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