Bay Area Epic Things to Do: Week of 11/14
Sparknify has selected ten of the coolest things to do in the Bay Area from Saturday, November 14 through Friday, November 20, 2026. Among them are a tech fair aboard the Apollo 12 recovery carrier, the peak night of the Leonid meteor shower and bacteria-controlled robots at Gray Area. Five of the ten are free. All times are Pacific.
Ten picks run Saturday, November 14 through Friday, November 20, 2026.
Techs on Decks fills the USS Hornet on November 14, free for students and educators.
The Leonid meteor shower peaks the night of November 16 into November 17.
The Exploratorium opens its Glow light exhibition on November 19.
11/14 Saturday | Techs on Decks Aboard the USS Hornet
A STEM fair on the aircraft carrier that recovered the Apollo 12 astronauts.
The USS Hornet Museum celebrates its third annual Techs on Decks on November 14. The date marks the anniversary of Apollo 12, the mission for which the Hornet was the recovery ship. Exhibitors will show new technology and career opportunities on the ship's decks. Expect robotics activities, demonstrations of air pressure, navigation and catapult systems, and the historic aircraft and NASA artifacts of the hangar deck.
November 14, 10 AM to 5 PM, at the USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue in Alameda. Students and educators with ID can enter free with registration. General admission is $25 for adults. Free pizza and cookies will be provided for all attendees.
11/14 Saturday | Renegade Craft Holiday Fair at Fort Mason | FREE
More than 250 independent makers fill a waterfront pavilion for the holidays.
Renegade Craft hosts its winter fair at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion on November 14 and 15. More than 250 curated artists will sell ceramics, jewelry, clothes, home goods, stationery and food. It's a good place to find gifts from smaller studios. Renegade Craft aims for low-impact, highly curated events and a creative economy that is accessible to all.
November 14 and 15, 11 AM to 5 PM both days, at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion, 2 Marina Boulevard in San Francisco. Admission is free, with a suggested $5 donation by QR code at the event. The fair is mostly indoors, with some outdoor space.
11/14 Saturday | Abiogenesis Opening at Heron Arts | FREE
Sculptures that seem to breathe, unveiled at a SoMa gallery.
Saturday night brings the opening of Abiogenesis, a two-person show of work by Philip Beesley and Casey Curran at Heron Arts. The show explores the emergence of life from non-living matter. Lacework becomes membrane, repeating cells form skeletons, and mechanical structures appear to breathe. There's lots to pick apart for people who build sensors and soft robots.
Opening reception Saturday, November 14, 6 to 9 PM, at Heron Arts, 7 Heron Street, San Francisco. Free and open to the public, with RSVP on Eventbrite. It is part of San Francisco Art Week. The show stays on view by appointment through January 24.
11/15 Sunday | San Francisco International Tea Festival at the Ferry Building
Unlimited tastings from more than 30 tea vendors, plus a cup to keep.
The San Francisco International Tea Festival is back at the Ferry Building Marketplace on November 14 and 15. More than 30 vendors will pour teas from producers around the world and here at home. Your ticket covers unlimited tastings and a porcelain tasting cup to take home. Experts from the tea community also give talks, a good way to relax on Sunday without more coffee.
November 14 and 15, 10 AM to 5 PM, at the Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco. General admission tickets are on Eventbrite, starting at about $26 with fees. Buy early to get a free swag bag.
11/16 Monday | Leonid Meteor Shower Peak Night | FREE
Comet dust hits the atmosphere at about 44 miles per second.
The Leonids are active from November 6 to 30, with their peak on the night of November 16 into the morning of November 17. The meteors are debris left behind by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and appear to come from the constellation Leo, hence the name. They are among the fastest meteors, at about 44 miles per second. The shower is often not very active, so a dark sky and patience matter.
Night of November 16 into the morning of November 17. Look in the hours before dawn, after the Moon has set, from a dark place away from city lights. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust and take in as much of the sky as you can. It is free, and you don't need a telescope.
11/17 Tuesday | San Jose Holiday Lights in Downtown San Jose
Giant illuminated lanterns turn a downtown park into worlds of light.
San Jose Holiday Lights opened on November 13 and is open nightly through January 1. Walk through themed worlds, from a giant laughing Santa and a glowing Santa Tree to the Enchanted Jungle with its towering dinosaurs. At the Doca Dream Lab, children's drawings become illuminated sculptures, and local artists live-paint lantern sculptures inspired by San Jose's murals. Most people spend one to two hours there.
