertino celebration includes Indian food, music, dancing, henna, VR games, a photo booth and more.
The San Carlos Art & Wine Faire returns Oct. 12-13 with over 200 artists, live entertainment, food, beer and wine.
Rock the Dock at the Port of Redwood City features The Love Handles Oct. 12 (rock, pop), Cocktail Monkeys Oct. 19 (rock, dance) and Masterpiece Oct. 26 (pop, soul, funk and R&B).
Sigona’s Farmers Market hosts its annual Fall Food Festival Oct. 19 at its Redwood City location. Snag food samples, check out local food vendors, take part in wine and cider tasting and listen to live music. (Admission and samples are free.)
The Menlo Park Fire Protection District hosts its 24th annual pancake breakfast Oct. 19 in Menlo Park. There will be a silent auction, fire engine tours, kids’ activities and more. Donations accepted at the door for the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.
Ride with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to Ravenswood Preserve in East Palo Alto to see the preserve in its normal state Oct. 19 before a follow-up ride in November when the king tide arrives. The ride is beginner- and family-friendly.
The Peninsula’s quintessential fall event, the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, returns for its 52nd year Oct. 19-20, drawing visitors for its display of weigh-off champion pumpkins and an array of pumpkin-flavored food and beverages, plus a parade, live music, fine art vendors, kids’ activities and more. Catch the pumpkin weigh-off on the IDES Grounds (735 Main St., Half Moon Bay) Oct. 14.
The 2024 Sunnyvale Diwali Festival Oct. 26 includes food trucks, cultural performances, arts and crafts, and a kids’ zone.
The Los Gatos Wine Walk Oct. 26 will include tastings from over 30 wineries, small bites at restaurant pouring locations, live music and an event wine glass. A new VIP experience also includes premium wineries, gourmet lunch boxes, an extra hour of tasting and more. (Tickets available from $43.19 to $159.24.)
San Mateo County Libraries will host Diwali celebrations Oct. 27 in Belmont and Brisbane. At the Brisbane Library, create Diwali crafts, learn a Bollywood dance and enjoy henna art and performances. At Twin Pines Senior and Community Center, enjoy food and crafts while taking in live performances from Egemen Sanli on sitar, Belmont poet laureate Monica Korde and live dance with Purvi Jejurkar.
The Pacifica Rock & Roll Flea Market will feature six bands and 40 vendors Oct. 27.
Orchard Days at Filoli in Woodside run through Oct. 27. Take a self-guided orchard walk, grab a drink or bite to eat, pose for fall photos and stick around for family storytime and live music. (Orchard Days are included with all admission on weekends through Oct. 27 plus Oct. 14. Admission is $38 for adults, $36 for seniors 65 and up, $34 for students, teachers and military members, $28 for kids 5-17 years old and free for kids under 5.)
Joan Lane, trailblazing volunteer and Stanford’s go-to for ‘sticky problems,' dies at 97March 25, 2026 3:23 pm