Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend in the Bay Area

Honor Those Who Served

Celebrating the people that have fought and died for our country. Although this weekend is a great opportunity to welcome in the summer and celebrate with friends, it’s important to remember who the party is for.  Here are several ways you can celebrate our soldiers’ lives:

• Donate to Memorial Day Flowers and honor our fallen soldiers with a floral arrangement on their headstone.
• Visit your local veteran memorial. See a map of Bay Area veteran monuments here. (Please check for possible memorial and building closures prior to visiting.)
• Donate to support veterans: Armed Services YMCA, Wounded Warriors Family Support Fund, Operation Gratitude, and more here.

Eat Up, Drink Up

It wouldn’t be a 3-day weekend if you didn’t indulge a bit. Check out these spots for Memorial Day Weekend-worthy eats:

• Next Level Burger (450 Rhode Island St // Portrero Hill)
• Little Skillet (360 Ritch St // South Park)
• The Plant Cafe (2335 3rd St // Dogpatch)
• 4505 Burgers and BBQ (705 Divisadero St // NoPa)
• Tad’s (38 Ellis St // Tenderloin)
• Sunset Reservoir (1735 Noriega St // Outer Sunset)
• Magnolia Brewing (1398 Haight St // Haight)
• Barrelhead Brewing (1785 Fulton St // NoPa)
• Joinery (300 Turney St // Sausalito)
• Horn Barbecue (2534 Mandela Pkwy // Oakland)
• Top Dog (2534 Durant Ave // Berkeley)
• Godfather’s Burger Lounge (1500 El Camino Real // Belmont)
• Bounty Hunter (1521 Mt Diablo Blvd // Walnut Creek)

Soak Up The Sun

Memorial Day Weekend is usually spent outdoors, enjoying the mid-Spring weather with a BBQ in the park, a hike along a nearby trail, or a day at the beach. With beautiful weather and beautiful views around the Bay, what more do you need?

Spend your weekend in the sunshine:

• Knock back a brewski or 5 at a local brewery/beer garden.
• Hit up the Bay’s best hikes + trails.
• Bring the party outside and throw a picnic for the books.
• Get your socially-distanced drank on at these bars + restaurants with patios.
• Ditch the crowds and hang with the crew at a lowkey park.
• Extend your beach day into a beach night and have a bonfire.

Here are some of my favorite places to spend the day outside.

• Edgewood Park is our favorite local hike
• Elizabeth Gamble Garden is a place we like to visit in Palo Alto
• Eaton Park
• Pulgas Water Temple
• Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
• Filoli Historic House & Garden

Hit Up a Local Event

Friday, 5/28

• Moon Boots + Arnold & Lane: Outdoor Dining Experience + DJ Set at The Midway
• Comedy on the Bay (Fri- Sun): 3 Days of Live Comedy on a “Comedy Cruise” boat
• Synthwave Parklet Party: Outdoor Party with DJ’s and games at DNA Lounge
• Dim Sum & House DJs: An Evening of House Music and Dim Sum at Northern Ducks

Saturday, 5/29

• Tribal Seeds with Thrive (Sat + Sun): Live Show at Felton Music Hall
• Goat Yoga (Sat+ Sun): Join a Yoga Class with Goats at Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay
• Afro Soca Love: Black-Owned Marketplace + Afterparty at Level 13 in Oakland
• Free Museum Days: Free Admission to Legion of Honor and de young Museums
• Disarray Saturday: Outdoor Parklet Party at DNA Lounge
• Tribal Seeds: Live Show at Felton Music Hall
• Tenderloin Legends Walking: Neighborhood Walking Tour by the Tenderloin Museum

Sunday, 5/30

• Connectivity: Miguel Migs, David Harness, Julius Papp, Franky Boissy, Mr. V at The Midway.
• Sundaze Brunch and Marketplace: DJs, Food Trucks, Drinks, Vendors at District Six.
• Rooftop Sessions: DJ Set with Korolova at Hotel VIA
• Johnny Cosmic: Roaring Camp After Show at Felton Music Hall
• All White Memorial Day Party: Memorial Day Sunday Cruise Party at Mariner Drive
• Sunday Soul Skate: Roller Skate Party at Church of 8 Wheels