Too hot, or not? How Labor Day weekend events around Sacramento will try to stay cool

This coming weekend may well be Sacramento’s hottest ever recorded in the month of September, with forecasters predicting high temperatures around 105 degrees Saturday to soar closer to 110 degrees Sunday and Monday.

Monday also happens to be Labor Day, meaning big outdoor events planned months in advance may need to stay quick on their feet to ensure comfort – and safety – for those braving the triple-digit heat.

This weekend marks Sacramento’s Chalk it Up! Chalk Art and Music Festival at Fremont Park, and the 32nd annual edition of the event will take some precautions.

Chalk it Up! will have the Sacramento Medical Reserve Corps on-site providing first aid and a cooling tent for any visitors who may experience heat exhaustion as well as free water, event spokesman John Nelson said in an emailed response.

And while the official hours of the festival are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nelson said artists may start chalking early, either on Friday night or before 10 a.m. Saturday, to beat the heat.

“Artists will adapt,” he said.

Nelson noted that Fremont Park has ample shade from its many trees and that the event’s beer garden will also be under a large tent.

The California Railroad Museum in the Old Sacramento Waterfront district, meanwhile, has canceled some of its afternoon train excursions this weekend amid the heat. Friday’s weekly 2:30 p.m. departure; Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. excursions; and Sunday’s 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. rides are all canceled.

Train rides remain on the schedule for Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday at those two times as well as 10 a.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. No trains are scheduled to run on Labor Day, in keeping with the museum’s regular weekly schedule.

City officials announced Thursday that the Friday movie night at Woodlake Park was postponed due to the heat.

County officials urged organizers of other events to postpone or cancel outdoor events scheduled between noon and 8 p.m. between Saturday and Tuesday.

“Due to the excessive heat through the holiday weekend, Sacramento County Division of Public Health and Office of Emergency Services are recommending that considerations be made to postpone or cancel outdoor events,” officials said Wednesday afternoon.

That included “events such as youth sports, community gatherings, parades, marches or any events including sensitive groups such as children, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems that may be negatively impacted by the heat.”

Some high school football teams around the region are rescheduling games slated for Friday and Saturday later into the evenings or to the mornings to evade the worst of the heat.

Temperatures are expected to ratchet up through the holiday weekend. The National Weather Service predicts highs around 105 degrees Thursday through Saturday, soaring to around 110 degrees by Sunday and Labor Day.

No September day in California’s capital has ever exceeded 109 degrees, but Monday could hit 111, according to recent weather service forecasts.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.

Michael McGough

The Sacramento Bee

916-326-5508

Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State.