Events, Festivals, and Activities in San Francisco

 

San Francisco is full of events and festivals.  Enjoy our exciting city atmosphere and beautiful four-seasons weather, while you participate in one of the great activities below:

 

January

  • Sea's Lion Arrival: Bring your family to watch herds of barking sea lions returning to the Bay area. Join the crew at Pier 39 in mid-January for this annual event. Call (415) 705-5500 for more information.
  • Independent Film Festival: Bay area directors are showcased at this annual two-week festival, beginning the last day of January, at the Roxie Cinema and Castro Theatre.
  • Chinese New Year: Extended Chinese New Year Festivities include a parade, Chinese New Year Flower Fair and a Community Street Fair. Call (415) 982-3000 for more information.
  • Critical Mass: On the last Friday of every month, cyclists from all over the city take over the financial district’s Justin Herman Plaza at rush hour. What started as a protest over public transportation has now become a regular San Francisco event. Call (415) 227-2603 for more information.
  • Dine about Town: For a period of a week, up to 150 restaurants offer deeply discounted menus.

 

February

  • The Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show: This is the largest dog show in the West. It is a perfect event for dog-lovers!
  • Ms. Chinatown USA Pageant: As part of the Chinese New Year celebration, the Palace of Fine Arts at 3301 Lyon St. hosts contestants from all over the country, who will compete for a chance at the Miss Asia title in Hong Kong. Call (415) 563-6504 for more information.
  • Pacific Orchid Exposition: Don’t miss the annual display of San Francisco Orchid Society’s best collections, at the Fort Mason Center, located along San Francisco Bay between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge, around the third week in February.

 

March

  • San Francisco International Asia American Film Festival: Attend the largest exhibition of Asian and Asian-American films in North America.
  • SF Jazz Spring Season: Concerts at various venues from March through June include family matinee performances. Call (415) 398-5655 for more information.
  • St. Patrick’s Day Parade: One of the longest-running parades in the U.S. is celebrated with live music, dance, beverages and traditional Irish cuisine.
  • San Francisco Flower & Garden Show: Among the nation’s largest spring shows, the Cow Palace event displays gardens, spring plantings, accessories, decorations and more. Call (800) 829-9751 for more information.
  • Street Performer’s Festival: Jugglers, unicyclists, slack rope walkers and other artistes comprise the famous Bay Area street performers. See this unique show on the last weekend in March, from noon to 5 PM, at the entrance plaza to Pier 39. Call (415) 705-5500 for more information.

 

April

  • Major League Baseball: Nothing signals coming of spring more than baseball! An important part of American culture— nothing beats Major League Baseball action, playing out each season from April through the World Series. Root for the San Franisco Bay Area teams: Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants.
  • Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival: Japantown turns the streets into a walking mall and street fair with vendor booths and parades, in mid-April. Spend the weekends enjoying Japanese food, origami, music, dance, visual and martial arts demonstrations, children's activities, a parade and more.
  • Dine for a Change: In early April, participating restaurants throughout San Francisco will donate up to 40% of their proceeds to local San Franisco non-profit organizations.
  • Opening Day on the Bay: San Francisco Bay kicks off each sailing season with a festive boat parade and blessing of the fleet, embarking from Pier 39, sponsored by Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association comprising nearly 100 northern California yacht clubs.
  • San Francisco International Film Festival: Some 200 films and videos from more than 50 countries are screened at America’s oldest annual film festival.

 

May

  • Cinco de Mayo Parade and Celebration: This fun parade takes place in the Mission District. Take part in this celebration of Mexican heritage and pride!
  • International Children's Festival: Early in May, children and their families from all over the world gather to sample a multi-cultural array of food, music, dance, games and activities designed to bring together our global community, in the Music Concourse Bandshell area of Golden Gate Park, sponsored by Pacifica Institute and Bay Area Cultural Connections. Call (408) 747-1478 for more information.

 

June

  • Union Street Festival: On the first weekend in June, San Francisco hosts one of the largest art fairs in the country, where hundreds of artists, gourmet food booths, live entertainers on two stages and hands-on art activities for kids of all ages are arrayed along Union Street between Gough and Steiner in the Cow Hollow neighborhood.
  • North Beach Fair: In mid-June, the North Beach district hosts an annual outdoor festival of arts and crafts, gourmet food, live entertainment, Italian street painting, staged cooking demonstrations, beverage gardens, a children's zone, and a blessing of the animals.
  • Haight Street Fair: On the 2nd Sunday of every June, the Summer of Love is recreated in the Haight-Ashbury area, as thousands of people fill the streets.
  • SF Gay Pride Parade: Always the last Sunday in June, the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade (to accompany a host of other celebration activities) begins at Market and Beale streets. The Gay Pride Parade is the largest of its kind in the U.S.

 

July

  • Fourth of July Celebrations: These events begin with: Fourth of July Music Festival at 1PM at Pier 39, and end with fireworks beginning at 9:30 PM. The main event is sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle. Fourth of July at the Cannery, on Leavenworth Street at the foot of Columbus Street, has music all day leading up to fireworks. Fourth of July at Ghirardelli Square features live music and free children’s festivities. Call ( 415) 775-5500 for more information.
  • Fillmore Street Jazz Festival: Between Jackson and Eddy streets, three stages have continuous jazz performances, along with more than 300 artist booths and international food courts. Call (800) 310-6563 for more information.

 

August

  • San Francisco Aloha Festival: This arts event celebrates Pacific Isle culture, Polynesian dance, island food, music, and ethnic arts.
  • Nihonmachi Street Fair: Lion dancers, taiko drummers, arts and crafts, musical entertainment, food and children’s events are part of this Japanese festival. Call (415) 771-9861 for more information.

 

September

  • Feast of San Gennaro: If it’s fall and you’re ready for some football, count on the National Football League to deliver non-stop grid action, leading to playoffs, and the incomparable Super Bowl. San Francisco Bay Area teams are Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.
  • The San Francisco Blues Festival: This music festival draws a spirited crowd at the Great Meadow at Fort Mason.
  • SF Chocolate Festival: Celebrate chocolate in all its forms at Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point St., around the second week in September. Compete in the sundae-eating contest and win your weight in chocolate.

 

October

  • Fleet Week: Sailors come to town with a parade of vessels under the Golden Gate Bridge.
  • Octoberfest By The Bay: San Francisco’s annual event at the Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion features German music, dancing, culinary delights, beer, wine, and more.

 

November

  • Dias de los Muertos: At the beginning of November, the Mission Cultural Center at 2868 Mission St. sponsors this Mexican celebration of ancestral spirits, with a colorful parade of costumes and plenty of food.
  • Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ghirardelli Square: Caroling performances and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus precede the annual ceremonial lighting of the 50-foot holiday tree trimmed with ribbons, ornaments and oversized Ghirardelli chocolate bars.

 

December

  • Great Dickens Christmas Fair: The Great Dickens event at the Cow Palace revives traditions of an old English Victorian Christmas with theaters, a music hall, dance parties, taverns, shops, stalls, food, street vendor and period costumes.
  • San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker: Experience Tchaikovsky’s traditional holiday ballet performed by the oldest and arguably one of the best ballet companies in the country, beginning mid-December, at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave. Call (415) 865-2000 for more information.