To kick off Fleet Week, the annual U.S. Navy festival in San Francisco, watch the Parade of Fleet Week Ships from noon to 1pm on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Seven Navy ships, big and small (among them destroyers, frigates and cutters) will come into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific under the Golden Gate Bridge. Afterwards, they will dock at Fisherman’s Wharf for a week-long festival and top-side ship tours. Regardless of your feelings for the military, seeing a battleship come out of the fog and into the bay is a amazing site. Best views are from Sausalito, Marina green, Aquatic Park, Pier 39, Telegraph and Russian Hills, and the north side of Pacific Heights.

Fleet Week is the Bay Area’s opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of our nation’s Navy and Marine services. Visitors will see ships dock-side while the Blue Angels and other aircrafts fly above San Francisco Bay. The Parade of Fleet Week Ships and Opening Ceremony takes place Saturday October 11, 2008 at noon, and the airshows take place Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm with the Blue Angels starting around 3pm. Regardless of your feelings about the military, either pro or con, seeing the blue angels airshow and watching the navy ships sail underneath the Golden Gate Bridge is truly a sight to behold.

As part of the 2008 Fleet Week festival, you can get a free topside tour of several Naval ships conducted by ship crewmembers. The tours take place Sunday through Tuesday, (October 12-14, 2008) from noon to 4pm each day. Tours take place along different piers in Fisherman’s Wharf. All tours are first come first served and you will need a valid ID to board. Tours are approximately 1/2 hour long. Cameras are welcome. Ships include frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) and the destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86)

More than 400,000 revelers are expected at San Francisco’s 140th Annual Italian Heritage Parade on Sunday, October 12, 2008, as the City’s oldest civic event and the nation’s oldest Italian-American parade and community celebration winds its way from Fisherman’s Wharf to North Beach. A San Francisco institution since it was established in 1868, the 2008 Parade is promising to be bigger, better and more colorful than ever.

Ghoulish and giddy behavior is part of the fun as kids in costume trick or treat throughout Pier 39’s Pumpkin Pandemonium. Children 12 and under are welcome to visit the shops, restaurants and attractions to gather their sweets. Pumpkin carving demonstrations, and face painting will be available, as well as photos with frightful characters and an 80’s Halloween Show, “It’s Like Halloween!” Children will be able to wander through the pumpkin patch to pick their one free pumpkin.

The Buena Vista Cafe hosts their annual Irish Coffee Anniversary Celebration on November 10th. We don’t have any times or specific details yet, but they are promising free performances of Irish Music, bagpiper, Irish Dancers and there will of course be Irish Coffee and Old World Irish Food available for purchase. Email sfbuenavista@aol.com for more information

A multi-cultural celebration, Pier 39’s Holiday Tree Lighting will feature Bay Area groups performing seasonal favorites from around the world. The enchanting entertainment will include holiday traditions from Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. PIER 39’s majestic tree, adorned with 400 glistening ornaments, 500 bows and 2,000 twinkling lights will be lit at 5:30 p.m. in the Entrance Plaza. Sponsored by The Examiner, Coca-Cola, Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER, Telemundo and Intera.