Come next year if you want to get in the holiday spirit! About three blocks of houses with lights…read more Some are cute and some are simply amazing !! A few sell hot cocoa. They don't shut the street from car traffic, but they do limit it to one way. You walk on the sidewalk but there's enough room to go around people. Incredibly crowded. Pro tip: Find parking a few blocks away and walk. Like on Arroyo. Park BEFORE the car line starts or you will be stuck.

Á fun way to get in the holiday spirit. This last Dec we took my granddaughter and she was amazed…read moreat all thé beautiful lights and colorful decorations. Almost every house on the 2 block walkable streets are fully decorated in holiday spirit. Many houses in the adjacent area join in with more festive fun decor. My personal tip is to go on a weeknight, early in Dec for less crowds. Best to park a couple blocks before Orange Ave (near Britton Park) and walk into the area. Bring the family and enjoy!

Love all Los Altos festivals and fairs. The more the merrier. Arts & Wine, seasonal, Earth Day,…read moreFine Art in the Park, Pet Parade, Third Street Green, First Fridays, Farmers Market weekly, too many to list but not nearly enough fun. It's all good. The 25th Annual Los Altos Fall Festival took place on Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2, 2016 in downtown Los Altos. I visited both days. The Classic Car Show was a highlight. Amazing antique and vintage sportsters, sedans, and trucks. Also, Little Explorers Petting Zoo. Absolutely adorable little pig the size of a rabbit. Your usual arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, fine wines and micro-breweries, food, children's corner with games and activities, all of it present. This one is a lower key event. The antique and vintage cars on display are much fun to check out, perhaps to chat with the owners. My wife was smitten by the 1967 Porsche Slate Grey 912 (pun intended). TheSlateGrey (Der Graue Fuchs) was ordered by its original owner, George, in the summer of '67 at a cost of $4.5K, and arrived from Germany to San Francisco on the Madam Butterfly - a ship used for Porsches only. 49 years is no joke, all of it happily lived in the Bay Area, has never been restored. All the original parts and interior, paint and engine, can you imagine! The Grey Fox is as good as new and very handsome.

Our friends turned us on to this event and it was so darn cute! It will probably make our go-to…read morelist next year! One end cap seemed to be where the bulk of the handmade vendors were, which I appreciated. I'm usually not a big food or Win A Vacation tent goer, so having all the things I was there for at one end was marvelous! We loved the bow vendor Min, who had fabulous prices at $1 for the smaller non-matched bows. Super cute! Another favorite was the beautiful die cut card vendor. I purchased one for my mother and the honey one just for our living room! Topping off the awesome vendors were the handmade coasters at $5 each and Macarons A Go Go with their Yoda themed tasties, a favorite of mine when I lived back in the South Bay! This was a great way to start out or Craft Fair season! Yay Los Altos Fall Festival!

I had the opportunity to visit this was visiting family in California. We arrived downtown by…read moretrain, and there were several blocks of downtown covered in vendor of arts, crafts, and all manner of tasties. All that, and the stores and restaurants were open. We stopped for some tasty sushi and ate it street side, which is blocked off from traffic at the north end of Castro, all the way to California Street. We saw a lot of interesting stuff, drank some tasty wine, and left with treats. It was busy but not overcrowded, and the others there were chill and respectful.

Stopped by this year. The parking situation seems to get…read moreworse every year. Especially in the residential neighborhoods. A lot of parking spaces lost around the end of the street corners. I thought it would be super crowded,but it wasn't too bad. I think they reconfigured the set up. Some areas were too close to the sidewalk, making it difficult to walk by. If people are looking at a booth,it kinda blocks the walking path. So we just stayed on the sidewalk and looked over the people. If we saw something interesting,we stopped. It was nice to see a lot of local community service booths, sharing free information. Would have like a few more food booths ,but I understand it's a art and wine festival. I'm surprised that there's never any Manga artists. It's a very popular form of art

They really delivered on the art at this event. Beautiful and creative paintings, pottery, and…read morestained glass, one of my favorite vendor booths being Richard Curtner's Collage Art. There was no shortage of wine tents either, including Naumann Vineyards and Shunyi Cellars. The festival took place near State Street Market, so I opted to grab some snacks there rather than from the various food vendors on site. But the offerings were pretty decent, ranging from asian street food to paella. Of course, ice cream and funnel cakes too. I enjoyed the live music, with rotating bands on multiple stages. Caught a performance by the Jazz Connexion at the Veterans Community Plaza and the Wanderers in the early afternoon on the main stage, with a playlist including Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles, Bruno Mars' Treasure, and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The sound system was pretty bad, but the musicians were good as usual... I've actually seen them perform at other local events before and have been a fan for years. There were tables and seating provided as well, though most people squeezed into the shaded area while I was there. All in all, I had a good time, and I appreciate that it was free admission.

This was an amazing art and wine festival. It was easily a city block worth of booths and a…read morewonderful array of vendors. We purchased a really cool print from a so cal artist. Prices of wine were reasonable, I got a solid cup of white for $8 (4 tickets.)

