Bret Harte is a beautiful, walkable residential neighborhood along the southern border of San Rafael in Marin County. The earliest homes date from the late 1930s. The neighborhood is tucked into the hillside with ample green space, tree-lined streets, and the secret bootleg trail. It features Bret Harte Park—the neighborhood's social center—and a diversity of families that call Bret Harte home.
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Latest News

Next Up! Holiday Cookie Decorating
Cookie Decorating Party | Sunday, December 1, 2024, 3:00–5:00 PM
Bring the kids to Bret Harte Park for the second annual cookie decorating party! We'll have cookies and decorating supplies, and cider and holiday music to help usher in the holiday season.
Thank you for the Spooky Memories!
Check out the photos from the Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party and Pre-Trick-or-Treat Pizza
Did we carve? Did we eat 22 pizzas? Yes we did! Check out the photos from the Halloween festivities in Past Events.

Annual Events

Cookie Decorating Party | Sunday, December 1, 2024, 3:00–5:00 PM
Bring the kids to Bret Harte Park for the second annual cookie decorating party! We'll have cookies and decorating supplies, and cider and holiday music to help usher in the holiday season.
Spring Egg Hunt | Saturday, April 19, 2025, 10:00 AM
The furry, rascally rabbit Bret Bunny will be hiding eggs at the Bret Harte Park. Bring your little ones (and a basket) and help collect all the eggs. Coffee and bagels provided.
Spring Swap Meet and Potluck | TBD Sunday in May, 2025 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Bring all your extra stuff to the park to trade / donate / sell / purge. This is meant as a way to help along your Spring Cleaning by providing an opportunity to purge household items that not longer spark joy in your life. Thank them for their service, then bring them to Bret Harte Park to send them along with someone else. This is also a potluck! Bring something to share with fellow Swap Meeters. The BHCA will provide basic plates and utensils, but earn Earth Points by bringing your own.
Bret hARTe in the Park | TBD, June 2025, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Join us for our fourth annual art and craft- focused event. The 2024 event was in the park! Check out the creative talents of Bret Harte artists, musicians, and purveyors all in one place!
Neighborhood Garage Sale | TBD 2025, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Don’t miss the Bret Harte–wide annual sale, with dozens of households participating. Clothing, housewares, collectibles, small furniture, electronics, kids clothes and toys, books, bikes, antiques, glassware, flatware, plants, vintage collectibles, musical gear, gardening equipment, eclectica, and more!
Bret Harte Annual All-Neighborhood Picnic | TBD 2025, 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Save the Date for the annual all-neighborhood picnic in the park. Meet and mingle with your neighbors, see the new faces, come enjoy the camaraderie and friendly vibe that is Bret Harte. Local musicians will entertain, and feel free to bring a dish to share. This is our only all-member event of the year (and one of the few aimed at grownups), so don't miss it!
Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party | Sunday, October 26, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Join your neighbors in getting your porch trick-or-treat ready! We'll have a somewhat limited supply of pumpkins on hand (provided by the BHCA), but feel free to bring your own. We'll also have decorations for smaller pumpkins for the wee Bret Hartigans. Festive treats will be provided. Please bring your own carving tools if you have them, a few will be provided.
Pre-Trick-or-Treat Pizza in the Park | Halloween, 5:00 PM
Come dressed in costume for unbridled pizza chaos before heading out for trick-or-treating! Pizza provided by the BHCA.

Stay Connected With Bret Harte

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WhatsApp Group for Bret Harte Parents
​Do you wrangle a tiny Bret Hartigan and want to meet up with others just like you? Get with the WhatsApp! Join the Bret Harte Parents WhatsApp group—a great way to coordinate and hear about impromptu park meetups and playdates. Folks new to the neighborhood (or with new Bret Hartigans) are especially encouraged. To be added to the group, please contact Briony at 415-420-8684‬.
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Be Internet Famous the Way Only a Hashtag Can Make You
​Whether or not you're sporting your new Bret Harte swag, the internet wants to know what you're up to, BH-style. Tag your and your other Bret Hartigans' shenanigans with #brethartemarin and we can all follow along!

Join Us!

Welcome to the neighborhood! Whether you’ve been here one year or fifty, you already know how great this place is. You might also know that the BHCA works hard to keep it that way—by putting on activities for all ages including Halloween, Easter, the Art Stroll, and an annual neighborhood-wide garage sale and picnic in the park. The BHCA provides services to residents and represents our neighborhood at the city and county levels. All we’re missing is you! Join (and then renew) to help support us financially. Annual membership is only $25 per household.
​The Bret Harte Community Association (BHCA), in existence for over 50 years, is a neighborhood organization serving the residents of San Rafael's Bret Harte Neighborhood and supports approximately 500 residences, with the purpose of bringing the community together.

The BHCA is funded by neighborhood and community donations. A $25/year per-household donation is suggested. However, all activities are available to all neighborhood residents regardless of member status. The many accomplishments of the BHCA are achieved solely through volunteer efforts. To stay up to date on what's happening in and around the neighborhood, subscribe to the BHCA Email List.
All content © 2022 Bret Harte Community Association (BHCA). Contact [email protected].