"With shorter days and wet weather on the way, the market will wrap up with its last three Wednesdays." That was the Town of Fairfax's notice in its October 13 newsletter, and the last of those Wednesdays was October 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bolinas Park. That Wednesday market closed the 2026 season.
Taken by itself, that's the usual sign that summer is over. The calendar around it says more. For the next six weeks Fairfax's public life leaves Bolinas Park, the green that has hosted the Wednesday market all season. From October 30 to November 1 it moves to the Fairfax Pavilion on Elsie Lane and to the Broadway end of downtown. After that it goes indoors, and it doesn't come back to the park until a menorah lighting on December 10.
Bolinas Park Sits Out the Next Six Weeks
Over the summer we wrote about how the Fairfax week was organized around Wednesday, with Bolinas Park as the fixed point. With the market closed, the next scheduled event on the park is the Chanukah Festival on Thursday, December 10. That leaves a 43-day gap between the last market and the next event on the green.
Two venues carry the next three days: the Pavilion on Elsie Lane and the stretch of Broadway that runs from the Fairfax Theatre at 9 Broadway to Mac's at 19 Broadway.
Friday Starts Quietly on Elsie Lane
The weekend starts on Friday, October 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Fairfax Pavilion. Everyone is invited to help build a community ofrenda, the altar of remembrance at the center of Día de los Muertos. The Town's event page asks people to bring a photo, flowers or a small memento for someone they remember. The celebration is sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, organized by Alicia Soliz and presented by the Fairfax Parks & Recreation Commission.
The Chamber's own calendar lists Bolinas Park for the Día de los Muertos dates. The Town's event page, which has the hour-by-hour schedule, puts every activity at the Pavilion. Go to the Pavilion.
Friday night has a second event a short walk away. Mac's at 19 Broadway has a pre-Halloween party with Hall Pass on October 30, so you can spend the early evening at the ofrenda and the late evening on Broadway.
Saturday Belongs to Broadway
On Halloween night the center of town is the front of the theater. The Town lists the annual Halloween parade and costume contest for Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Fairfax Movie Theater, 9 Broadway. It's sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, and the Haunted Grove will be decorated.
Ten doors down, Mac's at 19 Broadway is holding a Masquerade Halloween Costume Party the same night. A costume from the 5 p.m. parade will still work after dark, and both events are on one block of Broadway.
Sunday Is the Long Day
The ofrenda that starts on Friday is finished on Sunday, November 1. That's the longest day of the weekend at six hours, back at the Pavilion.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: More ofrenda building. Bring photos, flowers or mementos.
- 3 to 6 p.m.: Community celebration and potluck, with food, music and activities. A dish to share is welcome but not required.
- All day: Kids' crafts and activities, food for sale and music. Musicians are invited to join in.
If you bring something to the ofrenda on Friday, you can see the finished altar on Sunday afternoon among neighbors sharing food. Over the course of the weekend it goes from a work in progress to the centerpiece of a potluck.
Here's the full window in one place:
| Date | Time | Place | What's happening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 28 | 4–8 p.m. | Bolinas Park | Final Fairfax Farmers Market of 2026 |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 4–7 p.m. | Fairfax Pavilion, Elsie Lane | Community ofrenda building |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Evening | Mac's at 19 Broadway | Pre-Halloween party with Hall Pass |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 5–9 p.m. | Fairfax Movie Theater, 9 Broadway | Halloween parade, costume contest, Haunted Grove |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Evening | Mac's at 19 Broadway | Masquerade Halloween Costume Party |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 11 a.m.–3 p.m. | Fairfax Pavilion | Ofrenda building continues |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 3–6 p.m. | Fairfax Pavilion | Community celebration and potluck |
November Moves Under a Roof
After Sunday, Fairfax's November is small, indoor and spread out over the month. Most of it happens at the library, the theater and the music room on Broadway.
The Fairfax branch of the Marin County Free Library is showing Maura Harvey's exhibit "Color Memory-Color Recuerdo" from October 28 through November 30. An artist reception is set for Saturday, November 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit opened the same day the market closed and runs through the whole quiet stretch. The library's Fairfax events calendar also lists Bilingual Storytime on the morning of Tuesday, November 3.
Check the library's schedule before you go. The branch is closed on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, and on Thanksgiving and the day after, November 26 and 27.
Broadway keeps going after Halloween. Skip the Needle plays 19 Broadway with Alvie & The Breakfast Pigs on Friday, November 6, at 8 p.m. At the other end of the block, the Marin Independent Journal's September profile of Fairfax noted that the Fairfax Theatre has five screens and $6.50 tickets all day on Tuesdays. For the next few weeks, that may be the steadiest weekly routine downtown now that the Wednesday market is done.
One outdoor update is also new this month. Marin County Parks reported on October 12 that work on the upper Cascade Canyon bridge is complete. Work on the lower bridge is expected from August through October 2027, and the whole project should be finished by October 2027. The upper crossing is finished, and the lower one will be on next fall's calendar.
The Town has had a busy month with its own buildings and staff too. The October 13 newsletter announced that the Park Road renovation was finished after several months of work, with a ribbon-cutting at the Peri Park playground on October 14. The same issue said that the Town Council had appointed Christine Foster, the Town's Deputy Town Clerk and Assistant to the Town Manager since 2023, as Interim Town Manager starting October 16. For anyone who keeps up with the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, its next meeting is Friday, November 20, from 9 to 10 a.m. The Chamber meets on the third Friday of each month.
December Brings the Crowd Back to the Park
The six-week gap ends on Thursday, December 10, when the Chanukah Festival returns to Bolinas Park from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a grand menorah lighting. Two days later, on Saturday, December 12, the Winter Market takes over Bolinas Road between Broadway and Bank Street from 5 to 9 p.m. Both events are on or next to the park, so Fairfax's holiday season starts in the same place the summer market used.
If you're planning dinner around either evening, La Gastronomia di Porchetta at 123 Bolinas Road sits right across from the park. It isn't new. The Marin Independent Journal reported that chef Elena Fabbri, who co-owns it with her husband Gustavo Mutul, opened it in late May 2023 in the former 123 Bolinas space. The dinner menu was updated October 1, 2026. It lists antipasti, house-made pastas, seafood and meat entrees including the porchetta the restaurant is named for, and desserts. Weekend brunch and lunch menus are also posted. After the menorah lighting on December 10 or a walk through the Winter Market on the 12th, it's the closest table to the park.
Before then, the busiest days in town are Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1, at the Pavilion on Elsie Lane and on Broadway.
At Marin Exclusive Homes, Sherry Ramzi keeps track of Fairfax's calendar along with the rest of the Fairfax neighborhood. If you're curious how these seasonal weekends fit into owning a home here, or how your own place might be presented through the winter, we'd be glad to talk. Book an Appointment whenever it suits you.
