What's on in Sacramento, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Tule fog season (1 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Almond blossom

  10 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The orchards north and south of the city go white for about three weeks in late February, which is the one time of year the valley's farmland is worth a drive for its own sake.

Still on: Tule fog season (1 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Almond blossom (10 Feb – 10 Mar (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Delta breeze

  1 Jun – 15 SepWind season

  Cool marine air pulled up from the bay through the delta most summer evenings, which is why a 38-degree afternoon here becomes a pleasant night. The weeks it fails are the ones people complain about.

• Hazard

  Valley heat

  20 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Runs of triple-digit afternoons come through the valley several times a summer and the city moves indoors and underground until evening. Everything outdoors here is scheduled before ten or after eight. Source ↗

Peak crowds — California State Fair, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  California State Fair

  10–27 Jul · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Seventeen days at Cal Expo in July: livestock barns, a monorail, horse racing and a hall of counties competing over agriculture. It is the state's own fair, not the city's. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Wildfire smoke season

  15 Jul – 15 Oct · usually

  Smoke from fires in the Sierra and the coast range settles into the valley and stays, because the same still air that traps winter fog traps this. Some Septembers the air here is the worst in the country. Source ↗

Still on: Delta breeze (1 Jun – 15 Sep), Valley heat (20 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Delta breeze (1 Jun – 15 Sep), Valley heat (20 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke season (15 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Farm-to-Fork Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Farm-to-Fork Festival

  15–30 Sep · usuallyHarvestCrowded

  A month of harvest dinners in late September ending in a free two-day street festival on Capitol Mall. The claim being made is that this valley grows the food the rest of the state cooks. Source ↗

Still on: Delta breeze (1 Jun – 15 Sep), Valley heat (20 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke season (15 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Wildfire smoke season (15 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Peak crowds — California International Marathon, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Hazard

  Tule fog season

  1 Dec – 20 Feb · usually

  Ground fog forms in the valley after the first rains and can sit for days without lifting, closing visibility on the causeway and delaying flights. It has thinned over the decades but still owns some Januaries. Source ↗

• Festival

  California International Marathon

  5–8 Dec · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The first Sunday in December, downhill from Folsom to the Capitol steps, which is why it is the qualifying race half the field came for. The last miles close the grid downtown. Source ↗