Welcome Spring: Bay Lights, Holi, and Wide Open Air
The first weekend of spring on the Peninsula
Hi parents,
March 20 is the vernal equinox and for once, the calendar actually cooperates. The Bay Lights come home to the Bay Bridge Friday evening in a moment the Bay Area has been waiting three years for. Saturday brings Holi at Ryan Park and a Nowruz celebration in Belmont, both free and full of community warmth. By Sunday, it settles into art tables and wildflowers and a quiet kind of joy. A spring weekend done right.
Happening All Weekend
Belmont Handcrafted Originals Art Fair
10:00 am – 5:00 pm | 📍 Carlmont Village Shopping Center, Belmont
Over 20 artists line Belmont’s covered walk with ceramics, jewelry, paintings, and textiles. Easy to browse with kids and a lovely place to pick up something handmade.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Bay Lights — Nightly Viewing
Dusk until dawn | 📍 San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
The Bay Lights are back nightly. Any Embarcadero walk - Pier 14, Rincon Park, Ferry Building - turns quietly magical. No planning needed.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Friday, March 20
Nowruz at San Francisco City Hall
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm | 📍 North Light Court, SF City Hall, San Francisco
Celebrate Persian New Year with performances, a Haft-Seen display, tea, and Persian ice cream inside City Hall.
All ages | Free | Learn more
The Bay Lights Grand Re-Lighting Block Party
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm | 📍 Pier 14, The Embarcadero, San Francisco
After three years off, the Bay Bridge lights up again tonight. Free waterfront block party with art, music, and a community countdown to illumination at sundown (~7:30 pm). Bring layers and the kids.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Saturday, March 21 — First Day of Spring
San Mateo Certified Farmers Market
9:00 am – 1:00 pm | 📍 College of San Mateo (Galileo Parking Lot), San Mateo
One of the Peninsula's largest year-round markets — organic produce, artisan cheese, baked goods, flowers, and easy parking. A solid Saturday morning anchor.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Free Kid-Friendly Wildflower Hike at Edgewood Park ⚠️
10:00 am – 11:30 am | 📍 Bill & Jean Lane Education Center, Redwood City
A docent-led 1.5-mile hike through San Mateo County's only natural preserve - wildflowers, insects, wildlife at a gentle kid-friendly pace. ⚠️ Sold out on Eventbrite, but drop-in spots sometimes open. Arrive 10 min early.
Ages 3–10 | Free | Register
Bay Area Garden Railroad at Hiller Aviation Museum
11:00 am – 3:00 pm | 📍 Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos
Live steam locomotives on a waist-high outdoor track — butane-powered miniature engines that actually puff steam. Reliably stops kids in their tracks. Included with museum admission.
Ages 3–12 | $14–$16 (museum admission) | Get calendar
Foster City Holi — Festival of Colors
11:00 am – 3:30 pm | 📍 Leo J. Ryan Park, Foster City
BayBasi's annual Holi celebration. DJ beats, dhol drumming, food trucks, and the joyful spring tradition of tossing colored powder. Food-safe colors available for purchase on-site; no outside colors.
All ages | Free entry (colors for purchase) | https://www.fostercity.org/community/page/holi-festival-colors-hosted-baybasi-inc
3rd Turkic Nowruz Spring Festival
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm | 📍 Twin Pines Community Center, Belmont
Eight communities celebrate spring with live performances, traditional crafts, a "Spring Passport" game for kids, food, and a torch lighting ceremony. A rare multicultural gathering right on the Peninsula.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Sunday, March 22
Menlo Park Certified Farmers Market
9:00 am – 1:00 pm | 📍 Chestnut St. (at Santa Cruz Ave), Menlo Park
A Sunday institution since 1992 - organic produce, Half Moon Bay fish, mushrooms, honey, flowers, and nuts. One of those markets that hasn't changed in the best way.
All ages | Free | Learn more
Storytime with Anna at The Foster Museum
10:30 am – 11:30 am | 📍 The Foster Museum, Palo Alto
Theme: "Flower Talk — how flowers use color to communicate." Egg carton wreaths, movement, songs, a gallery tour, and a scavenger hunt. Walk-ins welcome; registration suggested.
Ages 2–8 | Free | Learn more
Bubble Bonanza at Hiller Aviation Museum
10:00 am – 12:00 pm | 📍 Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos
Hands-on bubble play and experiments — giant bubbles, shapes, and lots of joyful mess.
Ages 3–10 | $14–$16 (museum admission) | Get tickets
Frozen Jr. — Sunday Matinee
1:00 pm | 📍 McKinley Theater, Redwood City
Roy Cloud School students perform Disney's Frozen - beloved songs, magic, and real Peninsula heart. The 1 pm matinee is ideal for younger kids who can't do evening shows.
Ages 4–12 | Tickets required | Get tickets
Spring Family Day at Palo Alto Art Center
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm | 📍 Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto
Hands-on art stations (tulips, sun catchers, lanterns, mini succulents to take home), a story time at 2:30 pm, and a Mosaic America performance at 4:00 pm. One of the best free family afternoons of the month.
All ages | Free | Register
Spring finally arrived when it said it would. Whether your weekend is all color powder and Bay Bridge lights or a slow Sunday with paper flowers and flamingos, I hope it feels like the season it is. Thanks for reading and if you spot something good for next week, just hit reply.
— Akriti