The 30th annual Nostalgia Days put more than 300 classic cars across 10 blocks of Grant Avenue last weekend. On Saturday, October 24, cars will park on the Novato Civic Green at 901 Sherman Avenue for a different reason. The City of Novato's Día de los Muertos Celebration is adding its first-ever Car Ofrenda Display, where the trunk or back of a vehicle becomes an altar honoring loved ones.

So the car plays two roles downtown this month. On October 10 it was the thing being shown off. On October 24 it holds photographs and marigolds. Most of the rest of Novato's October calendar happens on Grant Avenue, on Sherman Avenue, or at City Hall next to the Civic Green.

Thirty years of polish on Grant Avenue

Nostalgia Days started the night before the show. The Marin Independent Journal's photo coverage shows the Nostalgia Days Cruise rolling down Grant Avenue on Friday, October 9. It includes a 1948 Plymouth Club Coupe getting a last-minute shine before the cruise and a 1955 Chrysler Windsor waiting to join the line. The same piece called the event the 30th annual show and said it continued Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Grant Avenue.

The Downtown Novato Business Association lists the show as more than 300 cars with music and vendors and calls it one of the longest-running car shows in the Bay Area. At this show, the cars themselves are what people come to see.

The city's new October event puts cars to a different use.

On October 24, the trunk opens

The City of Novato's events page lists the Día de los Muertos Celebration for Saturday, October 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Novato Civic Green at 901 Sherman Avenue. The car ofrenda is labeled "New this year." The city says it turns the trunk or rear of a vehicle into a traditional Día de los Muertos altar, decorated with items such as photographs, marigolds, LED candles, papel picado and favorite foods.

The city asked participants to apply by September 25 and noted that space was limited. Entry was free. That deadline has passed, so if you're going on the 24th you'll be visiting the cars, not decorating one.

The rest of the afternoon fills in around the cars:

• Food from Manny's Tacos and Tommy's Salsa
• Live performances by Ireri Ballet Folklórico and Xiuhcoatl Danza Azteca
• A community ofrenda, where anyone can add to the shared altar
• A community procession, plus music, face painting and crafts

The city describes the celebration as a time to "honor and celebrate loved ones who are no longer with us," and says all ages are welcome.

The blocks in between

Here are the rest of October's downtown dates, with the two car events included for reference.

Three of these come with details worth knowing before you go.

The magic show's second time slot. The city lists two free shows on October 17. The event text gives 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., while the flyer image reads 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Reservations aren't required, and doors open 30 minutes before each show. The 10 a.m. show is the one both versions agree on. For the later show, check the city's page that week.

The farmers' market's last two Tuesdays. The Downtown Novato Community Farmers' Market has run every Tuesday since May 5, and the season ends October 27. October hours are 4 to 7 p.m., an hour shorter than the 4 to 8 p.m. schedule from May through September. The market sits on Sherman Avenue between the Novato Downtown SMART Station and the Redwood Boulevard and Grant Avenue Transit Station. The city notes bike racks on Sherman at Cain Lane and in the City Administrative Offices parking lot. The final Tuesday comes three days after the Día de los Muertos Celebration, on the same stretch of Sherman next to City Hall.

Halloween on Grant Avenue. The city calendar lists Safe Trick-or-Treat on Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's presented by the Downtown Novato Business Association and is free and open to the public, with children trick-or-treating at downtown businesses. Visit Novato describes the participants as local merchants and businesses along Grant Avenue, though it doesn't name them. Twenty-two days after the cruise, the month ends on the same street where it started.

A handoff in Ignacio

The newest dinner option in Novato this fall has its own story about passing something on. Fox Pizza opened in August at 528 Alameda del Prado in the Ignacio neighborhood. It's run by Anna and Jeff Fox, who spent their off-hours building a following with pop-ups and mobile pizza ovens before going full time. They took over the former Dragon Cafe space in January, after the Lu family retired in 2025 following more than three decades there.

Anna Fox told the Marin Independent Journal how the space changed hands:

"The Lus had a family restaurant that served the community for 35 years, and they wanted to turn it over to someone who would do something similar."

The 728-square-foot room now has 20 seats. A three-deck Polin oven imported from Italy reaches 800 degrees in each deck. The 14-inch pies are built on Jeff Fox's 7-year-old sourdough starter and organic 00 flour from Central Milling in Petaluma. The dough ferments at room temperature for 28 to 30 hours. The signature Tie Dye pizza swirls tomato sauce with house-made pistachio pesto. Dessert includes a celebration cake from Fire Swamp Provisions, another Novato business. The wine list has 12 low-intervention wines, including bottles from Martha Stoumen Wines in Healdsburg and Hammerling Wines in Berkeley.

Fox Pizza is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m., with online ordering and a pickup window through foxpizzamarin.com. Those hours line up with two of October's Saturdays. On October 24 it opens an hour into the Día de los Muertos Celebration and stays open two hours after the Civic Green wraps up at 6. On October 31 it opens two hours after Safe Trick-or-Treat ends. It's closed Tuesdays, so it isn't an option on market nights.

After the trunks close

The city calendar keeps going after October. The Novato Gymnastics Team hosts the Novato Classic at the Novato Gymnastics Center on November 7 and 8, with teams from across the Greater Bay Area. In December, the Holiday Crafts Faire comes to the Margaret Todd Senior Center at 1560 Hill Road, running Friday, December 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 50 artisans will sell jewelry, ceramics, wreaths, ornaments and specialty foods. Admission is free both days, and the city suggests bringing cash because not every vendor can take cards.

At Tam Home Team, we keep track of Novato's calendar the way neighbors do, one Grant Avenue weekend at a time. If what's happening around your block has you wondering what your own home is worth, get your instant home valuation or schedule a consultation with our team.