Here are fun, safe, family-friendly events planned in Sacramento for Memorial Day weekend

Michael McGough
·4 min read

Memorial Day weekend has arrived, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate safely in Sacramento.

Gorgeous weather is expected, with the latest National Weather Service forecasts calling for sunny skies and high temperatures between the upper 70s and lower 80s.

Public safety officials continue to urge people to stay out of Northern California’s roaring rivers, which are running dangerously fast and cold for this time of year due to record snowmelt from winter.

But there are many other ways to capitalize on a mild, sunny three-day weekend in the Sacramento region.

Here are several events scheduled for Memorial Day weekend in and around California’s capital city.

▪ The Sacramento County Fair is here through Monday at Cal Expo.

This year’s county fair will feature daily concerts, livestock shows and auctions, educational exhibits, carnival festivities, interactive activities for children and, on Saturday evening, the Stars and Stripes Rodeo.

The fair returned in 2022 after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The county fair starts at 10 a.m. each day and ends at 10 p.m. except Monday, when festivities end at 7 p.m.

General admission is $12 for adults and $10 for youths ages 12 through 17. Children younger than 12 get in for free. Admission on Memorial Day is free for military personnel, with valid ID.

▪ Concerts in the Park returned this month, offering free concerts at Cesar Chavez Plaza downtown every Friday evening through July.

Headlining this week is Rain City Drive, a post-hardcore band from Sacramento. Also performing are A Foreign Affair, Nvtures Ghost, Serialist and DJ Ness.

Festivities start at 5 p.m. at the park (910 I Street in Sacramento) and run through 9 p.m. Food trucks and beverages are available.

▪ The International Kids Festival is back for its 19th annual edition, coming to Land Park on Saturday.

The festival, hosted by the Council for Cross Cultural Affairs, will feature pony rides, a rock climbing wall, trampolines, face painting, food trucks, performances by professional dancers and gymnasts, and more.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Land Park’s William A. Carol Amphitheater. Admission is free.

▪ A Memorial Day Family Fun Fest will take over downtown Sacramento’s R Street Corridor on Sunday.

Hosted by nonprofit Self Care Sundays, the kid-friendly event will include face painting, a petting zoo, creative workshops, food and music.

And for those looking to grow their family, pug puppies will be available for adoption at the event.

The fun fest runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, centered at 14th and R streets. Tickets range from $7 to $15.

▪ Catch a ballgame.

The Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, will host the Oklahoma City Dodgers for a four-game series Thursday through Sunday, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

Saturday’s game, a 6:37 p.m. start, includes a “Salute to Armed Forces” ticket page in honor of Memorial Day, as well as postgame fireworks.

Fans at Sutter Health Park cheer as the Sacramento River Cats play in their home opener against the El Paso Chihuahuas in Triple-A Minor League Baseball on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in West Sacramento. A crowd of 9,548 attended Tuesday’s game, the first of a six-game home stand that concludes with a 1:05 first pitch on Sunday against El Paso.
Fans at Sutter Health Park cheer as the Sacramento River Cats play in their home opener against the El Paso Chihuahuas in Triple-A Minor League Baseball on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in West Sacramento. A crowd of 9,548 attended Tuesday’s game, the first of a six-game home stand that concludes with a 1:05 first pitch on Sunday against El Paso.

▪ Sweet rides will be on display at the Veterans’ Memorial Day Car Show on Monday, in the CalPERS lot under the overpass at 2300 Front Street, in the Old Sacramento Waterfront area.

The show, put on by the California Automobile Museum, starts at 8 a.m. Memorial Day and runs through 12:30 p.m.

Vehicle registration for the car show costs $30 in advance and $40 on Monday; vehicles must be registered by 9 a.m.

▪ Feel like running? Or walking? Or just want to see a bunch of dogs?

The Barks and Brews 5K will run – on two legs and on four – through William Land Park on Memorial Day morning.

The race will offer a special dog registration option: a package for dog owners who choose to run alongside their canine that includes a commemorative collar and a bone-shaped race bib.

Registration is $44 for adults and $20 for children through Friday. Prices rise to $50 for adults and $25 for children beginning Saturday.

▪ Honor those who have left us. A number of Memorial Day services are planned throughout the Sacramento region, including at East Lawn Memorial Park’s East Sacramento, Elk Grove and Greenback Lane locations.

A Memorial Day observance in Rancho Cordova, organized by the Cordova Community Council, will be held 10 a.m. Monday at Cordova High School. This year’s ceremony will include special tributes to those who died in the Vietnam War.

Derrick Garcia, 6, of Winters, uses his might to place a lawn flag as his family, including brother Anthony, 12, right, put flags in front of headstones at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon as part of the Memorial Day ceremony Saturday, May 28, 2022. The ceremony returned to in-person after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus.
Derrick Garcia, 6, of Winters, uses his might to place a lawn flag as his family, including brother Anthony, 12, right, put flags in front of headstones at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon as part of the Memorial Day ceremony Saturday, May 28, 2022. The ceremony returned to in-person after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus.