We reviewed 550+ Bay Area event sources to pick the 31 best things to do in San Jose, CA between August 15 and August 21. Updated daily.
to see a personalized list by location, interest, and age group.
Math Festival & Backpack Giveaway (Seven Trees, San Jose)
Back‑to‑school math games and a chance to win a free backpack at Seven Trees Library. Saturday, August 15, 12–2 pm. Free. Ages 5‑12; free, no registration needed.
Little House on the Prairie Screening (Mt. Pleasant, San Jose)
A family matinee screening of the new Little House on the Prairie Season 2 premiere episode. Saturday, August 15, 12:30–1:30 pm. Free. All ages welcome; free and no registration required.
Super Simple Science: The Magic of Magnets (Berryessa, Community Room, San Jose)
Hands‑on STEM stations exploring how magnets attract and repel. Saturday, August 15, 2–3:30 pm. Free. Ages 5‑12; free, supplies limited.
Baby Lapsit Storytime + Stay & Play (King Library, Children's Room, 1st Floor, San Jose)
Storytime for babies with songs, rhymes and a follow‑up play period. Thursday, August 20, 11 am–12 pm. Free. Ages 0‑5; free, no registration.
Bilingual Hindi-English Storytime द्विभाषी हिंदी-अंग्रेजी स्टोरीटाइम (Edenvale, Community Room, San Jose)
Family storytime in Hindi and English with songs and movement. Friday, August 21, 4–5 pm. Free. Ages 0‑10; free, no registration.
Little Explorers Petting Zoo (Berryessa, Outside Grass Area, San Jose)
Visit a pop‑up petting zoo with rabbits, chickens, goats and more. Saturday, August 22, 10 am–12 pm. Free. All ages; free, first‑come first‑served.
Drop In for TinkerCad 3D Printing (Mt. Pleasant, San Jose)
Design a simple model in Tinkercad and have it printed on site. Saturday, August 22, 10–11:30 am. Free. Ages 8+; free, limited laptops, bring your own device.
Saturday, August 15
¿Hablas español y quieres aprender inglés? Speak English and want to learn Spanish? Build community with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Everyone has something to contribute! Construye comunidad con personas de diferentes antecedentes lingüísticos y culturales. ¡Todos tienen algo que aportar!…
Sunday, August 16
Students will use Google's Teachable Machine to train and test an artificial intelligence (AI) model to identify items as compost, recycling, or trash, demonstrating how AI can be used to promote sustainability but may also make mistakes. This workshop is presented by a teen volunteer with project-based experience appl…
Join us for our monthly STEM Workshop presented by teen volunteers in Girls Empowered in Math and Science (GEMS)! This one-hour workshop includes a brief presentation explaining the concepts involved in the activities. Each month has a different theme! Free. No registration required. Recommended for elementary school s…
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…
Queer joy shall abound at the Queer Readers’ Café! The Queer Readers' Cafe is sort of like a silent book club, but chatter is OK. Unlike a typical book club, participants can read whatever they want! We’ll create an LGBTQ+ friendly space in our community room for folks to gather, read, and discuss what they’re reading.…
Storytime is designed to accommodate a mix of ages and invites the entire family to participate in early literacy activities such as stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and movement activities. Storytime is a fun and interactive experience for the whole family that promotes the joys of reading and learning for all age…
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…
Join us for artsy fun as we learn about different artists and art styles that have made a major impact on creative thinking in our world. This month’s artist will be Faith Ringgold and her painted story quilts made popular by her beloved picture books. Walk-ins are welcome! ADA Accommodation Requests
Rescue Readers is a one-hour program for all readers, where participants read to the animals at the SJ Animal Care Adoption Center. Readers provide soothing company to dogs, cats, and critters as they await adoption. As a bonus, new readers gain confidence and improve their reading skills. Registration is Required. ADA…
Want to try to create something and print it into reality? Come join the Alum Rock 3D Printing Club! We meet once a month to use Tinkercad and our imaginations to design and print objects using our 3D printer. This month's project? Keychains/Bagtags with your name on them! Staff will be on hand to demonstrate Tinkercad…
Tuesday, August 18
Calling all teens between the ages of 13 and 18 looking for simple volunteer opportunities. Our TeenHQ Theater is getting fancier. We are building a stage and need your help. Come in clothes you don’t care about getting dirty and help us continue to paint, build and sculpt the set for Beowulf and the Bard. Also, assist…
Join us every Thursday and experience the digital world like never before in our Virtual Reality program. Learn how to use our virtual reality equipment, try a virtual reality experience for the first time, and then come back again to try one of our more immersive experiences, games, and puzzles. For teens ages 12 and…
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…
Children ages 8-14 are invited to this fun, in-person introduction to stop motion animation. Participants will use the Stop Motion Studio app to make simple stop motion animations using paper. Participants will have an opportunity to showcase their work at the end of the session . iPad devices will be provided to all p…
Wednesday, August 19
The California Room’s exhibit “Bay Area Comics and Comix” presents the history of American comic books, highlighting the participation of the San Francisco Bay Area. The exhibit displays comic books and materials illustrating our journey from 1842’s The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck to the arrival of the modern comic b…
Help us maintain the River Park's Historic Orchard including: tree planting and pruning, disease diagnosis and treatment, sun scald prevention painting, sheet mulching, experimenting with different types of irrigation or ground cover, grafting for improved pollination.
