Palo Alto's summer calendar is stacked with free outdoor programming, and most of it is within biking distance.

The next Thursday Live concert hits California Avenue on Thursday, July 30, featuring a wine walk, live local music, games and giveaways for all ages. The free monthly series, launched May 28 by the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, runs select Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. through September on the car-free pedestrian stretch between El Camino Real and Birch Street. Sponsors include Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, SRP Palo Alto, and the Palo Alto Weekly.

The series is part of a broader push to activate California Avenue as a destination. Urban architect Bruce Fukuji, who has been spearheading the Cal Ave. plan, said the effort is working: "During this whole process we've been seeing improvements in the economic activity taking place on the street." As of a June 1 city report, vacancy rates on the avenue dropped from 16% in 2023 to 7.5% in 2025, and food-sales revenue climbed 13%.

Movie nights at Mitchell Park

Palo Alto's Summer Family Movie Night Series returns to Mitchell Park for its sixth year. Families can spread blankets on the athletic fields at 600 E. Meadow Drive starting at 7 p.m., with films projected at sunset. Three screenings remain:

  • Friday, July 17 — "GOAT"
  • Friday, July 31 — "Hoppers"
  • Friday, August 14 — "The Super Mario Galaxy"

Admission is free. No registration required.

More summer picks across the Peninsula

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is hosting guided events this summer, including a moonrise night hike at Russian Ridge Preserve on Tuesday, July 28. A full calendar is at openspace.org.

Free Shakespeare returns when the San Francisco Shakespeare Company performs "Antony and Cleopatra" on weekends from Saturday, July 25 through Sunday, August 9 at Memorial Park Amphitheater in Cupertino (6–8:30 p.m.), then Saturday, August 15 through Sunday, August 30 at Red Morton Park in Redwood City (6–7:30 p.m.).

San Mateo County's Coyote Point Summerfest takes place Saturday, August 15 at Coyote Point Recreation Area. The free festival features giant kites, Tatsumaki Taiko drumming, Ballet Folklórico Casa, food trucks, and arts activities with Círculo Cultural. Parking is $6.

PV Palooza, a free music festival in its fifth year, brings 20 local bands to four stages at Portola Valley Town Center on Saturday, August 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Upcoming community calendar

  • Friday, July 17 — Mitchell Park Movie Night: "GOAT," 7 p.m., 600 E. Meadow Drive
  • Tuesday, July 28 — Moonrise night hike, Russian Ridge Preserve (Midpen)
  • Thursday, July 30 — Thursday Live on Cal Ave., 5–8 p.m., Wine Walk edition
  • Friday, July 31 — Mitchell Park Movie Night: "Hoppers," 7 p.m.
  • Friday, August 14 — Mitchell Park Movie Night: "The Super Mario Galaxy," 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 15 — Coyote Point Summerfest, San Mateo (free, $6 parking)
  • Saturday, August 29 — PV Palooza, Portola Valley Town Center, 10:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.