Ghirardelli Chocolate Fest; Paws For Paws Walk​; Mole & Mariachi Festival; Hoot & Howl: NorCal Weekend

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Don't sit inside this weekend! Patch has rounded up fun, interesting and quirky events throughout Northern California – from the beaches of Santa Cruz, through the South Bay, East Bay and the Peninsula, to the uppermost points of North Bay and Wine County.

Some are free. Some have a fee.

Whether you opt for an activity close to home or a mini day trip, see what's on tap this weekend from Saturday, Sept. 9 to Sunday, Sept. 10.

SAN FRANCISCO

Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival – San Francisco

EAST BAY

Castro Valley Fall Festival – Castro Valley

A Yiddish-Jewish Song Fest – Danville

Eugene O’Neill Festival Hike – Danville

Apple Festival – Hayward

Children's Fair – Livermore

Mama's Night Out To Unravel Pediatric Cancer – Livermore

Taste Of Downtown – Livermore

Orinda Classic Car Show – Orinda

San Ramon 150 Birthday Party – San Ramon

Donate Life Run/Walk – Walnut Creek

Family Art Day – Walnut Creek

NORTH BAY / WINE COUNTRY

Broadway Under The Stars: Gala Celebration – Glen Ellen

Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival – Guerneville

Alternative Process Photography Exhibition – Mill Valley

Curtain Theatre presents "The Miser" by Moliere – Mill Valley

Mt. Tam Trail Crew: Nora Trail Cleanup – Mount Tamalpais

American Folk Art Festival – Napa

Novato Theater Company presents Neil Simon's "Rumors" – Novato

Marin French Cheese Summer Picnic – Petaluma

Grandparents Day at Charles M. Schulz Museum – Santa Rosa

THE PENINSULA

Tomato Extravaganza – Palo Alto

Paws for Paws Walk – Menlo Park

Hakone Centennial Garden Exhibit – Redwood City

Industrial Arts Horsepower Car Show & Street Fair – San Carlos

Oktoberfest – San Carlos

Java and Jazz Music Series – San Mateo

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY / BEACHES

Mole & Mariachi Festival – Santa Cruz

National Drive Electric Week – Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Greek Festival – Santa Cruz

Second Saturdays at Watsonville Municipal Airport – Watsonville

SOUTH BAY

Silicon Valley Fall Festival – Cupertino

Friends of the Gilroy Library Book Sale – Gilroy

WE Vibe Block Party – Los Altos

Aloha Dogs Hawaiian Luau – Los Gatos

Claws for a Cause – Los Gatos

'Tracking the Wild Tarantula' Hike – Morgan Hill

Mountain View Art & Wine Festival – Mountain View

Chinese Moon Festival – San Jose

Tim Brauch Foundation Skate Contest – San Jose

Happy Hollow Foundation's Hoot & Howl – San Jose

Heading to Southern California, by chance? Then see: Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon; Stagecoach Days; Ohana Festival; Oktoberfest; The Muppets Take The Bowl: SoCal Weekend

Want to post your next neighborhood event on the Patch? We do too! No matter how big or small it may be, if it's local, it has a place on the Patch calendar.

Posting an event is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Here's how to do it:

1. Create a Patch account and sign up to post your own local content on Patch, totally free. It's probably the easiest thing you'll do all day.
2. Make a Calendar Event and fill it with all the awesome info that people need to add it to their list of things to do in their neighborhood. Choose a fun image to upload and most importantly - have fun with it! It's your event, and the possibilities are endless.
3. Post it on Patch! That's it. Get ready for RSVPs.

You can share your event for free to three Patches, or if you really want to get the community's attention, you can pay $20 to feature your event. When an event is featured, it receives priority placement on the local calendar as well as on the homepage, article pages and in the daily newsletter (if available) the week before the event.

Image via City of Menlo Park; Garin Regional Park; Morguefile; Don DeBold via flickr.com