Top Picks for This Weekend

Spring has sprung! From UC Davis’ annual Picnic Day to an Oak Park street fair to a neon-lit fun run at Cal Expo, here are three fun ways to play outside this weekend.

Picnic Day
This annual UC Davis campus showcase—which, as the largest student-run event in the nation, hosts nearly 65,000 visitors each year—takes place this Saturday, starting with a morning parade and followed by everything from the popular Doxie Derby dachshund races to the battle of the bands. Plus, check out demonstrations from groups like UC Davis atmospheric scientists, who will be creating mini-tornados using air cannons, and the Physics Club, which will levitate objects using special wires. Free. Saturday. 9:30 a.m.-
5 p.m. UC Davis Campus. Davis. 530-752-6320. picnicday.ucdavis.edu

Electric Run
This Saturday night, sprint through a 5K trek illuminated with laser, LED and black lights as DJs spin tunes throughout the course during this nighttime race, which concludes with a dance party at the finish line. Participants are encouraged to dress the part and come wearing bright, neon colors and accessories that shine, glimmer or glow. $60. Saturday.
8 p.m. Cal Expo. 1600 Exposition Blvd. 855-353-2786. electricrun.com

Painters Paradise Community Street Fair
Watch as artists break out their easels on Sunday for an afternoon of plein air painting, some of whom will be doing demonstrations, at this fourth annual Oak Park festival. But the visual arts won’t be the only form taking center stage at this cultural event. You’ll have it made in the shade while taking in a string of live performances under a circus-style big top tent, which will host acts like the soulful East Wind band and the Jodama African Dance and Drum Group. The fair will also feature an American Idol-style talent show, an all-day display of 20 vintage vehicles, including some dating back to the 1920s, and a kids’ area with face painting and bounce houses. And local food trucks will bring their eats to the streets throughout the festival.  Free. Sunday. Noon-5 p.m. Oak Park Business Corridor. 35th St. and Broadway. 452-9222. oakparkba.com