Life is like the game Choose Your Own Adventure, and can usually be enhanced when we step outside our own box of existence and try on a new experience. We may learn that that experience isn’t for us in the long run, but hey, it made for an interesting momentary meandering! There’s a festival for nearly every interest you can think of, running the gamut of food (some are devoted to a single food and some celebrate all things foodie), drink, hobbies, art and music of all genres. The 14th Annual Cotati Accordion Fest is happening August 22 & 23 as a multi-cultural, multigenerational, multi-genre ode to the accordion, benefitting Sonoma County youth groups. Honor Jerry Garcia with a host of other Deadheads at a free festival August 2 in San Francisco, and round out your month by checking out the SF Mime Troupe’s savvy political theater spectacle at the Community Park in Davis. Pick at least one August festival from the list below and enjoy your adventure.

Jerry Garcia Festival (“Jerry Day”), August 2, McClaren Park, SF

Outside Lands Music and Art Festival, August 7-9, Golden Gate Park, SF

Wind to Wine Festival, August 8, Petaluma

Benicia Peddler’s Fair, August 8, Benicia

Gravenstein Apple Fair, August 8 & 9, Sebastopol

Fremont Cajun/Zydeco Festival, August 15, Ardenwood Historic Farms, Fremont

San Francisco Street Food Festival, August 15 & 16, Dogpatch

Fairfield Tomato Festival, August 15 & 16, Fairfield

Goodguys 29th Annual West Coast Nationals (Antique Cars), August 21-23, Pleasanton

Taste of Petaluma, August 22, Petaluma

Cotati Accordion Festival, August 22 & 23, Cotati

Bodega Seafood, Art, and Wine Festival, August 29 & 30, Bodega