Bay Area Epic Things to Do: Week of 11/7
From Saturday, November 7 to Friday the 13th, 2026, Sparknify has put together ten of the Bay Area's coolest things to do. The selection runs from a restored Cold War missile site to 1860s 3D portraits at Stanford and a fee-free Veterans Day at Muir Woods. Five of the ten are free to enter. All times are Pacific.
Ten picks cover Saturday, November 7 through Friday, November 13, 2026.
The Nike Missile Site in the Marin Headlands opens free on November 7, noon to 3 PM.
Muir Woods waives its $15 entrance fee on Veterans Day, November 11.
Goblin plays its live score to Dario Argento's Tenebre at the Castro on November 10.
11/7 Saturday | San Francisco Coffee Festival at Fort Mason
A weekend of specialty roasters, tastings and live music under one roof.
The San Francisco Coffee Festival fills the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center on November 7 and 8. Coffee shops and roasters put out their beans while you snack and catch live entertainment between sips. Those with grinders they calibrate like software can put roasts up against each other. Have a word with the roasters about origin or brew gear, and the coffee at your desk will be better for it.
Sessions run between about 9 AM and 4:30 PM both days at Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco. Tickets start around $29 and are sold by session. Passes are final sale and valid only for the session you choose.
11/7 Saturday | USA Taiwan Global Expo in San Mateo
Taiwanese street food, brands and culture fill an expo hall for the weekend.
The USA Taiwan Global Expo will be held at the San Mateo County Event Center on November 7 and 8. Vendors are on hand with their Taiwanese street food specialties, while exhibitors put forward brands in consumer products, food, lifestyle, wellness and beauty. A good number of them have their eyes on the U.S. market and want to meet buyers, retailers and distributors. Come hungry, and bring questions if you work on product or partnerships.
November 7 and 8, 10 AM to 5 PM, EXPO Hall, San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo. Tickets are sold through the organizer's Eventbrite page. Parking at the event center is paid.
11/7 Saturday | Nike Missile Site Open House in the Marin Headlands | FREE
A restored Cold War air defense site opens its gates once a month.
The Nike Missile Site SF-88 opens once a month, and the next date is November 7, the first Saturday of the month. The National Park Service has kept it as it was in the Cold War days, when Nike missiles defended the Bay Area from bombers. It is an uncommon chance to see the radar, computing and launch hardware of a bygone tech age. Veterans, rangers and volunteers are often around to tell their stories.
November 7, noon to 3 PM, Nike Missile Site, Field Road, Marin Headlands. Admission is free. The site closes in bad weather and has only portable toilets, so stop at the restrooms about a mile before it on Field Road.
11/7 Saturday | Día de los Muertos and Diwali Festival at Crissy Field | FREE
Two traditions of light and remembrance share one Presidio afternoon.
The Crissy Field Center is putting on a family festival that sets Día de los Muertos and Diwali side by side. There will be arts and crafts, storytelling, cultural dance and song, as well as a fire ceremony. The program is designed to link the two traditions with social and environmental justice. The Planting as Remembrance stewardship activity runs from 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM, and spots are limited.
November 7, 10 AM to 3 PM, Crissy Field Center, 603 Mason Street, Presidio, San Francisco. The festival is open to all; register ahead for the planting activity.
11/8 Sunday | Edward Said: Between Worlds at the Castro
The 30th Arab Film Festival brings an archival portrait of a scholar to a historic screen.
This year the Arab Film Festival is in its 30th edition, and on Sunday at the Castro it screens Edward Said: Between Worlds. Director Maiken Baird uses archival material and Said's own words to chart his life. The film runs from his early years in Jerusalem to his time at Columbia University and the writing of Orientalism. Put on by the Arab Film and Media Institute, the festival continues through November 14.
November 8, doors at 4:45 PM, film at 5:45 PM, The Castro, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco. All ages. Tickets are sold through the festival's ticket site.
11/9 Monday | Solid Pictures: Photosculpture at Stanford's Cantor | FREE
The 1860s had its own version of 3D scanning, and Stanford has the results.