Open nightly from 4:30 PM to 10:30 PM, last entry at 10 PM, at 330 W San Carlos Street in San Jose. Tickets are sold online, and kids are $10 on select school nights. VTA Light Rail stops nearby at the Children's Discovery Museum Station.
11/18 Wednesday | Rooftop Stargazing at the SF State Observatory | FREE
Student docents aim rooftop telescopes at Saturn, Andromeda and the Moon.
San Francisco State University opens its student-run rooftop observatory to the public on certain fall nights, and November 18 is one of them. Docents show visitors Saturn and its big moon Titan, the Andromeda galaxy and the binary star Eta Cassiopeiae. If the Moon is up, you'll also see its craters in the eyepiece. It's a nice follow-up to the Leonids two nights earlier.
November 18, 6:30 to 9 PM, Thornton Hall, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco. Admission is free. The observatory opens only on clear nights, so check its Instagram beforehand. Take the elevator to the 9th floor, then follow the nearby stairs to the top. The door is on your left.
11/19 Thursday | Micro to Macro: Sound and Robots at Gray Area
Bacteria, plants and tiny crustaceans take control of synthesizers and robots.
Scott Kildall and Kal Spelletich join forces at Gray Area for a three-act show of living systems that drive machines. Kal starts with his participatory Plant Powered Orchestra, where sensors on plants trigger sound machines. Next, Scott's Bacterial Beats makes generative music from the electrical activity of bacteria he collected at the Salton Sea. The finale maps ostracods swimming across a microscope slide into robotic motion and sound.
November 19, doors at 7 PM, performance at 8 PM, Q&A at 9:45 PM, Gray Area Grand Theater, 2665 Mission Street, San Francisco. All ages, seated. General tickets are $25 from Gray Area.
11/20 Friday | Glow at the Exploratorium
The museum's seasonal light show returns with LED games and infinity mirrors.
Glow, the Exploratorium's seasonal light exhibition, opened on November 19 and runs until January 24. It features Line Wobbler by Robin Baumgarten, a one-dimensional dungeon crawler built on a strip of LEDs. A beacon of thousands of eyeglass lenses by Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett hides colors that polarized glasses reveal. OK Design's Gateway sets 91 infinity mirrors moving in concert.
November 20, 10 AM to 5 PM, Exploratorium, Pier 15, The Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco. Glow is included with admission: $39.95 for adults 18 to 64, and $29.95 for youth 4 to 17, seniors, teachers and students. Members enter free.
11/20 Friday | San Jose Bike Party Anniversary Tribute Ride | FREE
A slow, social night ride through San Jose, this month honoring a local bike shop.
San Jose Bike Party rides on the third Friday of each month, and the November ride marks the 14th anniversary of San Jose Bicycles. The volunteer group takes its time, moving at about 5 to 10 miles per hour and regrouping every 6 to 10 miles. Rides have often run 25 to 30 miles, so bring water and good lights. It's a great way to see the city at night after the workweek.
November 20, meet at 7:30 PM and roll out at 8 PM. The listing names Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park in San Jose as the start. The final location and route go up on the Bike Party website about 24 hours before the ride. There are no tickets; the ride is run by volunteers and supported by donations. Organizers ask riders to arrive by bike instead of parking at the start.
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Questions & Answers
Q1: I want a free night of skywatching in the Bay Area this week, where should I go?
This week brings two free sky events. The Leonid meteor shower peaks on the night of November 16 into the 17th; look in the early morning from a dark location. The SF State Observatory opens its rooftop telescopes on November 18 from 6:30 to 9 PM, weather permitting. For more space news, read how the Euclid telescope found a new comet.
Q2: What happens at Gray Area's Micro to Macro show, and do plants really give off electrical signals?
Kal Spelletich's Plant Powered Orchestra uses sensors attached to plants to trigger sound machines, and Scott Kildall translates the electrical activity of bacteria into music. Yes, plants generate electrical signals that can be measured. One San Francisco startup is building an AI model that reads plants' electrical signals to help growers.
Q3: My startup wants a holiday team outing like Glow at the Exploratorium or San Jose Holiday Lights, who can help us plan one?
Light displays and hands-on exhibits make good team outings because they mix a sense of awe with easy conversation. Glow is on through January 24, and San Jose Holiday Lights through January 1. For a custom evening for your team, clients or investors, try boutique event planning in Silicon Valley at sparknify.com/event-planning-inquiry.
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