Discovering Northern California's
Events and Festivals:
October through December

NorCal Events and Festivals For Friends and Family

These events and festivals are the community festivities that celebrate the joie de vivre of an area; they put a sparkle in our eyes, a smile on our faces, and a spring in our steps - whether they're about food, music, dance, drink, nature, or ethnic diversity!

So we've gathered Northern California's celebrations together in one place for your pleasure and convenience. This is a work in progress and we'll be adding more, but if your event is missing and you'd like it included, just let us know here.

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October Events and Festivals in Northern California

Chico's Artoberfest - fills the month of October with a celebration of art and culture!

San Benito County Fair - a genuine old-fashioned county fair!

Davis Jazz and Beat Festival - The Beat Goes On!

Los Banos Tomato Festival - let me count the ways we like our tomatoes!

Sonoma County Harvest Fair - this harvest fair is all about the wine!

Butte County's Sierra Oro Farm Trail Passport Weekend - sharing a passion for the bounty and heritage of Butte County agriculture with open doors, tastings, and tours!

Burney Falls' Heritage Day - pioneer day demonstrations and live music! 

Petaluma's Tolay Fall Festival - two weekends; one festival with some surprises; it's the new favorite Fall Festival!

Dairyville Orchard Festival - great food, music, children's activities, and - especially - local produce!

Anderson's Return of the Salmon Festival - help celebrate the end of the journey for thousands of Fall Chinook! 

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival - my very own personal FAVORITE Fall Festival!

Ukiah Country PumpinFest - who will have the plumpest pumpkin or the most palatable pie; the scariest scarecrow or the craftiest costume for their pet? 

Daly City's Grand National Rodeo - four days of championship rodeo, fiesta, and BBQ! 

Danville Fall Crafts Festival - family-friendly home-town parade, Safe Trick or Treating, quality arts and crafts, and the Glass Pumpkin Patch! 

Healdsburg's Pinot on the River - a full-immersion weekend of Pinot Noir along the beautiful Russian River! 

Sonora's All Hallows Fantasy Faire - you've never attended a Celtic Faire quite like this one! 

Felton's Thomas and Percy's Halloween Party™ - Dress up for Halloween with favorites Thomas™ and Percy™!

Santa Cruz' Chili Cookoff at the Boardwalk - bring your appetite and join the fun!

Big Basin SP's The Case of the Missing Arm - the story of a lumber mill owner's encounter with a grizzly!

Coarsegold Tarantula Festival - now this strikes me as a hideously horrific hullabaloo and a great way to celebrate Halloween! 

Heading for one of Northern California's fine fun festivals and looking for a place to stay? Compare prices from over 30 different hotel booking sites before you book!

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November Events and Festivals in Northern California

Mendocino's Wine and Mushroom Festival -  it's a wonderful time of year to visit Mendocino!

Big Sur's Food and Wine Festival - Foodies and Winers together in Big Sur!

Grass Valley's Holiday Open House

- in-store specials, drawings, give-aways, food, music and more!

Auburn's Mountain Mandarin Fest - Owari Satsuma Mandarin oranges - Yumm!

Cowpoke Fall Gathering in Loomis - Californians LOVE their cowboy heritage!

Daly City's Dickens Fair - Set in a realistic recreation of Victorian London, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair offers the rollicking world of Charles Dickens' London!

Fort Bragg's Festival of Lights - the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is awash with lights!

Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas - recapture the spirit of Christmas past in historic downtown Grass Valley! 

Healdsburg's Sip, Savor & Shop - take a guided walking tour to view the decorations, taste wines and food, and shop till you drop!

San Jose's Christmas in the Park - one of the top ten Christmas displays in the world, according to Essential Travel Magazine!

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December Events and Festivals in Northern California

Healdsburg's Sip, Savor & Shop - take a guided walking tour to view the decorations, taste wines and food, and shop till you drop!

Fort Bragg's Festival of Lights - the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is awash with lights!

Daly City's Dickens Fair - Set in a realistic recreation of Victorian London, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair offers the rollicking world of Charles Dickens' London!

San Jose's Christmas in the Park - one of the top ten Christmas displays in the world, according to Essential Travel Magazine!

Nevada City's Victorian Christmas Street Faire - and right next door to Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas is this event in equally historic Nevada City!

Santa Cruz' Holiday Lights Trains - sing holiday carols and sip hot cider with Santa, or play dreidel and enjoy Chanukah treats aboard vintage excursions cars!

Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Holidays - a festival for the whole family with ice skating, ice sculptors, carolers, and more!

Lathrops' Holidays on the Farm - Wintertime activities for you and your family at the Dell'Osso Family Farm!

Calistoga's Annual Lighted Tractor Parade - a real, old-fashioned, small-town Christmas celebration! 

Woodland's Holiday Parade - one of the largest holiday parades in Northern California!

Fresno's Christmas Tree Lane - one of the longest-running holiday events in the U.S.!

Orland's Avenue of Lights - a magical light show with winter scenes, trees, trains, reindeer, storybook characters, and more!

Benicia's Christmas Parade & Holiday Market - local marching bands, dancers, and Santa Claus strut their stuff, and then you go shopping!

Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas - The focus of this jump-back in time is on Grass Valley's history of Cornish miners, Cousin Jacks and Cousin Jennys, Tommyknockers, and chestnuts roasting.

Nevada City's Victorian Christmas - a genuine old-fashioned Christmas card come to life

Yosemite's Famous Bracebridge Dinner - THE Event of all events and festivals and tickets are no longer by lottery - first come, first served!

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You'll find Northern California events and festivals occur during each and every month of the year!

• January through March
  Food festivals, music festivals, whale festivals, and a LOT about chocolate!
• April through June
  Spring has sprung and we're getting outdoors!
• July through September
  Summer's rolling on into Autumn with harvest festivals and wine events!
• October through December
  Fall into Winter with whale watching and snow sports!

Looking for Festivals that center on a favorite food? Those are
my favorites, too! Take a look at Fun Food Festivals

Please continue your exploration of what Northern California has to offer by using the Nav Bars in the left and right columns or by using the links at the bottom of the page.

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And thanks for coming!

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