Your Complete Guide to Summer Fun in the Bay Area

When it comes to things to do in the region, you can count on KQED’s Arts & Culture desk for trusted recommendations from our award-winning staff and born-and-raised critics.

We’re out on the town constantly to give you the inside scoop on enriching, fun events all summer long.

The best thing of all: We are humans! Not AI algorithms! In a modern world where other newsrooms’ summertime previews get written by ChatGPT and contain complete fabrications, we know you want picks based on actual experience and discerning taste.

Hop in and explore the Bay Area with us this summer — we won’t let you down.

a band of four men in yellow jumpsuits on stage against pink screen — Gerald Casale, Josh Hager, Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo perform live on stage during Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach on Sept. 27, 2024 in Dana Point, California. (Jim Bennett/WireImage)

Get to an outdoor music festival

Nastia Voynovskaya has covered music for more than a decade, reviewing stadium concerts and symphony openings on down to tiny club appearances and underground shows. This summer, she’s looking forward to annual festivals like Stern Grove and Mosswood Meltdown (with headliners Devo, above) along with newer events celebrating modern Indian music, big-beat electronica and Pride month. Read about music festivals here.

feathered and spray-painted half-circle painting, like cloak — Carlos Villa, ‘Painted Cloak,’ 1970–71. (© Estate of Carlos Villa; Photo by Katherine Du Tiel)

See a museum or gallery exhibition

Sarah Hotchkiss has covered visual art for KQED since 2011; as a working artist and former gallery worker, she knows the Bay Area art scene like no other. Her picks are always filled with surprises, like a 23-hour video installation or an open picnic with the architect of an iconic San Francisco fountain that’s equally hated and loved. Of course, highlights from SFMOMA and the de Young make her list too. Read about visual art offerings here.

Cappuccino in a white cup on a wood table. The view outside the window is of a grassy cliff and, beyond that, a blue sky and sea. — View from the Cafe at the Sea Ranch Lodge. (Luke Tsai/KQED)

Eat a delicious meal with a scenic view

Luke Tsai has been a food editor for more than a decade, covering the Bay Area’s early-morning lines for amazing breakfasts as well as its hidden late-night dining scene. Lately he noticed that eating at a restaurant with a stellar view didn’t always have to mean overpriced, mediocre meals. Six places made the cut; read Luke’s recommendations here.

Kim Novak at Ernie’s Restaurant in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo.’ (Paramount Pictures)

Watch a classic movie or attend a film festival

Michael Fox lives and breathes movies, and he has written about the flickering world of film in the Bay Area for decades. You may be daunted by the twelve zillion film festivals in the region — here he picks the best. Visiting directors, a Hitchcock series and new movies by Ari Aster and Darren Aronofsky round out his picks. Read about summer screenings here.

Turn off the TV and read a book

Ugur Dursun has been known to read 40 books a year, and keeps an ever-growing list of what to read next. For our summertime guide, she picks some of the best recent and upcoming books by authors from the Bay Area and Northern California at large, including buzzy debut novels, gripping memoirs and poetic fiction. Read about what to read here.

a giant sand castle shaped like an ice cream sundae, with the word 'sandae' — An award-winning entry at Alameda’s annual Sand Castle and Sculpture Contest. (Alameda Recreation and Park Department)

Take the kids on an adventure

Emma Silvers has made it through the toddler phase of motherhood, and knows the eternal struggle of what do I do with my kid today? You already know about the usual country fairs and waterparks; Emma brings you distinctly Bay Area kid activities, like sandcastle contests, farms for picking fruit, family Pride celebrations and movie screenings on the beach. Read about family friendly activities here.

Grace Margaret Craig in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco. (Jenni Chapman/Courtesy NCTC)

See a play or musical

Nicole Gluckstern has reviewed over 100 plays, musicals or performances for KQED, and has a special knack for finding the underground and offbeat. A musical about Luigi Mangione? A hip-hop premiere about tech startup culture? Check and check. With a Lorraine Hansberry revival and multiple options for Shakespeare, her picks are on point, as ever. Read about theater offerings here.

A group of older men stand cheering underneath an outdoor bar sign at the Old Ship Saloon. They are raising their arms and cheering. — Revelers outside the Old Ship Saloon, a bar that dates back to 1851 and is featured on the San Francisco Haunted Pub Crawl. (San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers)

Go on a weird walking tour

Rae Alexandra stands alone in her knowledge of the Bay Area’s weird history. If it’s haunted, harrowing or just plain bizarre, chances are she’s already an expert on it. Here she rounds up six extra-strange walking tours, where you can get introduced to notable gravesites, a huge haul of slot machines and pubs in which ghosts dwell. Read about wacky walks here.

Explore the wide realms of jazz

Gabe Meline fell in love with jazz as a teenager — and quickly mastered the art of sneaking into 21-and-over jazz clubs to see the greats. This summer, he’s excited for festivals both established and brand-new, legends like Patrice Rushen and Charles Lloyd, and local stars like Pete Escovedo and Howard Wiley. Read about a jazz-filled summer here.

Kids of all ages seek relief from the sweltering heat at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor waterpark in Concord, Calif. on Saturday, July 27, 2019. (Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Beat the heat by going swimming

Sarah Wright may be KQED’s newest employee, but she’s already an expert at the Bay Area’s best places to swim, from your local municipal pool or swimming hole to the thrill-inducing waterslides of family waterparks. With an eye to affordability and accessibility, she even knows the best spots to swim in the San Francisco Bay. Plan your plunge here.

A group of adults and children hang out on bikes at a park. — Riders convene for the 17th annual Scraper Bike Day and Halloween Bike Ride in Arroyo Viejo Park in Oakland on Oct. 31, 2023. (Manuel Orbegozo for KQED)

Put down your phone and escape the news cycle

Pendarvis Harshaw, an avid cyclist, knows that too much news can get overwhelming — and that the best way to clear your head is to put your phone down, get outside, and do things with your hands. He’s got the scoop on workshops for ceramics, pottery, DJing, embroidery and working on your bike. Read about good distractions here.

A conductor waves his baton as orchestra musicians look on, — Kedrick Armstrong conducts the Oakland Symphony in February 2024. (Scott Chernis)

Get gussied up for a classical music performance

Gabe Meline has covered classical music at KQED for 10 years. This summer, he’s looking forward to performances of exciting newer works, like Errollyn Wallen’s Mighty River at the Oakland Symphony and Gabriela Lena Frank’s Escaramuza at the San Jose Symphony — along with classics like La bohème and Beethoven’s ninth. Get tuned up with classical music picks here.

An adult giraffe leans down and licks the ear of its smaller offspring. — Two of Safari West’s resident giraffes. (Sarah Jane Tarr/ Safari West)

Hang out with animals

Rae Alexandra is the type to walk into a room of people and immediately zero in on the cute dog. Her guide to the Bay Area’s best animal adventures comes from experience, be it feeding giraffes, kayaking with seals or meditating with sheep. Yes, meditating with sheep. Read about animal outings here.

Two boba drinks on a park bench. — Cupertino’s Chicha San Chen is the current title holder for buzziest boba shop in the Bay. (Luke Tsai/KQED)

Cool down at the best boba spots

Luke Tsai not only loves boba — his whole family does, too. So he’s got not only the discerning palate but the special-trip experience to clue you in on the Bay Area’s best boba shops, from north of the bridge in Corte Madera to the Bay Area’s undisputed boba hotspot of the South Bay. Read about a boba bounty here.

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