From swimming holes to Star Wars drone shows: Take BART on the town this weekend
Friday, Aug. 18, 2023 – It was yet another high ridership weekend on Saturday, Aug. 5, and Sunday, Aug. 6, as Outside Lands Music Festival, the Pistahan Parade and Festival, and other exciting events unfurled across the Bay Area. Saturday and Sunday saw 101,100 and 79,300 exits respectively meaning more than 180,000 people rode BART last weekend (that’s roughly the populations of Berkeley, Benicia, and El Cerrito combined).
Looking for something to do this weekend? Keep reading and visit our BARTable website. We publish a weekly event roundup, BARTable This Weekend, which highlights happenings around the region as well as contests and sweepstakes.
This weekend, BART will be running extra trains for these big events: the Star Wars Drone Show following the A’s game on Saturday, and the Zach Bryan concert at the Oakland Arena on Monday.
Fri/Sat/Sun: Athletics vs. Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum (plus a Star Wars Drone Show!)
The Oakland Athletics face the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and each game offers a special themed promotion. For the Star Wars Drone Show on Saturday night, BART will be running extra trains to accommodate the anticipated crowds.
Here’s the lowdown on this weekend’s games: Friday, Aug. 18 (6:40pm start time) is Jerry Garcia Night, a tribute to the legendary Bay Area musician. Saturday, Aug. 19 (6:07pm start time) is the Star Wars Drone Show (with a special Mark Kotsay Mandalorian Bobblehead on offer). And Sunday, Aug. 20 (1:07pm start time), will see a “t-shirt hoodie” giveaway for early arriving fans, presented by Cal State East Bay.
It’s also First Responders Weekend at the Coliseum, with special prices, tailgates, jerseys, and more for first responders. (Promo info here.)
Use our guide to taking BART to the game here.
Sat/Sun: Take BART to the FOG India Day Parade and Fair in Fremont
On Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, the City of Fremont will host the largest India Day parade on the West Coast with more than 130 booths and 50,000 attendees. To get there, take BART to Fremont Station and travel about 0.6 miles to the event site – 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont.
The fair takes over the parkway on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm, and the parade runs Sunday from 11am to 1pm. Bollywood superstar Mahima Chaudhry will serve as the grand marshal. Keep your eyes out for the BART booth, where BART directors, staff, and officers will be on hand with free swag and information about the system and our programs. More info here.
Mon: Singer-Songwriter Zach Bryan at the Oakland Arena on Monday
Singer-songwriter Zach Bryan touches down in Oakland this Monday, Aug. 21, for a stop on his Burn, Burn, Burn tour at the Oakland Arena (take BART to Coliseum Station) with Trampled by Turtles and Levi Turner. The show starts at 8pm and doors open at 6:30pm.
BART will be running extra trains Monday night to take concertgoers home.
Explore BARTable Pools, Coves, and Lagoons
Did you know you can take BART to swim? Cool off this weekend by visiting a BARTable swimming hole. We rounded them up (with directions) in this article.
Win Tickets to the “Hippest Trip – The Soul Train Musical” World Premiere
Win two tickets for you and your guest to the world premiere of "Hippest Trip -The Soul Train Musical" at A.C.T.'s Toni Rembe Theater in San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 8pm. Five lucky winners will take the prize! Learn more about the Broadway-bound musical and enter the sweepstakes by clicking here.
Weekend Read: The Couple Who Hosted a BART Wedding at Fairyland
On May 27, 2023, Armin Samii and Marylee Williams married in a BART-themed wedding at Oakland’s Fairyland.
The couple, who met on BART, said, “We wanted a venue that was easily accessible to our guests, and accessibility to us looks like BART. BART was where we had our first taste of not being bound by a car.”
Read more about the wedding and see the colorful photos on bart.gov/news.
Happy Riding this Weekend!
We hope you enjoy your weekend adventures aboard our trains.
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