Hi parents,
We’re back this week with a weekend that feels like the beginning of fall, even if the weather hasn’t quite gotten the memo.
There are moon festivals in Millbrae and Chinatown, airplanes you can climb into in Palo Alto, vintage streetcars to ride in San Francisco, a wonderfully hands-on physics show, and plenty of easy neighborhood options closer to home.
As always, you don’t need to do all the things. Pick the one that fits your family’s energy and call it a good weekend.
⭐ Weekend Pick
Millbrae Mid-Autumn Festival
Saturday 10:00 am–7:00 pm & Sunday 10:00 am–5:00 pm | 📍 Downtown Millbrae
Broadway fills with performances, food, lanterns, and a celebration of harvest, gratitude, and family. It’s an easy, festive outing that works especially well when you’re trying to find something grandparents, little kids, and bigger kids can enjoy together.
All ages | Free admission | Get details
Happening All Weekend
San Francisco Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival
Saturday & Sunday • 11:00 am–5:00 pm | 📍 Grant Avenue, San Francisco
Lion dancing, martial arts, cultural performances, mooncakes, food vendors and kids’ activities take over Chinatown for the weekend. Saturday begins with an opening parade, while Sunday wraps up with a dragon parade around 4:45 pm.
All ages | Free | Get details
Muni Heritage Weekend
Saturday & Sunday • 10:00 am–4:00 pm | 📍 San Francisco Railway Museum, Embarcadero
For the kid who points out every bus, train and streetcar: this one’s for them. Climb aboard rare vintage buses and streetcars, see historic vehicles up close, and take free rides from Muni’s historic fleet.
All ages | Free | Get details
The Physics Show
Saturday • 10:00 am, 1:00 pm & 3:30 pm
Sunday • 10:00 am & 1:00 pm | 📍 Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Physics gets much more interesting when you can actually see it happen. This 60–75 minute show uses big, live demonstrations to explore light, sound and temperature, and yes, there’s a bed-of-nails demonstration too.
School-age kids & families | $8 per seat | Get tickets
San Mateo Library Fall Book Sale
Friday & Saturday • 10:00 am–4:30 pm
Sunday • 11:00 am–4:30 pm | 📍 San Mateo Main Library
One for a slower weekend. Browse tables of children’s books, fiction, nonfiction and more at bargain prices, then let everyone head home with something new for their bedside stack. New books are added throughout the weekend.
All ages | Free to browse; books priced individually | Learn more
Friday, September 18
Movies in the Park: Lilo & Stitch
Games & crafts from 6:00 pm • Movie around 7:30 pm | 📍 Laurie Meadows Park, San Mateo
Bring blankets, chairs and something cozy. Mobile Rec starts the evening with free games and crafts before Lilo & Stitch begins at dusk.
All ages | Free | Get details
Saturday, September 19
Coastal Cleanup Day
9:00 am–12:00 pm | 📍 Seal Point Park, San Mateo
A different kind of family morning: grab some gloves and help clean up the Bayfront together. Kids are welcome with an adult, and it’s an easy way to turn a Saturday outing into something genuinely useful for the place we live.
Families | Free | Register
Flood Park Fallfest
11:00 am–2:00 pm | 📍 Flood Park, Menlo Park
A low-key free community afternoon with kids’ tennis and soccer clinics, live music, face painting and food trucks. A good option when you want something easy without committing the whole day.
All ages | Free | Get details
Summer’s End Music Festival
11:00 am–5:00 pm | 📍 John L. Carter Memorial Park, Half Moon Bay
Six live performances, plus free family activities including face painting, caricatures, henna and a photo booth. Pair it with lunch on Main Street and you have a pretty lovely Coastside day.
All ages | Free | Get details
Rancho Day Fiesta
12:00–4:00 pm | 📍 Sánchez Adobe, Pacifica
This one feels like a little trip back in time. Kids can stamp leather, twist rope, make corn-husk dolls and candles, discover old trades and dance to music from early California while exploring what rancho life looked like in the 1840s.
All ages | Free admission; some food & crafts extra | Learn more
Paper Plane Competition
2:00–4:00 pm | 📍 Palo Alto Elks Lodge, Palo Alto
Fold, tweak, test, repeat. Kids design their own paper airplanes, experiment with different shapes and then see whose creation flies the farthest. A simple idea, but exactly the kind of afternoon some kids will love.
Kids & families | RSVP | Get details
The Little Mermaid Sing-Along Movie Night
Games from 6:00 pm • Movie at 7:10 pm | 📍 Burton Park, San Carlos
An outdoor movie with a little extra magic. Come early for free themed games, then settle onto the lawn for a sing-along screening of The Little Mermaid. Interactive prop packs and concessions will be available to purchase.
All ages | Free | Get details
Sunday, September 20
Palo Alto Airport Day
10:00 am–2:00 pm | 📍 Palo Alto Airport
This might be the sleeper hit of the weekend. Families can climb into real aircraft cockpits, explore the airport up close and watch formation-flight demonstrations. Parking is limited, so the city recommends biking or carpooling if you can.
All ages | Free | Get details
Fiesta on the Hill
10:00 am–4:00 pm | 📍 Cortland Avenue, Bernal Heights, San Francisco
Seven blocks of neighborhood celebration with live music and dance, local vendors, food, arts and crafts, face painting and activities for kids. If you feel like heading into the city Sunday, this is the SF event I’d pick for a family outing.
All ages | Free | Get details
Scout Day + Robot Roundup at Hiller Aviation Museum
Scout Day 10:00 am–5:00 pm • Robot Roundup 11:00 am–12:00 pm | 📍 Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos
Two good reasons to visit Hiller on Sunday. Scouts and adult leaders in uniform get free museum admission, while Robot Roundup introduces young kids to coding and problem-solving using Dot & Dash robots.
Families | Scouts in uniform free; regular museum admission for others | Get details
🍂 Little Joy
Take the long way home.
September evenings are starting to change. If you’ve been out for the afternoon, skip the fastest route home and stop somewhere for ten extra minutes: a neighborhood playground, a walk around the block, an ice cream, or just somewhere the kids can run before dinner.
Nothing to register for. Nothing to plan. Sometimes that’s the whole point.
Have a lovely weekend,
Akriti