Things To Do in Santa Rosa, CA — August 2026
Golden hills, fair season, warm downtown evenings, and one last splash of summer. Here’s how Santa Rosa closes out the season in style.
August in Santa Rosa is summer’s grand finale.
The hills around Bennett Valley have turned that famous California gold, the evenings stay warm well past sunset, and the whole city seems to know the clock is ticking on the season. The Sonoma County Fair rolls into the fairgrounds for ten days, the Wednesday Night Market throws its biggest party of the year before closing up shop, and thousands of runners take over downtown for marathon weekend.
Squeeze in those last swims at Spring Lake, catch free Shakespeare under the open sky, and load up on corn dogs while you still can. Here is everything worth doing in and around Santa Rosa this August — every event below is verified and listed in calendar order.
Happening All Month Long
Three summer staples that run right through August. Get them in before the season turns.
Santa Rosa Downtown Farmers’ Market
Sunday mornings at Old Courthouse Square mean peak-season stone fruit, heirloom tomatoes, flowers, and local makers. The market runs Sundays through September 20, with one heads-up: there is no market on Sunday, August 23 (marathon weekend takes over the square).
Market details →Spring Lake Swimming Lagoon & Water Park
Free lifeguarded swimming at the lagoon, an inflatable floating Water Park ($12–$14 per session, ages 6+ and 42″+), tube and boat rentals, and the Spring Lake Café slinging burgers, tacos, and grilled oysters. Open daily 11 AM–7 PM through August 18, then weekends only through Labor Day — the countdown is on. 393 Violetti Rd.
Plan your swim →Charles M. Schulz Museum
Beat the afternoon heat with the world’s largest collection of original Peanuts art, a re-creation of Schulz’s studio, and the current exhibition Peanuts Evolution: The 1990s. Cross the street afterward for ice skating at Snoopy’s Home Ice and a bite at the Warm Puppy Café.
Visit the museum →The August Calendar
Day by day, here is what’s happening in Santa Rosa and just down the road — in chronological order.
Caesar — Free Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot
The Jacobethan Theatre Workshop, in association with 6th Street Playhouse and the Historical Railroad Square Association, stages a sharp, modern, 100-minute Caesar under the open sky. Evening shows start at 7:30 PM (doors 6:45), Sunday matinees at 3 PM. Reserved seating is limited to 99 seats, lawn chairs welcome, and beer and wine are available. Bring a warm jacket — Santa Rosa evenings cool off fast.
Reserve Free SeatsNational Night Out with Santa Rosa Police
The Santa Rosa Police Department hosts its annual community-building block party with booths from local organizations and public safety agencies, food and drinks, and activities for the kids. It’s a low-key way to meet the officers, firefighters, and neighbors who keep this town running.
Event InfoWednesday Night Market — Second-to-Last of the Season
Downtown’s beloved street party is winding down its 2026 run (May 13 through August 12), so soak it up while you can: food vendors, local craft booths, and a national touring banda act headlining the main stage tonight. Grab dinner from a food stall and settle in on the square.
Market DetailsAnnual Flower Show Preview Party
Get an early, crowd-free look at the fair’s legendary flower show the night before the gates open to everyone. Fresh blooms, spectacular themed displays, and the perfect warm-up for ten days of fair season. Tickets are available through the fairgrounds.
Get TicketsThe Sonoma County Fair
The big one. Santa Rosa’s summer institution since 1936 returns for ten days of carnival rides, wine country horse racing, livestock shows and junior competitions, the Hall of Flowers, free live entertainment, the Wine Country Rodeo at Chris Beck Arena, Cirque Ma’Ceo, and every deep-fried thing you’ve been craving all year. If you do one thing in Santa Rosa this August, this is it.
Fair Schedule & TicketsPark-A-Month Volunteer Clean-Up
The City of Santa Rosa’s second-Saturday volunteer morning lands at Southwest Community Park this month. Bring friends and work together, or come solo and meet new people while keeping one of the city’s parks in great shape. Three hours, real impact.
Sign Up Info53rd Annual Gravenstein Apple Fair
Sonoma County’s sweetest tradition since 1973 celebrates the Gravenstein apple harvest under the oaks at Ragle Ranch Park, 10 AM–6 PM both days. Expect apple everything, local food and craft cider, top regional music, ag-inspired family fun, and the Artisan Tasting Grove — with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Sonoma County Farm Trails. A short drive west and the perfect lazy end-of-summer Sunday.
