Berkeley's festivals and special events fill the calendar with a variety of unique, fun and memorable experiences.

Festivals & Annual Events

2023

February

The Sour Sunday

Looking for something to wrap up your SF Beer Week? Love sour beers? Come by The Sour Sunday at Jupiter and Triple Rock to taste some of the funkiest, most outlandish beers you can think of. GA will get you into both locations with Jupiter specializing in showcasing California local breweries and Triple Rock unveiling some of the most coveted names in sours worldwide. Come by and pucker up with us on The Sour Sunday!

March

Berkeley Restaurant Week

Berkeley Restaurant Week returns March 23 to April 3, 2023! Bon appétit Berkeley and get ready for March Munch Madness!

April

Berkeley Bay Festival

Join us at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday, April 22nd from 11am to 4pm for the Berkeley Bay Festival and Earth Day Celebration. Connect with the Bay and our local community through live music, performers, food, hands-on educational activities and free boat rides.

This free family-focused event celebrates the Bay, its local wildlife, and the people and agencies dedicated to its protection. Over 30 environmental and wildlife conservation organizations from around the Bay will share their exhibits with the public.

May

Farmers' Market Salsa Festival

The spirited annual Farmers' Market Festival features music, dancing, food and drink, all in downtown Berkeley. Free admission.

Himalayan Fair

Live music, dance, arts & crafts, Himalayan food court and more. Saturday from 10-7, Sunday 10-5:30.

June

Berkeley Festival & Exhibition

The Berkeley Early Music Festival & Exhibition (BFX) is a biennial festival that started in 1990 and alternates with the Boston Early Music Festival in even-numbered years. BFX has become one of the world’s largest and most important early music conclaves, deemed “a remarkable institution on the American musical scene” by The New York Times.

Juneteenth Festival

Juneteenth in Berkeley is held annually in south Berkeley’s five-block Alcatraz-Adeline corridor. Communities nationwide have adopted JUNETEENTH as an occasion to celebrate African American culture and traditions, and as an opportunity to acknowledge contributions African Americans have made to the fabric of America.

August

Chocolate and Chalk Art Festival

The sidewalks of North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto are the "canvas" of artists young and old, professional and greenhorn during the annual Chocolate and Chalk Art Festival. Artist registration is free, with contests and prizes. And chocolate tasting tickets keep the antioxidant buzz strong.

Berkeley Kite Festival attendees, mostly children, run in the grass beneath blue skies as multicolored kites fly overhead.