Explore the Bay Area this Weekend: Several Events Happening in San Francisco, Marin and Beyond

Posted: October 9th, 2009

This upcoming weekend is huge in terms of events around the Bay Area. If you’re looking for something to do, boy, have you got options. Whether you want to head across the bridge into SF, venture north or stay closer to home, there’s something for everyone.

Fleet Week
Every October, around Columbus Day, nearly one million people gather atop San Francisco’s rooftops and along our shorelines and hillsides to catch a glimpse of the Blue Angels as part of the annual Fleet Week festivities. Survey flights and practices – which you may have heard flying overhead – began Thursday with the official shows on Saturday and Sunday from 3-4 PM. The complete Fleet Week schedule, including the Blue Angels, air shows, exhibits, tours, performances, and concerts, can be viewed here, and California Beat offers a great guide on the Best places to watch the Blue Angels. Large crowds are expected, and viewing options are slightly different this year due to an ongoing restoration project and renovations inside the Presidio and near Aquatic Park. ABC 7 offers some great advice for how best to navigate it all.

Presidents Cup
The 2009 Presidents Cup is currently taking place at Harding Park in San Francisco, drawing the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy and Vijay Singh. The 6-day event began on Tuesday and runs through October 11. Tickets are mostly sold out, but we hear you may be able to find some deals on Craigslist. If you’re not planning on attending the event, The Presidents Cup will air live on the Golf Channel on Friday, with coverage continuing on NBC Saturday and Sunday.

Our own Judy LeMarr, Mill Valley office, put together a great blog post about this event for our Guide Me Home 2 Marin Luxury blog.

San Francisco Jazz Festival
Presented by SFJAZZ, the 27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival presents a variety of jazz concerts at venues throughout the Bay Area. The festival runs from October 10 until November 21, and starts with Eric Reed on Saturday at the War Memorial Green Room. Visit the site for a full calendar of events and ticket information.

Italian Heritage Columbus Day Parade
San Francisco’s 141st Annual Italian Heritage Parade will take place on Sunday, October 11. The Parade begins at 12:30 PM at the intersection of Jefferson and Stockton Streets in Fisherman’s Warf and proceeds to Washington Square in front of Sts. Peter and Paul Church. In addition to the parade, festivities in North Beach include live entertainment, food booths serving up Italian delicacies, children’s activities, wine tasting, and a Ferrari Car Show.

If you don’t want to battle the crowds in San Francisco, then check out this weekend guide for events happening in Marin and the North Bay. We’ve got The Tolay Fall Festival, Biketoberfest, Slide Ranch Harvest Celebration and the ever-popular…

Mill Valley Film Festival
The 32nd Annual Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 8 through October 18. Each year, the 11-day festival sells over 40,000 tickets and draws filmmakers, film enthusiasts and celebrities to Marin County. Expected at the event this year are Clive Owen, Uma Thurman, Jason Reitman, Woody Harrelson and Emily Blunt. Tickets are currently for sale and films run daily at theatres throughout Marin. You can visit the MVFF website to Browse Films and Purchase Tickets.