We reviewed 550+ Bay Area event sources to pick the 32 best kids & family events in the Bay Area between August 15 and August 21. Updated daily.
to see a personalized list by location, interest, and age group.
Highlights for August 15 – August 22
Mama Dee Day (City of East Palo Alto)
A Pacific Islands heritage festival with live music, dance, food, and family activities at Bell St. Park. Saturday, August 15, 11am–7pm. Free. All ages; free admission.
African Rhythm Sticks & Movement (Dougherty Station, San Ramon)
Kids learn Maculelê, a stick‑and‑rhythm dance from African and Brazilian heritage, with music and movement. Saturday, August 15, 11am–12pm. Free. Ages 5–10; space limited.
Robot Roundup (Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos)
Hands‑on session where kids explore basic coding concepts using programmable robots. Sunday, August 16, 11am–12pm. Ages 8+; no registration required.
Toddler Storytime With Stay and Play (Golden Gate Branch, Oakland)
Storytime with songs and rhymes for toddlers, followed by a stay‑and‑play session. Thursday, August 20, 10:15–11am. Free. Ages 18 months–3 years; caregivers welcome.
Bean Sprouts Family Days (SF Botanical Garden)
Family activity in the Botanical Garden’s Children’s Garden with digging, planting and exploring stations. Tuesday, August 18, 10am–12pm. Free. Included with garden admission; no registration.
Baylands Explorations (Palo Alto Baylands, 2560 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto, CA)
Docents lead a low‑impact hike exploring the science and nature of the Palo Alto Baylands, showing how plants and animals thrive in the salty marsh. Thursday, August 20, 9:30–11am. Ages 6+; space limited, advance registration encouraged.
Little Explorers Petting Zoo (Berryessa, Outside Grass Area, San Jose)
Library‑hosted petting zoo where kids can meet and pet rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, alpacas and more. Saturday, August 22, 10am–12pm. Free. All ages; first‑come, first‑served.
Palo Alto Festival of the Arts (Downtown Palo Alto, CA (University Avenue))
Arts festival with hundreds of artists, live music, kids’ chalk‑a‑lot, food stalls and live art demos. Saturday, August 22, 10am–6pm. Free. All ages; free parking.
Our best picks: kids & family events in the Bay Area — August 15–21
Sunday, August 16
Enjoy family-friendly PRIDE celebrations at the Park! Face painting, arts & crafts, live performances, and more! — Shine with PRIDE at Fairyland Family-friendly PRIDE fun with a dash of fairy dust and a whole lot of love! Join us for two joyful days of family-friendly Pride celebrations, featuring colorful crafts, comm…
23 minutes Ages 8 and up Einstein’s Gravity Playlist is an original planetarium show that explores the ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, and a century later, scientists detected these waves using incredibly precise laser tec…
Answer the call to adventure! Join us for an exciting campaign of Dungeons and Dragons at Portola Valley and dive into a fantasy world of monsters and magic. This program is aimed at tweens who want to exercise their creativity, overcome obstacles, and be the hero of their own story. No experience with D&D? No problem!…
Workshop: Recommended Age: 7 – 12 years old Snakes! Why’d it have to be snakes?! In this Junior Zookeeper Experience, we’ll explore some of California’s serpents and discover why snakes are great! Meet 2 of our snake ambassadors , and make a sssssuper cool snake mosaic to bring home (all the snake, none of the stress!)…
Let's build! How do we build it? How tall can we build it? How well-balanced can we make it? Test your engineering skills and build a Marble Run structure. You can race your friends to see whose marble can make it through the course the fastest. You can also engineer awesome structures with our Picasso Tiles. Build cus…
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Monday, August 17
Join us for some not-too-spooky Summerween Crafts and educational STEM Fun! Go on a Spooky Scavenger Hunt! Try our Witch Hat Ring Toss! Float a Parachuting Ghost! Experience our Creepy Crawly Sensory bins! Pin the Tail on a Zombie! Make a Jack-o'-melon! What is Summerween? A playful, summer-themed version of Halloween…
SHADOW CLIFFS – Bring your little ones out and discover nature. Each month we will do something different, like explore a trail, look at bugs, search for birds, discover shadows, and much more. 10:00-11:00am, Monday, August 17th Meeting at the Interpretive Pavilion Topic: Sandy Summer Drop-in program, no registration.…
Design and create small artworks using fuse beads (also known as Perler beads)! In this workshop participants will create their own artwork using colorful fusion beads. This program introduces simple designs, pattern-building, and color planning. Participants can follow ready-made templates or create their own designs.…
Join the Sunnyvale Public Library and the Peninsula Astronomical Society for an evening under the stars! This family-friendly event will take place at the Foothill Observatory at Foothill College, where members of the Peninsula Astronomical Society will guide visitors through a tour of the night sky. Visitors will be a…
Tuesday, August 18
Visit Lindsay Wildlife Experience each month outside of regular hours! Tiny Tuesday is a special day for children ages 2–5 to play and learn, along with an adult caregiver. Explore the natural world on this desert-themed day specifically designed for you and your little one. Join us for desert fun and meet animals that…
Join us for a mesmerizing bubble show with Sterling Bubbles. For children and families. Please arrive on time. Space is limited Generously sponsored by the Friends of Cupertino Library. For accessibility accommodations (ex. ASL), please fill out the online form at sccld.org/accessibility 7+days prior to the event. If y…
Drop in on Tuesday afternoons in at 4:30 p.m. for a new STEaM adventure every week. Active engagement with STEaM promotes academic success. Topic list is subject to change, please check back or call the branch for up-to-date details. Suggested ages vary, please refer to individual program descriptions. Free, with limit…