I've been coming to the Willow Glen Holiday lights for almost 10 years now, and it is pure…read moremagic...minus the crowds. It's amazing to see how all-out so many of the houses go, just about every single one has some sort of Christmas or Hanukkah display, light, or decoration. It's also amazing how much more crowded it gets every year. I used to drive it, but now I don't dare try. I'll typically park near one of the main streets and get out and walk. This is usually much more enjoyable since you aren't having to fight nonstop car and foot traffic. This year I went a little late in the season and even walking it wasn't all that enjoyable because of the groups of 15+ people together and the people running around doing a scavenger hunt, so lesson learned. This past year we parked a bit further and got to see some displays that I either haven't seen in the past or are newer, but it was nice to stroll the less crowded streets and still enjoy the holiday magic. Unlike in years past, there were even street dog vendors out this time around. Felt like I was leaving a concert or a sporting event!

The wonderful people of Willow Glen produces amazing holiday displays for both Halloween and…read moreChristmas. The festivities and major decorations are very much appreciated by those who may not have the resources to partake in decorating. There are a few neighborhoods in Willow Glen you can walk through and look at beautiful displays. It is animal and kid friendly Another way to view these decorations is something called the Holiday Trolley Ride that you purchase to participate and The trolley rides through the decorated neighborhoods. (Not pet friendly) I recommend bundling up because it gets chilly at night. Don't miss out! Thank you people of Willow glen!

Fantastic annual ritual #oktoberfest...packed audience and long lines to sip festive German beer!…read more my first time attending, great crowd and was lots of food n fun!

Mountain View's version never disappoints. While I do not drink, I recalled them offering 5 types…read moreof German beer, several types of wine, and bottle water. The food offerings were standard fare: German food and art/wine goodies. The huge tent was packed with more patrons than ever before. As usual, the bands and contests (stein holding, costume, beer belly, and yodeling) were the highlights.

Whether it is cold, wet, or nice, we have been enjoying this with or children, and now, our grand…read morechildren too, for years and years. Grabbing a spot on the curb is difficult. Parking is a bear. The parade moves quickly, the bands are always good, the floats are fun.

Totally charming and a fairly impressive undertaking for a small(ish) town. Lots of floats…read moresponsored by local businesses and organizations, and marching bands from nearby high schools, all lit up like a gentler version of Disney's Main Street Electric Parade. We came with our 1yo daughter and didn't even arrive until after 6pm, but were able to catch the parade at the very end of the route. Cute and creative floats, low on tackiness, great for kids, and everyone participating seemed to be having a great time. Would go again!

The Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival celebrated its 50th year this past weekend, bringing good eats,…read morelive music, art and merchandise booths, and just a lovely atmosphere for individuals of all ages. The event was set up along East Washington, near Historic Murphy Avenue, and stretched to East McKinley (near Target), with the main food vendor and entertainment area taking over an entire parking lot and block. Seating was limited. But there were more than ten food trucks/stands offering pizza, bbq, vietnamese cuisine, ice cream from Mister Softee, and more. There were also drinks stands selling lemonade and alcoholic beverages (of course, wine). I snacked on some savory filipino empanadas from Tita Weewin's and a delicious sushi taco from Aki (a vendor based in SF). I also perused the amazing variety of merchandise tents and displays lining the streets, including some of the most beautiful collections of artwork I've ever seen, especially one of my faves, CatZooArt as well as as a vendor selling awesome vintage menu art. I enjoyed the live music taking place throughout the festival. On the main stage, Ryan Woodward & J Stewart played a variety of songs on the guitar and vocals, like Tom Petty and Dave Matthews Band covers, followed by the Sean Carscadden Trio entertaining the crowd on Saturday afternoon. Other tribute bands were scheduled to take the stage throughout the two-day event too, as well as street performers such as Bob Culbertson, a musician playing lovely tunes, including the Harry Potter theme song, on the chapman stick, a unique string instrument I was unfamiliar with until this day. In addition, the event offered art workshops and fun activities for kids, like a spider jump bungee trampoline and water ballerz (giant "hamster balls" for humans to climb inside and walk on water). No shortage of options for things to see, do, and appreciate. I certainly had a good time.

The festival is at the same place as the farmers market. So there is plenty of parking…read more The art just seemed ok. Nothing really stood out. Same with the food trucks. Nothing really looked good or smelled appealing. The line for soft serve was the longest..the high light was the many options for kids

Wide variety of musical entertainment, people dancing, good vibes, shops open and the weather…read morehappened to be perfect.

Ever wonder what must be on your calendar for fun in the SF Bay Area?…read more You must mark your calendar for Los Altos First Fridays!! I must credit my friend Niki for letting me know about this special event to look forward to monthly and gem of an event in the SF Bay Area. Downtown Los Altos has become such a nice to walk, get groceries, your passport renewed at the library, visit the post office, stroll, have a meeting or meal and drinks with mom or friends and even meet old high school classmates for a reunion. It's really become a very nice place to be overall on the peninsula and to add to all this goodness, every first Friday Los Altos transforms into a really beautiful community where people are friendly and happy enjoying a different live music band on every corner or so and making new friends, sometimes there is a shop to check out and some food and drink to enjoy too.

Took our GS Troop here for the Taylor Swift night--so fun!…read more I've also been for the Daft Punk night with my husband. Always a fun experience, and I love that they have cool themed shows. Would love an emo night! Easy to find, lots of parking.

I came here for the Taylor Swift laser show and it was a fun way to spend an hour. It was just fun…read moremusic, lots of screaming kids singing the lyrics, and some cool lasers to look at. I did have to close my eyes a few times to give them a break from all the colorful lights. You can choose where to sit when you come into the planetarium room. The presenter did a good job. The visuals were a bit older, but it was still fun and the ticket prices were pretty reasonable/affordable. There were lots of parking available in I think Lot E.