The Agency Agenda Northern California: What to Do + Where to Go this July

Our picks of places to go and things to do to make the most of your month in and around San Francisco, the East Bay, and Wine Country.

SEE FIREWORKS HERE – In honor of Independence Day, one of San Francisco’s most popular attractions, Pier 39, will hold its one-of-kind waterfront Fourth of July Celebration, which promises 180-degree views of the Bay, plus live music and access to all of the pier’s world-famous eats. The day kicks off at 3pm with the yacht rock jams of Mustache Harbor on the Entrance Plaza Stage. Get an Alcatraz Escape cocktail at the Fog Harbor Fish House bar or order a tiny bucket of Trish’s Mini Donuts and a bag of salt water taffy from the Candy Baron—you’ll want to snack on something when the firework display launches around 9:30pm.  

TOAST A GOOD CAUSE HERE – The Breastfest Beer Festival, now in its 18th year, helps raise funds to provide alternative medical treatments for low-income women diagnosed with cancer. On Saturday, July 20, the festival (in the partnership with the To Celebrate Life foundation) will bring together more than a dozen breweries—like Russian River Brewing Company and Altamont Beer Works, to name a few. Sample all kinds of lagers, ales and ciders at the event, which is held at Fairground Island at the Marin Center and runs from 1pm to 5pm. 

FLY YOUR KITE HERE – Gather your kids, kites and dog (on a leash) and head to the Berkeley Marina for the Berkeley Kite Festival. The free event—which first took flight 30 years ago—is fun for spectators, amateurs and connoisseurs alike. Don’t have a kite? Buy one on-site and learn to fly it with seasoned experts. The open-air festival takes flight over the weekend of July 27 and 28 from 10am to 6pm.  

CALLING ALL LAVENDER LOVERS –  Stocked with calming, antioxidant properties, lavender is an herb everyone could use more of—so make time to stop by this year’s Carmel Valley Ranch Lavender Harvest Festival at Carmel Valley Ranch, taking place on Saturday, July 27 from 1pm to 4pm. See harvesting demos, taste all kinds of lavender-inspired food and drink, try out some crafts, and take in live music from the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star Alumni Group.

BRING YOUR BIBS HERE – Dig into a seafood feast with a side of wine at the 10th annual Chardonnay & Lobster dinner at Papapietro Perry Winery in Healdsburg on Saturday, July 13. Arrive at 6pm and, as the lobsters boil, sip on Chardonnay and nosh on artisan cheese on the vineyard-facing patio—just be sure to save room for dinner.