Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
The dog days of summer are here, and what better way to dive into a month full of summer fun than with the World Dog Surfing Championship in Pacifica Aug. 3? August continues with art fairs, free San Francisco Shakespeare Festival performances, bike rides and summer concerts throughout the Peninsula. Find our guide to August happenings below. Events are free unless otherwise noted.
Festivals and fairs
The Santa Clara County Fair wraps up Aug. 1-4 in San Jose under the theme “From the Fields to the Future,” commemorating 80 years of local innovation.
Menlo Park‘s Summer Puppetry Festival concludes with mixed-media puppet-making Aug. 3 and Luce Puppet Company Aug. 8.
Coyote Point Summerfest in San Mateo Aug. 10 will feature giant kites, face painting, food trucks, taiko drummers, kids’ train rides, group bike rides and Grupo Folklóricodancing ($6 vehicle entrance fee).
Bay Area Aloha Festival in San Mateo Aug. 10-11 will include a food court, arts and crafts vendors, a children’s area and a full entertainment lineup featuring ukulele music, hula, Tahitian music and dance, and special performances from Pandanus Club ($5 suggested donation for adult admission, kids are free; parking $20 per vehicle).
Fine Art in the Park returns to Los Altos Aug. 10-11 with over 100 juried artists selling paintings, sculptures, textiles, jewelry and more, plus food and drinks and live music.
Bay Area Ukrainian Fest in Sunnyvale Aug. 11 will include Ukrainian music and food plus kids’ entertainment. Lunch included with cost of admission ($49.87 per adult, $7.18 per kid ages 1 to 12 and $28.52 for students).
Foster City Summer Days is back Aug. 16-18 with carnival rides, rubber ducky races, a classic car show, live music, food trucks and a craft vendors market.
The 30th annual Burlingame On The Avenue Aug. 17-18 will include food and wine, a car show, a kids’ zone and live music.
The Pescadero Arts and Fun Fest Aug. 17-18 features live entertainment, a fine art show and a kids’ area.
Palo Alto Festival of the Arts Aug. 24-25 includes 250 fine art and contemporary craft displays, an Italian street painting expo, food and drinks and live entertainment.
Outdoor entertainment and recreation
Watch some four-legged friends hang 10 at the World Dog Surfing Championship at Pacifica State Beach Aug. 3. Along with the competition there will be a dog beach fashion contest, dog adoptions and more.
Pub in the Park returns Aug. 3 for the third of four summer Saturdays in Redwood City with an inflatable pub serving beers and ciders, live bluegrass music from Purple Mountain Majesty, food trucks and lawn games.
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival brings its production of “The Tempest” to Cupertino‘s Memorial Park Amphitheater Aug. 3-4 and Redwood City‘s Red Morton Park for three consecutive weekends Aug. 10-25.
Join a beginner-friendly group bike ride with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to Pub in the Park in Redwood City Aug. 3 or a ride to Rancho San Antonio and Deer Hollow Farm in Cupertino Aug. 10 and 24.
Santa Clara hosts its biannual citywide garage sale Aug. 10.
Tour de Menlo on Aug. 10 features three Peninsula routes for cyclists of all abilities plus a 12-mile family route ($90 for adults, $30 for students).
Pacifica Runners hosts its Tiki Trot 5K Aug. 11 in Pacifica ($44.52 per adult, $23.18 per child under 14). Paid registration includes a custom medal and goodie bag for kids.
Shop from fine arts and crafts vendors at ART on the Square in downtown Redwood City Aug. 30.
Movie nights
Mountain View‘s summer outdoor movie series concludes with “Wonka” Aug. 2 and “Madame Web” Aug. 9. Come early for yard games.
Sunnyvale begins its Sunset Movie Series with “Kung Fu Panda 4” Aug. 2, “Trolls: Band Together” Aug. 9 and “Despicable Me” Aug. 16.
Redwood City‘s Movies on the Square series concludes with a BraveMaker Film Fest short film followed by “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” Aug. 8; “Trolls Band Together” followed by “The Color Purple” Aug. 15; a BraveMaker Film Fest short film followed by “Wonka” Aug. 22; and “The Little Mermaid” (2023) followed by “Galaxy Quest” Aug. 29.
Palo Alto‘s Family Movie Nights series wraps up with “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” Aug. 2 and “Kung Fu Panda 4” Aug. 16.
Springline in Menlo Park hosts Summer Movies in the Plaza with “Pitch Perfect” Aug. 16 and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” Aug. 17.
Burlingame Parks and Recreation hosts Movies in the Park with “Elemental” Aug. 23.
Catch the final Community Movie Night of the summer in San Carlos with “Barbie” Aug. 24.
Summer concert series
San Mateo‘s Thursday night Central Park Music Series concludes with Land of Confusion/TAKE 2 (Phil Collins tribute and Genesis/party mix) Aug. 1 and the Bud E. Luv Orchestra (swing and big band/party mix) Aug. 8. Food vendors on-site and free bike and scooter valet.
Music in the Park in San Carlos wraps up Aug. 2 with The E-Ticket Band, an eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll dance band.
Music on the Square in Redwood City concludes with Groove Ride (dance favorites) Aug. 2; Mustache Harbor (yacht rock) Aug. 9; Michael Jackson tribute band Foreverland Aug. 16; ’80s cover band Careless Whisper Aug. 23; and pop/soul band Pride & Joy Aug. 30.
Foster City‘s Summer Concerts on the Lagoon series concludes with dance/pop band co*cktail Monkeys Aug. 2, country artist Kirk Basquez Aug. 9 and ’80s band Fast Times Aug. 16.
Music in the Park in Los Gatos wraps up with Country Cougars Aug. 4, seven-piece cosmic rock band Boot Juice Aug. 11, Aki Kumar Blues Band Aug. 18 and Bee Gees cover band You Should Be Dancin’ Aug. 25.
Menlo Park‘s summertime concert series has four more concerts: Pop Fiction Aug. 2 (Top 40 music from the ’70s through 2000s); pop, rock and soul band Given To Fly Aug. 7; Zydeco musician Andre Thierry Aug. 9 and Beatles tribute band Sun Kings Aug. 14.
Rock the Dock at the Port of Redwood City features Santana tribute band Carnaval Aug. 3, SONA Aug. 10, Top Shelf (Motown, R&B and dance music) Aug. 17 and Prince tribute band The Purple Ones Aug. 24.
Mountain View‘s Concerts on the Plaza Friday night music series features Tom Petty tribute band The Refugees Aug. 2; RPM Band (rock ‘n’ roll dance music) Aug. 9; The Iconics playing ’60s dance and surf hits Aug. 16; Claudia Sue Conrad Band (Sheryl Crow/Pretenders music) Aug. 23; and 925 Band (dance/party music) Aug. 30.
Colma‘s Summer Concert Series features Pop Fiction (pop cover band) Aug. 8 and Santana tribute band Carnaval Aug. 15.
Music in the Park in Burlingame wraps up with The Deep Fakes Aug. 9.
Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton hosts Lucky Devils Band with family-friendly activities and a food truck Aug. 10.
Kids Rock!, Redwood City‘s summer children’s concert series, concludes with Asheba Aug. 18.
Music in the Park, a Wednesday night summer concert series in Redwood City, wraps up with Anthony Arya Band (rock) Aug. 7, R&B artist Jessica Johnson Band Aug. 14 and all star tribute band Traveling Wilburys Revue Aug. 21.