For our August Teens Reach meeting, we'll be hosting a virtual career fair! A small panel of professionals from a range of industries will chat about their career paths, what it is they do day-to-day, and answer questions from participants. Zoom details to join this career panel will be provided upon program registrati…
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
Dive into watercolor with a colorful school of fish! Learn simple painting techniques from local artist Kristina Eng while exploring bright palettes, playful patterns, and flowing shapes in this relaxing, beginner-friendly workshop. No experience necessary. All supplies provided. No drawing skills required. No experien…
Join us for a beginner-friendly monthly workshop to learn the basics of using sewing machine! Bringing your sewing machine is encouraged so you can get assistance with your own machine. We have two sewing machines available for participants, first come first served. This session's project will be a drawstring bag. Mate…
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…
Third Thursdays is a monthly Poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San José and hosted by local poet Mighty Mike McGee! This month - POETRY CENTER SAN JOSE PRESENTS: Our Feature: Kurn Sundaram, 2025-26 Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate! Kurn Sundaram is a performance poet based in Northern California an…
Friday, August 21
Join us for our Summer Kids Can Cook program starting Friday, August 7th. Each Friday, a new recipe will be presented, and all participants will have hands-on practice in learning and recreating each recipe. Each program will be held on the Friday of each month. FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS. LIMITED 12 PARTICIPANTS .…
Join Boswick the Clown, a former circus clown, for his fun and entertaining reading circus. Go on an imaginary journey to the Reading Circus where children get to perform all the things they might find in books about the circus. Expect to learn and have some great laughs. Free. No registration required. ADA Accommodati…
In partnership with Poetry Center San Jose, this free creative poetry workshop for youth will be facilitated by local poet Mighty Mike McGee as a part of the 2026 San Jose Poetry Festival! Mighty Mike McGee is a well-traveled poet and humorist from San José, California. He is the first and only spoken word performer to…
Join us for a Dungeons & Dragons session that will be built around the magical world of Mathema, where math problems are as numerous as the creatures you will encounter in this interactive and immersive adventure that will help young patrons practice math. Each session will cover different grade-level math concepts. Du…
Saturday, August 22
The Chinese American Historical Museum (CAHM) is housed in the Ng Shing Gung building, which is part of History Park, located in Kelley Park, San Jose. The Museum will be open from 12:00 to 3:45 pm on Saturday August 22 during the San Jose Poetry Festival. The San Jose Poetry Festival will be held from 10:00 am to 6:00…
You applied for a job and received a call back for an interview. Congratulations! Do you want help preparing for the interview? Meet one-on-one with Daniel, an experienced job interview coach to help you prepare by giving feedback on your resume and conducting a mock interview. Sessions are one hour in length. Be prepa…
Learn the basic design in Tinkercad and see your creation come to life with our 3D printer! Participants will have the opportunity to create a project that will be printed out for pickup later. Recommended ages for 8+ and older. Parents must supervise children under 8 and younger. Reminder: LIMITED LAPTOPS FOR 8 PARTIC…
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…
Experience the soothing calm of meditation presented by library partner, Art of Living Foundation. Enjoy this free, one-hour session focused on managing stress and anxiety through simple, evidence-based techniques. These sessions are open to all adults and includes optional light physical movement, breathing practices,…