Fair DetailsFood Bank Day at the Fair — $1 Admission
Bring at least three non-perishable, non-expired items from the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s Most Wanted list — think canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter, pasta, rice, oats, dry beans, or low-sugar cereal — and get into the fair for just $1 general admission. No glass jars or opened containers. Do some good, then go win a stuffed animal.
Daily Schedule
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Visit TIV360.com Or request a free quote →Wednesday Night Market Season Finale — feat. Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses
Downtown goes out with a bang. The 2026 Wednesday Night Market closes its season with a national headliner: Steven Adler, drummer of Guns N’ Roses, on the main stage at Old Courthouse Square. One more night of street food, local vendors, and a packed square before summer Wednesdays go quiet until next May.
Lineup & InfoSonoma County Card & Collectibles Show
Diamond Service Grading brings the hobby to Sonoma County with a two-day show featuring over 100 tables of sports cards, Pokémon, and TCG, on-site professional grading, and a meet-and-greet autograph session with featured signers including Negro Leagues veteran Dennis “Bose” Biddle. A VIP Kick-Off runs Friday, August 14, 6–10 PM before the doors open to the public. General admission is $10, parking is free, and it’s an easy hop off US-101.
Tickets & Show DetailsRural Cemetery Preservation Volunteer Workday
Join the Rural Cemetery Preservation Committee for its third-Saturday monthly workday at one of Santa Rosa’s most historic and beautiful spots. Help maintain the grounds where the city’s pioneers rest, and pick up some fascinating local history from the regulars while you’re at it.
Workday Info35th Annual Cotati Accordion Festival
One of the North Bay’s quirkiest and most beloved traditions: a two-day, multicultural, multi-generational nonprofit music festival built entirely around the accordion, with five stages including a polka tent and a zydeco dance party. Kids 15 and under get in free, and free parking with a free shuttle makes it an easy trip. Way more fun than you’re expecting.
Festival InfoSt. Paul and The Broken Bones at the Green Music Center
The Alabama soul powerhouse brings horns, grit, and one of the best live shows in the business to Weill Hall at Sonoma State’s Green Music Center. A summer-evening concert at this venue is one of the North Bay’s great experiences — make a night of it.
Tickets & Venue InfoSRJC Fall Semester Begins
Fall classes officially begin at Santa Rosa Junior College on Monday, August 17 — the unofficial end of summer for thousands of local students. Thinking about picking up a class yourself? SRJC offers everything from career training to lifelong-learning courses, and late-start options are available after the semester kicks off. Heads-up for commuters: expect heavier traffic around the Mendocino Avenue campus this week.
Academic CalendarSouth Pacific Opens at 6th Street Playhouse
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s sweeping World War II romance — adapted from James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific — opens August 21 at Santa Rosa’s own 6th Street Playhouse. Some enchanted evening, indeed. Dinner in Railroad Square beforehand makes it a perfect date night.
Showtimes & TicketsThe Santa Rosa Marathon Weekend
The 18th Annual Santa Rosa Marathon takes over downtown with a full weekend of racing: 5K, 10K, half marathon, and the full 26.2 on mostly flat, vineyard-lined courses through wine country. Every finisher gets a post-race party at Old Courthouse Square with a complimentary beer (21+), and half and full marathoners take home a bottle of DeLoach Vineyards wine. Not racing? Come cheer — the finish-line energy is contagious.
Register or SpectateSoak Up the Last of It
By the time the marathon crowds clear Old Courthouse Square, the light in Santa Rosa has already started to shift — harvest is around the corner, school is back in session, and those long golden evenings are numbered. So ride the Ferris wheel, swim the lagoon one more time, and eat the corn dog. September can wait.
Know of a Santa Rosa event we should feature next month? We’d love to hear about it — send it our way through the link below.
A Note About Events
Not every local event may be listed here. If you would like your Santa Rosa area event featured, submit it via our contact page. Event details, dates, times, and prices may change without notice — please confirm directly with organizers before attending. Santa Rosa Business List is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, the organizers of the events listed above; information is provided as a community service for 2026.
