Best SF Bay Area
Events, Weekends & Festivals 2019
We limit our picks to ONLY the best events in the SF Bay area in 2019, personally handpicked for local insiders to enjoy. Many are unique world-class affairs. A few are just a lot of fun. The events below are organized by month & regularly updated including local Pacific Coast time. Also see regular weekly events at the end of each month below and recently past events.
SEPTEMBER 2019 — SF Bay Area Events & Weekends
Sunday Streets, Sundays, Free at different locations
These Sunday events close neighborhood streets to cars so people can enjoy a large, temporary, public space where they can freely bike, walk, run, dance, skate, yoga & meet neighbors. In our experience they do not get busy until later in the afternoon so there is no need to get there right on time.
- Sunday Streets SF Western Addition (9/22/19, 11 am-4 pm).
- Every Sunday at Golden Gate Park and Canada Road (off Hwys 280 & 92, Belmont) – Main roads are closed to cars every Sunday year round subject to weather for bicyclists & skaters of all levels to enjoy.
- For more details see Sunday Streets.
SF International Dragon Boat Festival, Merrit Island, Oakland
Saturday-Sunday, 9/28/19-9/29/19, Free admission
One of the largest competitive dragon boat races in the United States. The festival has entertainment, food and free activities. See details.
Pacific Coast Fog Fest, Palmetto Street, Pacifica
Sat-Sun, 9/28/19-9/29/19, 10 am-6 pm. Free admission
Over 200 vendors on the main street of Pacifica. See more details.
Folsom Street Fair
Folsom Street, between 8th and 13th Streets
Sunday 9/29/19, 11 am-6 pm, Admission free (but with a “strongly” suggested donation of $10 at the gate)
The largest leather event in the world and very kinky with much nudity. Adults only (and not really recommended for straight males). Live entertainment and over 200 exhibitor booths. Warning: definitely do not go if you are at all easily shocked. See details.
Fall Plant Sale, UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley
Thursday, 9/29/19, 10:30 am – 3:00 pm, Admission
If you are into plants, especially California natives, the University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley should definitely be on your bucket list to visit sometime. It’s a great place for an interesting hike too. Their Fall Plant sale is a good day to visit if you want to buy plants or get free advice. See more details.
Fun & Free WEEKLY Events & Activities
Here are some good things to do that happen regularly every week in July.
- Yerba Buena Gardens Festival – Over 90 different events (music & shows) held various days of each week. (6/1/19-10/27/19)
- Off The Grid at Fort Mason Center – Friday Nights through October, This is the largest food truck event in the U.S. with over 30 independent food vendors, music and considerable action. See details.
- Picnic at the Presidio, Main Parade Ground – Sundays, 11 am-4 pm. Off the Grid’s food vendors gather in this great venue. March – October. See details.
- Golden Gate Park Band – Sundays, 1 pm-2:45 pm. 4/28/19-10/6/19. Located at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. See more details.
- Swing Dancing in the Park – Sundays, 11 am-2 pm, year round. Free dancing & beginners lesson in Golden Gate Park.
- Stern Grove Concerts – Sundays, 6/16/19-8/18/19, 2 pm-5 pm. See details.
- Free Shakespeare In The Park, As You Like It – Free Shakespeare by talented actors appear in various venues around the Bay Area such as Pleasanton (June-July), Cupertino (July), Redwood City (August), SF Presidio (September), SF McClaren Park (September). See calendar.
- Bicycle Sundays – Open Sundays round subject to weather. Main roads are closed to cars on Sundays at both Golden Gate Park and Canada Road (off Hwys 280 & 92, Belmont) for bicyclists & skaters of all levels to enjoy.
Month of September – Other
- Pro Sports: See San Francisco Giants .
- College Sports: In the Bay Area you can see a variety of interesting collegiate sports up close and at low cost. E.g., the sunken diamond at Stanford is one of the best places to watch college baseball in the country. Check Stanford’s schedules for baseball or all sports. Also see the Cal Berkeley, San Jose State and San Mateo Jr. College event schedules.
- FREE Monthly Museum Days:
Typically the first Tue/Wed/Thu, every month at many Bay Area locations
Many San Francisco Bay Area museums have free admission days once a month. See dates & links. Often these events are quite crowded but if you arrive early enough this is a way to see the best museums for free.
OCTOBER 2019 — SF Bay Area Events & Weekends
The clear, mild weather usually makes Fall the best time of the year to visit Half Moon Bay and the Half Moon Bay Coastline. See the pumpkin patches and visit Pescadero, our favorite small town between San Francisco & Santa Cruz. Be aware, however, that Halloween along the coast is very crowded so start & leave early to help minimize chances of getting stuck in a serious traffic jam.
Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Festival, Golden Gate Park
Friday 10/4/19 – Sunday 10/6/19, 11:00 am – 7 pm, Free
We particularly like this music festival because it is low-key (bring your dog and picnic blanket for sitting on the grass) and features over 100 different musical artists on seven different stages. You can wander in and out of the venues even during performances. It is located on the west side of Golden Gate Park south of John F Kennedy Dr between the Polo Field (about 32d Ave) and Highway 1 (Park Presidio Blvd). See details (and schedule).
