Fall is when the North Bay towns I know best are at their most lively. Without the summer crowds, the light softens, and both Petaluma and Novato fill their calendars with festivals, markets, and neighborhood gatherings that bring everyone out onto the streets. If you are shopping for a home or just want to enjoy the town you already live in, here is what is actually happening this season, with dates pulled fresh from each city's own calendar.
I lived in Novato for 46 years and have called Petaluma home for more than 16, so I have watched these traditions grow. Community events also happen to be a smart house hunt strategy: the quickest way to see if a neighborhood fits you is to spend an afternoon on its main street when everyone else is out there too.
Petaluma in September
Fall opens at the water on Saturday, September 12, when the Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival comes to the riverfront starting at 1 PM, a relaxed afternoon of locally brewed pours and music along the river.
Sunday, September 27 is the big browsing day: the Petaluma Fall Antique Faire runs from 8 AM to 4 PM in historic downtown with more than 200 dealers, and starting at 11 AM the same morning, the Petaluma Poetry Walk takes over the sidewalks with poems and readings at hosted venues and shops. For vintage shoppers, the Petaluma Vintage Market starts September 20 and runs on market dates through November 15, opening at 9 AM.
Novato in September
On the Marin side, Novato brings back its fall flea market, playfully named Trash to Treasures, on Saturday, September 19 from 9 AM to 2 PM at the public works yard on Hill Road. It is the classic morning hunt for the thing you never knew you wanted until you saw it.
Families get a friendly dose of spooky season in October: the Not-So-Scary Halloween Magic Show is Saturday, October 17 at Novato City Hall on Sherman Avenue, a free, all-ages affair. One week later, the city celebrates Day of the Dead with a Dia de los Muertos Celebration on the Civic Center lawn on Saturday, October 24 from 3 to 6 PM, with traditional foods, music, ofrendas, and face painting.
October and November in both towns
Over in Petaluma, the Pride Festival lands Saturday, October 10 at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, and the downtown Trick-or-Treat Trail runs along the storefronts on Halloween night, October 31. In November, Petaluma honors veterans with its annual Veterans Day Parade through the downtown corridor.
Why events matter when you are buying or selling
A house is a structure; the neighborhood is your actual life. An event calendar tells you whether a town comes together and whether it is the kind of place you will be glad to call home on a random Saturday in October. When we tour together, I care about the roof and the inspection just as much as whether you can picture your family at the Halloween show on Sherman Avenue. The two go together for me, and I am equally happy to talk about a septic system or a Saturday market.
Get to know the neighborhoods
“A neighborhood is not just land and buildings. It is a calendar of people who show up for each other.”
Peter Schardt
Written by
Peter Schardt
21 years in real estate, 100+ homes sold, and a lifetime in the North Bay. Sales Associate · 01702383 · California.
