California will host a variety of Earth Day events throughout April 2026, highlighting the state’s environmental initiatives and community engagement. Activities are planned in regions ranging from Napa Valley to San Diego, with each event offering opportunities for education, volunteerism, and celebration of California’s natural landscapes.
In Napa Valley, Oxbow Commons will be the site of Earth Day Napa on April 18. Attendees are encouraged to use bicycles as transportation, with free bike valet services available. The event features educational crafts and games, face painting, food and beer offerings, live music, and a community cleanup project.
The Los Angeles Zoo will hold its “Wild for the Planet” event from April 17 to 19. Visitors can participate in conservation-themed activities such as learning about endangered California condors and sampling all-natural honey. The five-week celebration also includes no-waste activities at the Earth Expo.
National Park Week runs from April 18 to 26 across California’s national parks. On April 22, visitors can access all state parks; however, entrance fees will not be waived this year. Special events are planned at various parks during the nine-day period.
San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens will host a free Earth Day Festival on April 21 featuring live performances on the Great Lawn stage, tree planting activities, chalk art displays, carousel rides, and ice skating at the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center. Online reservations are requested for attendance.
North Lake Tahoe’s Palisades Tahoe resort will hold its Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival on April 26. This event includes live music, a student “trashion” show focused on upcycled fashion, climate change exhibits, hands-on activities at booths, giveaways, and cultural presentations about the Washoe Tribe.
Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square will feature a zero-waste Earth Day Festival on April 26 with kids’ crafts, local food vendors, multicultural entertainment including taiko drummers and Irish step dancers, honeybee workshops, composting demonstrations, and a beer garden.
San Luis Obispo’s Meadow Park is set to host SLO Earth Fest on April 18. Highlights include a kids’ zone, local art displays, food trucks, green car show with electric vehicles showcased in an EV Showcase area—and craft items for sale by local makers.
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach presents its Teen Climate Fest on April 25. Led by its teen climate council participants can expect displays focused on sustainability as well as presentations aimed at environmental education.
Newport Beach’s Upper Newport Bay Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center offers family-friendly programming for “Earth Day at the Bay” on April 18 with food trucks arts and crafts live music plus an educational scavenger hunt.
San Diego County’s Creek to Bay Cleanup returns on April 25 after removing nearly 60 thousand pounds of litter last year through volunteer efforts at multiple inland and coastal sites across the region.
Santa Barbara hosts one of West Coast’s largest public Earth Day events from April 25–26 with more than two hundred exhibitors an eco-marketplace electric vehicle showcase solar energy information plant-forward food court beer garden two days of music plus family-friendly entertainment focusing on clean technology resilient food systems single-use plastic reduction among other topics.
Throughout April there are additional statewide volunteer opportunities coordinated by organizations such as California State Parks Foundation allowing participants to join trash cleanup challenges or restoration projects tailored to different regions’ needs—such as Old Town San Diego or China Camp State Park near San Rafael.
Truckee-Tahoe continues its tradition of sustainability-focused celebrations all month long including programs sponsorships explanations about sustainable gift cards for visitors interested in supporting environmentally responsible businesses locally.
