Be sure to check out our full 2025 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.
When I was a kid growing up in the Bay Area, the word “summer” conjured endless possibilities: lazy days spent lounging at Lake Anza, bleacher seats at baseball games, massive sundaes at Fenton’s. As a working adult now raising a small kid of my own in the Bay Area, the word now prompts a slightly different reaction: namely, “Oh, it’s on me to think of stuff to do?”
Of course, there are always classic summer attractions and kids’ activities you don’t need me to recommend: can’t go wrong with county fairs or water parks. But it’s also fair to desire some kid-oriented activities that feel uniquely Bay Area — and that you, an adult, can enjoy on their own merits. Here are a few to get you started.
Build an epic sandcastle
Robert Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda
June 21
People get serious at the annual Sand Castle and Sculpture Contest in Alameda, and it’s easy to see why: previous years’ winners have set the bar pretty high. Participants enter in three categories (12 and under, 13 and over, families); have exactly three hours to complete their masterpieces; and are judged on four criteria (design, detail, neatness and technique), with an official awards ceremony to cap off the day. The whole thing’s free, and sideline spectators are very much encouraged.
Celebrate Pride with the whole family
Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco
June 28
Family-friendly Pride parties abound the Friday and Saturday before San Francisco’s official Pride parade on Sunday. This free celebration features drag, circus arts, music and dancing, featuring host and drag diva Rahni NothingMore, aerialists Starya and Miss Viva La Glam and more. The Trans March, this year on Friday, June 27, is also notably kid-friendly, with a snack and face-painting station at Dolores Park, the march’s starting point.
Join a slumber party at Fairyland
Children’s Fairyland, Oakland
July 19–20; Aug. 9–10
For more than 70 years, the beloved, old-school amusement park at the edge of Lake Merritt — famously a source of inspiration for Walt Disney when he was designing that other, slightly more commercial amusement park down south — has been a go-to for Bay Area family day trips. But if your kid can’t get enough of the park’s rides, storybook attractions or puppet performances, camping out under the stars at one of Fairyland’s summer sleepovers will be a next-level thrill. Dinner and breakfast are included, so you can just pack your sleeping bags and get ready to leave grownup reality-land behind for the night.
Get pickin’
Various locations
Late May through August depending on different crops; check individual farms’ websites for details
What’s better than homemade pie? Homemade pie in which you can (literally) taste the fruits of your labor. Early summer is berry season in the Bay Area, and there are dozens of “u-pick” farms where kids can get their hands berry-stained to their hearts’ content.
In Sebastopol, check out EARTHseed, Sonoma County’s first Afro-Indigeous permaculture farm, for plums, pluots and blackberries. Head east to Brentwood for cherries — locals like Nunn Better Farms, where you don’t need a reservation. In Pescadero, hit the Blue House Farm for strawberries in June or R&R Farms for olallieberries later in the summer (and stop by Arcangeli Grocery for a loaf of fresh-baked garlic artichoke bread on your way out of town).
Root for the home team
Various locations
The A’s may have left Oakland under the dumbest and most infuriating of circumstances, but with new sports teams on the scene like the Oakland Ballers, the Oakland Roots and the Golden State Valkyries, home team pride is at an all-time high. Check teams’ calendars for special events like the Ballers’ celebration of Rickey Henderson (June 21) or the Valkyries’ Pride celebration night (June 27).
Read the funnies (and learn about their history)
Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz museum is dedicated to the life and work of the beloved Peanuts creator, and comics lovers of all ages will delight in viewing original strips, artifacts from Schulz’s home art studio, and more. Bonus: The museum is a hub for contemporary comics artists as well, hosting frequent classes, workshops and meet-and-greets, like this chance to see Bay Area zine legend (and KQED contributor) Janelle Hessig in action on July 12.
Celebrate Juneteenth
Various locations
Programming throughout June; most events June 14–19
Juneteenth has only been a recognized federal holiday since 2021, but the Bay Area has celebrated the day of emancipation since the 1980s. Family-friendly parades, musical performances, film screenings, political actions and parties highlighting Black history and culture abound on all sides of the Bay.
San Francisco’s annual party in the Fillmore on June 14 promises carnival rides, pony rides and games in a kids’ area; Berkeley’s official celebration, held this year on June 15, has previously featured a rock-climbing wall and kids’ STEM activities; while the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival June 19 includes lawn games, a kids’ zone, and line dancing. In San Jose, Juneteenth in the Street takes over downtown June 14 with family-friendly music and dance performances, while the Children’s Discovery Museum has a special kids’ program June 19 where kids can dance or play during a drumming workshop, then make their own percussion instruments.
Get down at the Rivertown Revival
McNear Peninsula, Steamer Landing Park, Petaluma
July 18–19
This sweet two-day festival, now in its 12th year, offers a sizzle reel of Bay Area indie-folk, soul and alt-country talent. The 2025 lineup is still yet-to-be-announced, but previous incarnations have seen Petaluma’s own Ben Morrison (Brothers Comatose), freak-folk from Tay and the JangLahDahs and Santa Rosa pirate punks The Crux. The kicker for families is a big, dedicated kids’ area with arts and crafts, water play and more, plus a shaded, private parents’ tent for nursing or diaper changes. It’s all a fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of the Petaluma River.
(Other kid-friendly music festivals include Stern Grove, Mosswood Meltdown and the San Jose Summer Jazz Fest.)
Catch a movie at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Friday nights June 13–Aug. 18
Beach in front of the Colonnade, Santa Cruz
Nothing says summer like sand between your toes, corn dogs and saltwater taffy, and the unmistakable look on the face of a parent who just consumed corn dogs and saltwater taffy, then agreed to go on “one more ride” at the behest of a child hopped up on sugar and arcade games. A trip to the Santa Cruz boardwalk is already a classic summertime pilgrimage for Bay Area kids; up the ante (or just celebrate no one losing their lunch on the Giant Dipper) by sticking around for a free cult-classic movie on the beach. Just make sure no one wanders off on their own at night — “Santa Carla” can get freaky after dark.
