Maybe it's the Johnny Depp effect, but there's no denying the universal appeal of pirates.  So if Father's Day BBQs and games of catch aren't your bag, we're going to go out on a plank (har har) and suggest the NorCal Pirate Festival, which promises to be a swashbucklin' good time.  There will be music, there will be crafts and there will be swordfights (obviously). Also not to miss are the ventriloquist Captain Jack Spareribs (c'mon, you're curious), musical troupe the Seadogs, the dueling Privateers of the Dauntless and the singing vixens Queen Anne's Revenge.

Oh yeah, and it's free.