Fairfax Fills October With Festivals While Its Event Rules Wait for a Rewrite

"These events are happening today," Mayor Stephanie Hellman told the Fairfax Town Council on Sept. 2. "So we've just got to make it work."

That night the council told staff to rework the town's noise ordinance and event permitting. The goal is to make outdoor events easier for residents and businesses to hold. Four weeks later, October is about to show what the town's events look like under the current rules. A trail fundraiser fills a Sir Francis Drake lot on Oct. 10. An Irish music festival runs through eight downtown rooms the next weekend. The month ends with a costume parade on Broadway and a community ofrenda at the Pavilion. None of this waits for the new rules, and almost all of it is already built around them.

The rules this October runs under

Fairfax's noise ordinance allows what staff called "very low" outdoor sound levels.

Events on public property are fairly common in Fairfax. An outdoor event on private property is different because it needs a conditional use permit. Both kinds still have to meet the noise limits. Jeffrey Beiswenger, the town's planning and building director, told the council that conditional use permits are meant for longer-term uses, are hard to rescind, and cost an average of nearly $1,500 in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Staff proposed two replacements: a special permit for temporary events and a separate amplified noise permit. Applications would go to the fire and police departments, with review by planning and health. Beiswenger said they would likely be processed within a week. The town also plans to bring in an acoustic expert to help review noise levels.

Read October's calendar with those rules in mind and a pattern shows up. The big events happen in public spaces such as Bolinas Park and the Pavilion, are presented by the town, or are spread across indoor rooms on Broadway and Sir Francis Drake.

Oct. 10: Biketoberfest and a late show on Broadway

Biketoberfest is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Marin Trail Stewards presents it, and ticket proceeds support the group's trail-building, maintenance and stewardship work across Marin County. The day starts with group rides from 9 to 11 a.m. hosted by Trek Bikes and Sunshine Bicycle Center. Tastings run from noon to 5 p.m. and live music from 1 to 6 p.m. Entry is free for all ages.

The pour list is long and leans local. Fairfax Brewing Company is on it, along with Russian River Brewing Company, Bear Republic, Pond Farm Brewing Co, Old Caz Beer, Adobe Creek Brewing, Fieldwork, Barebottle, Drakes, Sierra Nevada and others. There are cider options from Golden State Cider and Humboldt Cider Co, and Boochcraft for those skipping alcohol. Food and drinks are available all day, but the organizer has not named food vendors.

Music outdoors stops at 6 p.m., and the evening moves indoors. Mac's at 19 Broadway has Rudy Colombini & The Unauthorized Rolling Stones at 9 p.m. that same Saturday, with $20 tickets. So the loud part of the day goes outside in daylight and moves behind walls after dark.

Oct. 16–18: one festival, eight rooms

The 15th annual Fairfax Irish Festival of Music & Dance runs Oct. 16 through 18. It is organized by Cormac Gannon of the United Irish Cultural Center of San Francisco. The Chamber's calendar lists Oct. 17 and 18, while the organizer and at least one host venue list three days. Friday night is worth confirming before you plan around it.

The festival does not take over a stage or a street. It plays across Peri's Bar, The Pavilion, Revolution 9, Sorella Cafe, Nave's Bar, Sonas Denim and Barefoot Cafe. Wu Wei Tea Temple at 1820 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. is also a host, with sets Friday from 8 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m.

The lineup is long. It includes Inishmore, Buncrana, Glúin, The Turf Cutters, Green Gates, the Brosnan School of Irish Dancing, the SonoMarin Set Dancers, Jim Page, Kyle Alden, Megan McLaughlin, Teja Bell and dozens more.

Wu Wei is a newer story on the circuit. Jeremy D'Antonio, a rock musician who co-owns and manages the Old Western Saloon in Point Reyes Station, bought the tea house in March from founder Tracy Brien Ginzburg. Ginzburg opened it in 2015 as an alcohol-free, all-ages space. "It's a completely different energy than a bar because there's no alcohol," D'Antonio told the Mercury News in July. This October, his tea house is the festival's alcohol-free room, with eight hours of programming on the Saturday alone.

Splitting a festival across eight rooms has a practical side under the current ordinance. Most of the sound stays inside businesses that already have music in them, and the public venue in the rotation is the Pavilion.

Oct. 28: the market's last Wednesday

The Fairfax Community Farmers Market ends its 2026 season on Wednesday, Oct. 28. It has run Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bolinas Park, 142 Bolinas Road, since May 6. California's certified market register lists Karen Marks as its manager. Bolinas Park is public ground, and in the last week of the month it becomes the center of the calendar.

Oct. 30–Nov. 1: Broadway, Bolinas Park and the Pavilion

The month's last stretch belongs to two town-anchored events in a row.

1. Halloween Parade & Haunted Grove, Saturday, Oct. 31, 5–9 p.m. The town lists the start at the Fairfax Movie Theater, 9 Broadway, for its annual parade and costume contest, sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber, with decorations in the Haunted Grove. Last year's town description had the parade winding through downtown from the theater and ending at the Haunted Grove in Bolinas Park. The town has not yet published a street-by-street route for 2026.
2. Día de los Muertos, Friday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Nov. 1. Alicia Soliz organizes it, the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce sponsors it, and the Fairfax Parks & Recreation Commission presents it. The town's listing, posted Oct. 2, places it at the Fairfax Pavilion on Elsie Lane. On Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., anyone can help build the community ofrenda. On Sunday, ofrenda building runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a community celebration and potluck from 3 to 6 p.m. with music, kids' crafts and food for purchase. Visitors are invited to bring a photo, flowers or a small memento for someone they remember. Musicians who want to take part can contact Minna at [email protected]. The Chamber's calendar still lists Bolinas Park, so the town's Pavilion listing is the one to go by.

A quieter change on the trails

Weekday plans in Cascade Canyon Preserve have had their own schedule this fall. Since early August, Marin County Parks has closed Cascade Fire Road on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. while it builds the first of two new trail bridges. That work is scheduled to run through October 2026. Cascade Falls Trail, Middle Fire Road, Carey Camp Trail and Canyon Trail have stayed open. The county's project page puts the second bridge in August through October 2027, with all work expected to wrap up by October 2027. Before treating the weekday closure as over, check the county page once November begins.

Where the permit rewrite stands

The Sept. 2 discussion included people on both sides. Lori Bruckner, owner of the Lodge in Fairfax, wrote that "streamlined permitting provides a solution and a fair compromise." Event coordinator Ian Jensen said nearby business owners told him an event had brought in extra income. Downtown resident Ling Shen Bell spoke about the other side: "For people who live downtown, which we do, any time there is any type of event, we suffer from it, we have to be indoors." Staff said the police department was concerned about more noise complaints, and Beiswenger said he did not expect that to be a problem.

The change is not in place yet. It is a zoning code amendment, so it goes to the Planning Commission first and then back to the council, along with a new permit process and fee. The Planning Commission's Sept. 17 agenda had one public hearing, on 150 Bothin Road, and no outdoor event item. The council's published agenda for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m. does not include it either. Every event on this month's calendar will run under the 60 dBA commercial limit and the existing permit system. The next Planning Commission agenda is where to watch for the proposed special event permit and its fee.

Whether you're planning a backyard gathering or wondering how a more event-friendly Fairfax might shape your own block over time, Tiffany Knef follows these town decisions closely and is glad to talk them through. Schedule a free consultation, and we can look at what the permit rewrite could mean for your corner of town.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.