On view at the Cantor Arts Center, the Solid Pictures exhibition looks at photosculpture, a 3D modeling technique of Parisian origin. François Willème developed it as early as 1859 and secured his first patent in 1860. Using mechanical tools and synchronized projection, he made solid figures from photographs of a sitter's profiles. Willème promised sculptures in as few as 48 hours, a pitch any hardware founder would recognize.
Open Monday, November 9, 11 AM to 6 PM, Cantor Arts Center, 328 Lomita Drive, Stanford. Admission is free. The museum is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the exhibition runs through January 18, 2027.
11/10 Tuesday | Goblin Performs the Live Score to Tenebre
An Italian prog rock band plays its synth score live under a 1982 horror film.
Over at the Castro, Dario Argento's 1982 film Tenebre screens while Claudio Simonetti's Goblin performs its score live. After the movie and a short intermission, the band plays more of its material set to clips from the films it scored. With his synthesizers, Simonetti helped define the sound of Italian horror. The night is co-presented by the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco.
November 10, doors at 6:30 PM, show at 7:30 PM, The Castro, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco. The film is rated R, so anyone under 17 needs a parent or guardian 21 or older.
11/11 Wednesday | Fee-Free Veterans Day at Muir Woods
Old-growth redwoods with the entrance fee waived for the holiday.
Veterans Day is one of the National Park Service's 2026 fee-free days. Muir Woods will not charge its $15 entrance fee on November 11 for U.S. citizens and residents. A weekday trip to see the coast redwoods is a fine reset after a long sprint. Be sure to download your reservation ahead of time, since there is no cell service or Wi-Fi at the park.
November 11, Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley. Parking ($10) or shuttle ($4) reservations are still required for every vehicle and rider, even on fee-free days.
11/12 Thursday | Exploratorium After Dark: Unplug and Play
An adults-only night of trivia, tinkering and meeting new people at Pier 15.
For an easy midweek team outing or a first get-together with new colleagues, the Exploratorium has its monthly Unplug and Play night. The museum opens its exhibits and hosts science trivia so adults can meet new people and try something different. Come in early to look around before the trivia begins.
November 12, 6 to 10 PM, Exploratorium, Pier 15, The Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco. Ages 18 and up. Tickets are sold through the museum's calendar.
11/13 Friday | Bhangra and Beats Night Market at Yerba Buena Gardens | FREE
Dhol drums, a dance floor and a night market in the middle of SoMa.
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival will end the week with Bhangra and Beats, a family-friendly South Asian celebration. The Non Stop Bhangra collective runs an open dance floor with lessons, performances, DJ sets and live dhol drumming. Food and wares from local makers fill the Great Lawn, Jessie Square and Yerba Buena Lane. It is a short walk from many SoMa offices, which makes it a simple Friday plan.
November 13, 4 to 9 PM, Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, San Francisco. Admission is free; a free RSVP is listed as coming soon.
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Questions & Answers
Q1: I work in tech and want a November weekend in the Bay Area to see some genuine Silicon Valley history, where should I begin?
Begin at the Nike Missile Site in the Marin Headlands, which is open free on November 7 between noon and 3 PM. The site preserves Cold War radar and launch hardware. To get a sense of the chip era, a guided tour of the birthplace of Silicon Valley has visited the old Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory site in Mountain View.
Q2: What is the USA Taiwan Global Expo in San Mateo all about this weekend, and where can I come across Taiwanese tech firms?
The expo is held at the San Mateo County Event Center on November 7 and 8, with Taiwanese brands and food making their way into the U.S. market. For those with a technology bent, eight Taiwanese smart vehicle exhibitors at CES 2027 are listed at sparknify.com/taiwan-pavilion-en, in LVCC West Hall Booth 4577 from January 6 to 9.
Q3: Our startup wants to put on an evening like the Exploratorium After Dark or the Yerba Buena Gardens night market, who can help with the planning?
What makes these events work is the combination of a clear theme, a convenient venue and some hands-on activity. A team can put together a comparable evening for staff, customers or investors with boutique event planning in Silicon Valley at sparknify.com/event-planning-inquiry.
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