Things to Do in San Jose in February
February weather, activities, events & insider tips
February Weather in San Jose
Is February Right for You?
Advantages
- Comfortable weather for outdoor exploration - February sits in San Jose's dry season with temperatures typically hovering around 22-26°C (72-79°F) during the day, making it genuinely pleasant for walking the downtown tech campuses, Japanese Friendship Garden, or cycling the Guadalupe River Trail without the oppressive summer heat that hits 35°C+ (95°F+) by July
- Peak season for local events and festivals - February brings the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest, Lunar New Year celebrations in Little Saigon (one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam), and the start of Sharks hockey playoffs energy downtown. The Vietnamese Tet Festival typically draws 50,000+ people with actual cultural performances, not tourist recreations
- Optimal timing for Bay Area day trips - The surrounding areas are at their greenest after winter rains. Drive 45 minutes west to Half Moon Bay for whale watching season (gray whales migrate through February-March), or head 90 minutes south to Pinnacles National Park when wildflowers start blooming and temperatures sit at perfect hiking range of 15-20°C (59-68°F)
- Better hotel rates than summer tech conference season - You'll find downtown hotels running 30-40% cheaper than June-September when Google I/O, Apple WWDC overflow, and various tech conferences pack the city. A decent downtown hotel that costs USD 280 in July typically runs USD 160-180 in February, and you're not competing with corporate bookings
Considerations
- Rain is genuinely unpredictable in February - Those 10 rainy days can cluster together or spread out randomly. When it rains in San Jose, it tends to last several hours, not the brief tropical downpours you might expect. Streets flood quickly because the infrastructure wasn't built for heavy rain, and locals honestly don't know how to drive in it. Plan indoor backup options
- Many outdoor attractions operate on reduced winter schedules - Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Japanese Friendship Garden close earlier (4pm vs 6pm summer hours). Some food trucks and outdoor markets in SoFA district skip February entirely. The California Theatre and other performing arts venues are active, but you'll find fewer outdoor festivals than spring months
- Air quality can be problematic - February occasionally brings stagnant air patterns that trap pollution in the valley. The AQI sometimes hits 80-100 (moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups), particularly noticeable if you're planning outdoor activities. Check airnow.gov the morning of any hiking or cycling plans
Best Activities in February
Vietnamese Tet Festival celebrations in Little Saigon
San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside Vietnam, and February means Tet Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year). The Grand Century Mall and Lion Plaza area transforms with actual traditional celebrations, not tourist performances. You'll find families in ao dai, proper banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cakes only made for Tet), and lion dances performed by local martial arts schools. The humidity stays comfortable at 70%, perfect for wandering outdoor markets without sweating through your clothes. Dates shift with the lunar calendar, but typically fall late January through mid-February
Tech campus tours and Computer History Museum visits
February weather is ideal for the outdoor portions of self-guided tech campus walks - you can comfortably walk the 2 km (1.2 mile) loop around Apple Park or explore the Google Android lawn statues without summer's brutal sun (UV index 8 in February vs 11 in July). The Computer History Museum in Mountain View (20 minutes north) is genuinely fascinating even for non-tech people, with the only working Babbage Difference Engine and actual artifacts, not replicas. February means fewer tour groups and school field trips clogging the exhibits
Hiking in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains
Castle Rock State Park and Big Basin (partially reopened after 2020 fires) sit 45-60 minutes west with trails through redwood groves and chaparral. February brings the greenest landscapes after winter rains, and temperatures at elevation stay perfect for hiking: 12-18°C (54-64°F) at 600-900 m (2,000-3,000 ft) altitude. The trails are muddy but passable with decent shoes. You might encounter light rain, but the forest canopy provides natural cover. This is genuinely when locals hike - summer makes these trails uncomfortably hot and dry
Santana Row and downtown San Pedro Square dining
February's mild evenings (typically 12-15°C/54-59°F) make outdoor dining actually pleasant. Santana Row is an upscale outdoor shopping district with 70+ restaurants, many with heated patios and fire pits for cooler evenings. San Pedro Square Market downtown offers a more authentic local vibe - it's where San Jose residents actually eat, not just tourists. The covered market structure means light rain doesn't ruin plans. February brings seasonal menus featuring Dungeness crab (peak season December-March) and local citrus
Winchester Mystery House tours
This genuinely bizarre 160-room Victorian mansion built by Sarah Winchester makes more sense to visit when you understand the actual history, not just the ghost stories. February means smaller tour groups (15-20 people vs 30+ in summer) and you can actually hear the guide explain the architectural oddities. The outdoor garden portions are comfortable in February's mild weather - summer tours at 2pm mean walking through 32°C (90°F) heat between buildings. The mansion has no air conditioning, so February's moderate temperatures make the interior tours more bearable
San Francisco and Monterey Bay day trips
San Jose's central location makes it an affordable base for Bay Area exploration. San Francisco sits 75 km (47 miles) north via Caltrain (USD 9-14 each way, 90 minutes), avoiding parking nightmares. Monterey Bay and Carmel sit 120 km (75 miles) south with the famous 17-Mile Drive and Monterey Bay Aquarium. February weather in both destinations mirrors San Jose - mild, occasionally rainy, but genuinely pleasant for walking. The aquarium is actually better in winter when summer crowds of 8,000+ daily visitors drop to 3,000-4,000
February Events & Festivals
Lunar New Year Tet Festival
San Jose's Vietnamese community (over 100,000 people) celebrates Tet with multi-day festivals featuring traditional music, lion dances, ao dai fashion shows, and food vendors selling specialties only made during Tet. The Grand Century Mall and Story Road corridor become the center of celebrations. This is a genuine cultural event, not a tourist attraction - you'll see three generations of families celebrating together. Dates shift annually with the lunar calendar
San Jose Jazz Winter Fest
A smaller, more intimate version of the massive Summer Fest, featuring 15-20 jazz performances across downtown venues. The winter edition focuses on local Bay Area musicians and emerging artists rather than big-name headliners. Venues include The Ritz, South First Billiards, and various downtown bars. Cover charges typically run USD 15-25 per venue. Worth attending if you actually care about jazz, skippable if you're just looking for background music