Things to Do in the San Francisco Bay Area
November 2026
Curated by Thomas Henthorne
The Town of Yountville has amazing fall color each November.
November brings a distinct change of pace to the San Francisco Bay Area, pairing the final stretch of fall with the first glow of the holiday season. The calendar moves from cultural traditions and open studios to nighttime light displays, live performance, Thanksgiving gatherings, seasonal markets, and festive community celebrations. In the East Bay, highlights include Glowfari at Oakland Zoo, The Great Junk Hunt, and Cirque Kalabanté, while San Francisco welcomes the San Francisco Coffee Festival, the return of the Union Square Ice Rink, and the Embarcadero Holiday Market and Building Lighting.
Closer to home, Marin’s November lineup reflects the creativity and community spirit that make the county such a compelling place to live. San Rafael hosts its annual Día de los Muertos celebration and the Marin Arts & Crafts Show, while more than 100 artists open their studios for The Big Open at ICB/ART in Sausalito. Thanksgiving weekend brings the Bank of Marin Turkey Trot, Point Reyes Open Studios, and Small Business Saturday. The holiday season also begins in November with The Christmas House at West End Nursery and the Marin County Holiday Light Spectacular. These are the kinds of events that capture what I value about living and working in the towns and neighborhoods of Marin County: strong local traditions, creative energy, and easy access to the broader Bay Area.
Elsewhere around the region, the Peninsula and South Bay offer everything from Holidays at Filoli and the Great Dickens Christmas Fair to the San Jose Veterans Day Parade and SJMADE Holiday Fair. Wine Country adds a particularly varied slate with Día de los Muertos at Art Escape, Jerry Seinfeld in Santa Rosa, the Holiday Mercato at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, the Annual Merry Meritage Tree Lighting, and the Yountville Town & Tree Lighting.
This curated guide to the things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area in November 2026 brings together 30 standout events across Marin, San Francisco, the East Bay, the Peninsula, Silicon Valley, Napa, and Sonoma, with a special eye toward the lifestyle connections that make Marin such an appealing home base.
If you are exploring life in Marin more seriously, you may also enjoy my San Rafael lifestyle guide, my San Anselmo guide, my Mill Valley guide, or my guide to the Top 10 Hikes in Marin County.
You can learn more about me here. Call or text me at 415-847-5584 if I may be of assistance with your real estate needs.
What’s Happening Around the Bay in November 2026
|
Glowfari at Oakland Zoo
November 6–January 31 Oakland Zoo glows after dark with hundreds of illuminated animal lanterns, including all-new displays throughout the grounds, plus seasonal treats and family-friendly nighttime fun. |
The Great Junk Hunt
November 20–21 The vintage market returns to Pleasanton with thoughtfully styled vendor booths filled with antiques, repurposed pieces, holiday décor, handmade goods, food, drinks, and music. |
|
Cirque Kalabanté: WOW!
November 28–29 Cirque Kalabanté blends high-energy African dance and live music with breathtaking acrobatics and contemporary circus artistry in a vivid holiday-weekend performance at Cal Performances. |
Jack London Square Holiday Tree Lighting
November 28 Oakland’s waterfront welcomes the holiday season with its community tree lighting, Santa, live entertainment, festive activities, and the annual laser light show. |
|
San Rafael Día de los Muertos
November 7 San Rafael’s 37th annual celebration honors loved ones through community altars, a procession, live cultural performances, art, food, and traditions shared across generations. |
The Big Open at ICB/ART
November 13–15 More than 100 Bay Area artists open their studios inside Sausalito’s landmark waterfront ICB building, offering an unusually direct look at new work and creative process. |
|
Bank of Marin Turkey Trot
November 26 Start Thanksgiving morning in Novato with a family-friendly one-mile race, 5K, or 10K at the 27th annual community run supporting local schools and programs. |
Small Business Saturday in Novato
November 28 Shop Novato’s independent boutiques, restaurants, makers, and neighborhood businesses, with special promotions and seasonal activities planned around town. |
|
The Christmas House at West End Nursery
Opens November 1; open through the holidays A beloved San Rafael tradition since 1985, the Christmas House fills West End Nursery with more than 60 themed trees, ornaments, and seasonal décor. Admission is free. |
Marin County Holiday Light Spectacular
November 27–January 3, 5–9 p.m. daily The free walk-through display returns to the Marin Center Fairgrounds with illuminated pathways, photo spots, nightly holiday crafts, food, and select movie screenings. Opening night features special entertainment. |
|
Marin Arts & Crafts Show
November 6–8 More than 200 exhibits fill the Marin Center Exhibit Hall with fine art, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, woodwork, artisan foods, live music, demonstrations, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Admission and parking are free. |
Point Reyes Open Studios
November 27–29 Take a free, self-guided Thanksgiving weekend tour of artists’ studios across Point Reyes Station and Inverness, meeting West Marin painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, jewelers, and other makers. |
|
Día de los Muertos in Redwood City
November 8 Casa Círculo Cultural and community partners fill downtown Redwood City with music, dance, art, altars, and family activities honoring Día de los Muertos traditions. |
San Jose Veterans Day Parade
November 11 One of Northern California’s largest Veterans Day observances brings marching bands, military units, community groups, classic vehicles, and civic tributes through downtown San Jose. |
|
Holidays at Filoli
November 13–January 10 Filoli dresses its historic House and Garden for the season, with a daytime Christmas village beneath the redwoods and dazzling evening pathways illuminated by hundreds of thousands of lights. |
