Things to Do this Memorial Day Weekend on the Peninsula
Free Birds, an Aviation Festival and a big holiday parade.
Maybe you’re like us: getting out of town for Memorial Day Weekend definitely crossed your mind, but between picking the right place to go (not too crowded, not too hot, not too far away) and booking the Airbnb on time, it just kind of slipped away from you. Have no fear — we’re spending our long weekend on the Peninsula, too, and it turns out that there’s a lot to do out here after all, whether that’s barbecuing, getting in touch with your spiritual side or just stopping to smell the wildflowers on a long nature walk.
So let’s just get to it — here are our picks for what to do on the Peninsula for this long holiday weekend.
Pick of the Week:
Like we said, spending Memorial Day at home doesn’t mean you’re missing out. In fact, it means you’ll be around on Monday to attend Hillsborough’s 9th annual Memorial Day Parade. The parade itself begins at 10:30 a.m., and is followed by a remembrance ceremony, a carnival, food trucks, and a music festival. There will be chances to do good in the name of Memorial Day, too (like the donations the town is collecting for recently deployed troops). All in all, the day’s festivities will run until around 2:30 p.m., meaning you have ample time to enjoy food, music, the parade before the day of remembrance ends.
Get outside
Domenico Winery in San Carlos is hosting its 17th Annual Pig Roast Sunday afternoon. Enjoy a whole roasted pig, the outdoors and—in classic Memorial Day Weekend fashion—some legit BBQ: coleslaw, chicken skewers, and stone fruit cobbler (there are also vegetarian options like baked beans and corn & artichoke soufflé, in case our vegetarian guide to the Peninsula didn’t satisfy all of your plant-based cravings this week).
Spinnaker Sailing in Redwood City will have their evening cruise Friday night, a chance to get out on the water (without doing any of the work). Sailor or not, you’re welcome (seriously, whether or not you help with the boat is up to you). Catch the sunset and some calm waves to kick off your weekend. If you can’t make it to their evening event, don’t sweat it: their afternoon sail goes on both Saturday and Sunday.
As the month winds down and we’re making the most of what’s left of spring, Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve is hosting a Spring Wildflower Walk through Edgewood County Park Saturday morning. Cover three miles with frequent breaks to, literally, stop and smell the flowers.
Date Night
Take a couple extra steps this weekend and drop in on cha-cha lessons at Cubberley Pavilion this Friday night. Not an experienced cha cha-er? No fear — beginning and intermediate lessons are taught simultaneously from 8 until 9 p.m., followed by social ballroom dancing until midnight.
In the name of a long weekend, have a drink in Pacifica with Pedro Point Brewing, the Peninsula’s newest craft brewery. They’ll have live Irish music on Saturday night, and are releasing their “mango milkshake IPA” all week long. And, as if you needed more reason to go, there’ll be free chili dogs.
Speaking of having a drink, the Half Moon Bay Wine and Cheese Company is having a special tasting event featuring Big Basin Vineyards Saturday Evening. Enjoy some specialty flights of wines on the coast.
Take the kids
The Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos is having their first Kids’ Carnival of the summer this Sunday. Just pay Museum admission price ($11 for seniors and kids 5–17, $16 for adults) and enter the world of all things high-flying, which in this case includes a bounce house, a wind tunnel and plane painting (say plane painting three times fast).
Speaking of painting, the View Teen Center is offering up free (!) art classes for teens in 6th through 12th grade. Spend a Saturday afternoon dabbling in some drawing and design.
For the up and coming musical types, the Grand Ave Library in South San Francisco is holding a guitar jam session Saturday afternoon for players ages 13–19. All skill level and string instruments welcome.
Finally, just because you’re not leaving town for the Memorial Day Weekend doesn’t mean you can’t have some Peninsula-based fun of your own: YMCA Camp Campbell is hosting a Memorial Day Family Adventure Camp — right up your alley if you feel like backpacking along some beautiful California Coastline as a family (with kids twelve and up).
Theater, art, music & film
First and foremost, Lynyrd Skynyrd is coming to the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View Friday night. It’s not quite a Saturday Night Special, but the long weekend means we’re all Free Birds celebrating our Sweet Home—the Peninsula (sorry, we tried).
Go for a classic movie on the big screen: the Stanford Theatre will be showing Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” and “Rear Window” Friday through Sunday (both are Hitchcock classics and feature Grace Kelley). Also on the fascinating film front, check out Disobedience (featuring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams) at the Aquarius. On stage, there is Three Days of Rain (by Richard Greenberg) at the Dragon Theater and The Siegel (by Michael Mitnick) at the City Lights Theater Company.
This weekend is also the opening of a new art show featuring contemporary Chinese ink painting at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center.
Learn something new
Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills is having a Homesteader’s Faire Saturday afternoon. The day will feature demos and discussion about self-reliance, intentional living, and stewardship on the Peninsula, as well as local experts present to answer questions about topics ranging from bees to fiber crafts to running a small business. There’ll also be music, local food and fun activities.
Saturday is also your last chance to tour the insides of World War II planes at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View. Enjoy a history lesson and some aviation artifacts.
If you’re someone who sees weekend time as a chance to realign yourself, East West Bookshop in Mountain View is hosting a workshop about meeting & connecting with ‘Spirit Guides’, the perfect chance to get in touch with your… well, spiritual side.
If you’re all set with the spirits and looking to invest in a new skill set, check out the Wilderness First Aid Class that Foster Calm is hosting this weekend in Los Altos.
Help your neighbors
The Bay Area Christian Church is hosting its 3rd annual run-a-thon in support of of community development in the bay area. Courses include both a 5K (family-friendly) and a 10k for more experienced runners. Why not get some exercise in the name of our future leaders? Register here.
If you didn’t know, Ramadan began last week, which means that observant Muslims fast until sundown each day until the holiday is over. The Swasia Charity Foundation and the Syrian American Council are hosting an Iftar dinner (the meal eaten at sundown to break the day’s fast) to help Syrian Refugees. The night will feature food & guest speakers — tickets are here.
CAL FIRE Local 2881 up in Woodside is having the chapter’s annual MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Fill the Boot fundraiser: Firefighters gather on local streets to pass along a fireman’s boot and collect donations. Stop by and show your support.