Enchantments is a magic and circus show that celebrates wonder, illusion and those magical moments. Library staff may take photos, videos, or audio recordings at our events. Please tell us if you do not wish to be photographed, video-recorded, or audio-recorded. We will always respect your requests! An ASL (American Si…
Wednesday, August 19
✂️ Make your own zines at our monthly Teen Zine Club! ✂️ This is a chill space for you to get creative, express yourself, and hang out with new and returning zine makers. No prior knowledge or experience needed! For teens ages 13-18. 🗓️ Date: 3rd Wednesday of every month ⏰ Time: 3:00 - 5:00 PM 📍 125 14th St, 2nd Floo…
Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt For Dark Matter 25 minutes Ages 8 and up An exciting exploration of dark matter, from the Big Bang to its anticipated discovery at the Large Hadron Collider. The show will reveal the first hints of its existence through the eyes of Fritz Zwicky, the scientist who coined the term “dark…
Summer may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the party has to stop yet! Come enjoy a family movie at the library, where we’ll be hosting an afternoon filled with fun and games, arts and crafts, and, of course, a great film to close out the evening. First, join us early at 4 PM to play giant-sized games, build your…
Science Heroes will lead participants in 6 fun and exciting science experiments, with audience volunteers as helpers! Each experiment is introduced by a short, engaging story that helps to relate the science concept we're exploring to everyday life. Kids get involved in the story by adding movement and sound effects at…
Thursday, August 20
Free event! Join us for an exploration of the science and nature of the Baylands. For ages 6 and up. Click link for more details. — Join expert EV docents for an exploration of the science and nature of the Palo Alto Baylands. What makes this habitat so special? How do the plants and animals survive the salty condition…
Join us for family fun in the Children’s Garden: dig, water, pick, build, explore, and investigate in the Botanical Garden’s “yes space” for kids! Grab some garden tools at our welcome station or bring your own to enjoy hands-on activity stations and explore and tend to the Garden. — This program is included with garde…
Join us for our Summer Finale featuring Coventry & Kaluza – Circus & Comedy! From 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM, award-winning circus comedians Coventry & Kaluza bring a variety of skills and thrills to their show, featuring juggling, acrobatics, music, comedy, and high numbers of hula-hooping. It’s interactive fun for the whole f…
Discover the exciting world of robotics through hands-on learning and creative problem-solving. Can a robot find its way out of a maze? How does a robot “see” obstacles and make decisions? In this interactive workshop, students will program robot cars to complete engaging challenges while exploring coding, sensors, eng…
Friday, August 21
When: Friday, August 21, 2026 📅Where: 6200 Christie Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608Movie Begins: Approximately 7 PM 🎞️Admission: FREE 🎉
The Magic Book is an interactive performance about wonder, playfulness & the power of learning. This family-friendly show blends magic, storytelling, and circus arts to share the joy of reading, foreign languages, and other cultures with spectators. Dr. Joe Culpepper is a magician, magic consultant, and the co-editor-i…
Sunset Fridays, an after-hours event for the whole family, will run on consecutive Fridays* through October 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Playfield Lawn. Guests will enjoy live music, outdoor bars, kid-friendly activities, ambassador animals, and more. Learn more about Sunset Fridays here: sfzoo.org/sf-zoo-sunset-fridays/…
Family Fun Friday: Family Skate Night is rolling into the Marina Community Center! Join us on August 21 from 6:00 PM–8:00 PM for an evening of family fun featuring FREE skateboard lessons by Be Exceptional Skate, food trucks, activities, and more. Whether you're a beginner or ready to show off your skills, this is a ni…
Saturday, August 22
BIG BREAK: Celebrate flavors of the Delta! We will make our own ice cream with custom flavors like savory asparagus and more! Drop-in program, no registration. Meet at the Visitor Center. Adult participation required. For information, call: (510) 544-3050.
More than 250 fine artists to browse and shop, continuous live music on multiple stages, an Italian Street Painting Expo, kids’ Chalk-a-Lot, play a piano at Chopin & Chandeliers, yummy food and drink, and new this year - Artistry in Action, in which artists will be demoing their techniques live!
Hosted by the Berryessa Branch Library. Here’s a chance for you to get up close and personal with farm animals such as rabbits, chickens, ducks, a pig, alpacas, goats, and sheep! You’ll get to pet and groom them. Afterward, browse through our library’s collection of books to learn even more about them. The Petting Zoo…
Get ready to wiggle, giggle, and shout “¡Vamos a bailar!” as we explore music, movement, and children’s rhymes in English and Spanish. Families and caregivers are invited to jump into the fun with percussion instruments, scarves, shakers, and more. Prepárate para moverte, reír y gritar “¡Vamos a bailar!” mientras explo…
TILDEN NATURE AREA: From reptiles to rabbits, cockroaches to cows, you’ll be amazed and mystified upon meeting our featured animal ambassador! Meet at the front desk in the visitor center. Drop-in program, no registration required. For info call (510) 544-2233.
ARDENWOOD - Hop on over for a warm welcome from some of the farm’s furriest residents. Learn why rabbits are great hoppers and how they use their long ears to sense danger. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required. Disabled accessible. Ardenwood admission fee applies. For information, call (510) 544-2797.