Events & Festivals in Sacramento

Over 100 of Sacramento's top restaurants offer prix-fixe menus at $20, $35, and $50 price points, making this one of the most delicious and affordable things to do in sacramento in winter. Celebrated as the farm-to-fork capital, the city's chefs highlight locally sourced ingredients and seasonal menus across Downtown, Midtown, and East Sacramento neighborhoods.

One of the largest MLK Day parades on the West Coast, Sacramento's annual celebration winds through Downtown streets with marching bands, community floats, and civil rights organizations from across the region. The event draws tens of thousands of participants and spectators and culminates in a rally that reinforces Sacramento's proud tradition of civic engagement and equality.

Sacramento's craft beer scene takes center stage during ten days of tap takeovers, brewery tours, beer-pairing dinners, and homebrew competitions. With more craft breweries per capita than almost any American city, sacramento events during Beer Week show the region's celebrated hop-growing heritage from the Sacramento Valley and the innovative brewing talent thriving in Midtown and Oak Park.

Sacramento's historic Chinese community, whose ancestors helped build the transcontinental railroad, marks the Lunar New Year with dragon parades, lion dances, lantern displays, and traditional food stalls. Old Sacramento's boardwalks and the surrounding streets come alive with color and drumbeats, making it one of the most atmospheric free things to do in sacramento during the winter months.

Emerging and established comedians from across the country converge on Sacramento for a multi-day show of stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy at venues throughout Midtown and Downtown. The festival has grown into a launching pad for national talent and a beloved fixture among sacramento events that offers something for every comedy fan, from late-night shows to family-friendly afternoon sets.

Sacramento's Irish community and thousands of enthusiastic participants transform K Street and the surrounding Downtown corridor into a sea of green every March 17th. Street closures make way for live music stages, Irish dance performances, pub crawls, and food vendors. The free street festival is one of the most spirited and well-attended free things to do in sacramento each spring.

Independent films from dozens of countries screen across Sacramento theaters during this respected festival that draws filmmakers, industry professionals, and passionate cinephiles. Panel discussions, Q&A sessions with directors, and awards galas round out a program that celebrates global storytelling and supports independent cinema. It is one of the cultural highlights among spring sacramento events.

The Japanese American Citizens League and Sacramento's Japanese American community host a beloved spring celebration of cherry blossoms, taiko drumming, ikebana demonstrations, Japanese food vendors, and cultural performances. The festival honors Sacramento's deep Japanese American heritage and offers one of the most visually impressive and culturally enriching things to do in sacramento during peak spring bloom.

Sacramento's lively Latino community hosts one of Northern California's largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations, featuring live mariachi and banda music, folklórico dance performances, authentic street food, and craft vendors. William Land Park and surrounding neighborhoods fill with families celebrating Mexican cultural heritage and the Battle of Puebla in a colorful, all-ages festival atmosphere.

Held over Memorial Day weekend, the Sacramento Jazz Festival is one of the world's premier traditional jazz gatherings, attracting hundreds of bands and tens of thousands of fans to Old Sacramento's historic waterfront. Multiple stages along the cobblestone boardwalk host continuous performances of Dixieland, swing, ragtime, and big band jazz from Friday through Monday in a jubilant riverside setting.

Sacramento Pride is a joyful, large celebration of the LGBTQ+ community held in Midtown Sacramento, featuring a morning parade down Capitol Avenue, multiple festival stages with national and local performers, an expansive vendor village, food trucks, and a family-friendly community atmosphere. One of the most inclusive and well-organized sacramento events of the summer, it draws crowds from across the Central Valley.

Every weekend throughout summer, Old Sacramento's atmospheric waterfront boardwalk hosts free live music performances spanning blues, rock, jazz, and country. The Delta King riverboat provides a scenic backdrop as families and visitors enjoy riverside concerts alongside the shops and restaurants of Old Sacramento. These are among the most beloved free things to do in sacramento during warm summer evenings.

Sacramento marks Independence Day with a spectacular fireworks show illuminating the State Capitol dome, accompanied by live patriotic music and family activities in Capitol Park. The free celebration draws enormous crowds from across the region and provides one of California's most photogenic July 4th backdrops, with the neoclassical Capitol building dramatically silhouetted against the pyrotechnic display.

The California State Fair at Cal Expo is the definitive summer sacramento event, two and a half weeks of agricultural exhibits, carnival rides, livestock competitions, concerts, deep-fried food innovations, wine and beer competitions, and nightly entertainment. From prize-winning pumpkins to Grammy-nominated headliners, the fair celebrates everything Californian with exuberant, multi-generational appeal.

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church hosts Sacramento's beloved Greek Food Festival, a three-day celebration of authentic Greek cuisine, live music, traditional folk dancing, and cultural exhibits. Spanakopita, souvlaki, baklava, and freshly made pastries draw long lines of dedicated fans, while the festival's warm, communal atmosphere makes it one of the most charming sacramento food events of the fall season.

Sacramento's signature culinary festival celebrates the city's identity as America's farm-to-fork capital with a spectacular weekend of outdoor dining, cooking demonstrations, farmers market stalls, and the well-known Tower Bridge Dinner, a ticketed, long-table feast suspended above the Sacramento River. Locally sourced ingredients from Sacramento Valley farms take center stage in a celebration that defines sacramento food culture at its finest.

Genre film fans descend on Sacramento each October for this dedicated horror film festival screening independent short films, feature-length chillers, and international horror across multiple venues. Filmmaker Q&As, costume contests, midnight screenings, and special guests make this a highlight of the Halloween season and one of the most enthusiastically attended genre sacramento events in Northern California.

Sacramento's Día de los Muertos celebration honors the Mexican tradition of remembering departed loved ones with elaborately decorated altars (ofrendas), candlelight processions, marigold displays, face-painting, traditional food, and folk art vendors. Organized by community groups, the free event draws thousands to Old Sacramento and Southside Park in a moving and visually impressive tribute.

Presented by Sacramento State University, this multi-week festival brings world premieres, experimental compositions, and boundary-pushing performances by emerging and established contemporary composers to Sacramento audiences. Free and ticketed concerts span classical, electronic, jazz, and experimental genres, establishing the festival as the most intellectually adventurous of all fall sacramento events and a genuine cultural asset for the region.

The annual Sacramento Holiday Parade transforms Downtown streets into a winter wonderland with illuminated floats, marching bands, community organizations, and the arrival of Santa Claus along a route that winds past the well-known State Capitol building. One of the most beloved free things to do in sacramento during the holiday season, the parade draws families from across the Greater Sacramento region for an evening of festive tradition.

The lighting of the towering Christmas tree on the west steps of the California State Capitol marks the official beginning of Sacramento's holiday season. Live choral performances, visits with Santa, seasonal vendors, and the dramatic illumination of the Capitol's ornate architecture create a magical evening that ranks among the most well-known and cherished free things to do in sacramento each winter.