Alice Cooper: Alice’s Attic Tour
November 18 Rock icon Alice Cooper brings the theatrical Alice’s Attic production to San Jose Civic, combining a deep catalog of hits with the elaborate stagecraft that made him famous. |
|
The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
November 21–December 20 The Cow Palace becomes four acres of lamp-lit Victorian London, alive with costumed characters, theaters, pubs, dancing, handcrafted gifts, and traditional holiday food. |
SJMADE Holiday Fair
November 27–28 Shop hundreds of independent artists, designers, and small businesses at this two-day San Jose holiday market, with food, family activities, and locally made gifts. |
|
Union Square Ice Rink
November 4–January 18 San Francisco’s downtown holiday tradition returns with daily skating in Union Square, themed sessions, city lights, and a festive setting in the heart of the shopping district. |
San Francisco Coffee Festival
November 7–8 Meet specialty roasters, taste coffee from around the region, and explore demonstrations, workshops, food, and live music during this two-day Fort Mason festival. |
|
Embarcadero Holiday Market & 40th Annual Building Lighting
November 18 Embarcadero Center marks four decades of holiday lights with a seasonal market, family entertainment, and the dramatic illumination of its landmark office towers. |
Glow at the Exploratorium
November 19–January 24 The Exploratorium’s seasonal exhibition explores light through luminous artworks, inventive installations, and hands-on experiences that invite visitors to see the world differently. |
|
Día de los Muertos at Art Escape
November 1 Art Escape’s free Sonoma celebration honors loved ones with a community altar, sugar-skull decorating, family art projects, face painting, traditional foods, and Ballet Folklórico. |
TroyBoi at The Ruins
November 13 British DJ and producer TroyBoi brings his genre-blending, bass-heavy sound to The Ruins in American Canyon, a distinctive open-air venue at Napa Valley’s southern edge. |
|
Jerry Seinfeld
November 14 Jerry Seinfeld brings his signature observational stand-up to the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa for an evening with one of comedy’s most recognizable voices. |
Holiday Mercato at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
November 15 Jacuzzi Family Vineyards hosts a free holiday marketplace in its Sonoma piazza with local artisans, specialty foods, candles, botanical goods, jewelry, and seasonal gifts. |
|
Merry Meritage Rinkside Cabins
November 19–January 3 Gather family or friends in a private rinkside cabin at Merry Meritage, with a cozy home base beside the resort’s seasonal ice rink and holiday village. |
Silverado Christmas Tree Lighting
November 27 Silverado Resort lights the tree on its Mansion Lawn with live holiday music, Santa, children’s train rides, snow flurries, cocoa, treats, and a Toys for Tots drive. |
|
Annual Merry Meritage Tree Lighting
November 21, 4–8 p.m. The Meritage Resort welcomes the season with its annual tree lighting, live music, holiday characters, festive activities, and the resort’s winter village. Free admission with RSVP; check the event page for current details. |
Yountville Town & Tree Lighting
November 22, 6–8 p.m. Yountville’s community celebration lights the town tree and launches Holidays in Yountville, a season of festive events and twinkling lights. The event is at the Yountville Community Center. |
Considering Moving to Marin?
A calendar like this offers more than a list of weekend plans; it provides a glimpse of what everyday life in Marin County and the SF Bay Area can feel like. November might include meeting artists in their studios, shopping from local makers, joining a Thanksgiving morning run, walking through a holiday light display, or heading into San Francisco for an exhibition or performance. That combination of close-knit communities, natural beauty, and convenient access to the rest of the Bay Area is one of Marin’s defining advantages.
Finding the right place to live here often comes down to understanding the character of each community. Mill Valley offers a lively downtown framed by redwoods and Mount Tamalpais, San Anselmo is known for its relaxed small-town atmosphere, and San Rafael provides an unusually broad mix of neighborhoods, architecture, and amenities. My Mill Valley guide, San Anselmo guide, and San Rafael lifestyle guide are useful starting points for comparing these different ways of living in Marin.
For a broader look at the area, explore my guide to the Marin County lifestyle or visit my Marin Real Estate and Lifestyle blog for community features, local insights, and updates on the Marin real estate market. If access to trails and open space is part of what draws you here, my guide to the Top 10 Hikes in Marin County highlights some of the landscapes that make the county so rewarding to call home.
If you are considering a move to Marin, relocating within the county, or simply trying to determine which community best fits your lifestyle, please call me at 415-847-5584. I would be happy to share a local perspective and help you navigate your next move.
About the Author
Thomas Henthorne is a consistently top-ranked Marin County real estate agent with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, known for thoughtful guidance, strong negotiation, and polished marketing. He is the publisher of a widely read Marin real estate blog covering local market insights, neighborhood spotlights, and the lifestyle that makes Marin such an exceptional place to live. Thomas also brings a design and branding background to every listing and client strategy, with an emphasis on presentation, positioning, and results.
You can learn more about Thomas here.
Call or text Thomas at 415-847-5584 to discuss your real estate goals.
Let’s Tell the Next Success Story.™
Click Here to Contact Thomas
Please call / text Thomas at 415-847-5584 or fill out this contact form and he will be in touch right away.
Leave a Comment
What do you think?Please leave your comment below!