Stanford Football is starting up again
vs Washington, Saturday, 10/5/19, at Stanford. See schedule.
vs UCLA, Thursday, 10/17/19, at Stanford. See schedule.
vs Arizona, Saturday, 10/26/19, at Stanford. See schedule.
vs California, Saturday, 11/23/19, at Stanford. See schedule.
San Francisco Fleet Week, Fishermans Wharf area
Monday-Monday 10/6/19 – 10/14/19, Free
Fleet Week attracts more than a million visitors each year to see the parade of ships, ship tours and air show featuring the Blue Angels. See more details .
Blue Angels Air Show, Fishermans Wharf & Marina area
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10/11/19 – 10/13/19, 12 pm-4 pm, Free
On Friday-Sunday, the Fleet Week Air Show starts at 12 pm with several other aircraft performances and ends with the Blue Angels from 3 pm – 4 pm. See more about best places to watch the show.
Grand National Rodeo Cow Palace, Daly City
Fri-Sat 10/11/19-10/12/19 & 10/18/19-10/19/19, Admission
If you like rodeos this is the one to see in San Francisco once per year. There are several different events during the week including livestock exposition, cattle dog competitions, and horse shows depending on your interests. It opens at 8 am (check schedule) and rodeo shows are at 7:30 pm on Friday & Saturday evenings. See details
Columbus Day Parade, Fishermans Wharf to Washington Square, Free
Sunday 10/13/19 Starts 12:30 pm at Fishermans Wharf, Free
The oldest Italian-American parade in America (est. 1869). Over 400,000 people attended last year so with Fleet Week going on simultaneously this will be one of the most crowded days of the SF year. The parade starts at Jefferson & Stockton Streets in Fishermans Wharf and moves up Columbus Avenue to Washington Square. See details.
Art & Pumpkin Festival, Half Moon Bay
Sat-Sun 10/19/19-10/20/19, 9 am-5 pm, Free
If you can stand the very heavy weekend traffic (over 350,000 attended last year) check out the Art & Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay and the pumpkin stands near Half Moon Bay. We go much earlier in the month and earlier in the morning (certainly before 10 am) when traffic is not as bad. It often backs up for miles on Hwy 92, especially around the Lemos Farm kid’s rides just east of the city. See details.
Renaissance Fair, Hollister, CA
Saturdays & Sundays only, 9/14/19-10/20/19, 10 am-6 pm
History comes to life at this Hollister version of the Renaissance Fair. Held at Casa de Fruta every Saturday and Sunday for a month in the fall. Admission $28/day + parking. No pets are allowed. See more details.
See Hundreds of Hawks/hour, Hawk Hill, Marin Headlands
9/10/19-10/9/19, Free
The largest known flight of daytime raptors (hawks, falcons, vultures, etc.) takes place every autumn at Hawk Hill, the 920 foot peak on the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge. See details.
Sunday Streets, Sundays, Free at different locations
These Sunday events close neighborhood streets to cars so people can enjoy a large, temporary, public space where they can freely bike, walk, run, dance, skate, yoga & meet neighbors. In our experience they do not get busy until later in the afternoon so there is no need to get there right on time.
- Sunday Streets SF Excelsior (10/20/19, 11 am-4 pm).
- Every Sunday at Golden Gate Park and Canada Road (off Hwys 280 & 92, Belmont) – Main roads are closed to cars every Sunday year round subject to weather for bicyclists & skaters of all levels to enjoy.
- For more details see Sunday Streets.
Halloween Monster Bash Dance Party – USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier, Alameda
Saturday 10/26/19, 7:30 pm-1 am, Admission
East Bay’s premier costume party. There are three dance floors on the enclosed, heated hangar decks of this famous World War II aircraft carrier which is now a National Historic Landmark. This is a big, fun event that thousands attend. It is run by and proceeds benefit the USS Hornet Museum. See details.
Halloween,
Thursday 10/31/19
Halloween is a big deal in San Francisco. For those into history, from the 1940s until 2006 the most fantastic costume event in the world was held Halloween Eve on Castro Street, SF. But, alas, this amazing street celebration was cancelled after crowds of hundreds of thousands became too difficult to control. Now you will have to go to a private party to seriously celebrate or pay to get into a night club. The USS Hornet Monster Ball mentioned just above is a good option for ballroom dancers, in costume or not. Zillow thinks these neighborhoods in SF & San Jose are the best in the nation for trick or treating.
Fun & Free WEEKLY Events & Activities
Here are some good things to do that happen regularly every week in July.
- Yerba Buena Gardens Festival – Over 90 different events (music & shows) held various days of each week. (6/1/19-10/27/19)
- Off The Grid at Fort Mason Center – Friday Nights through October, This is the largest food truck event in the U.S. with over 30 independent food vendors, music and considerable action. See details.
- Picnic at the Presidio, Main Parade Ground – Sundays, 11 am-4 pm. Off the Grid’s food vendors gather in this great venue. March – October. See details.
- Golden Gate Park Band – Sundays, 1 pm-2:45 pm. 4/28/19-10/6/19. Located at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. See more details.
- Swing Dancing in the Park – Sundays, 11 am-2 pm, year round. Free dancing & beginners lesson in Golden Gate Park.
- Stern Grove Concerts – Sundays, 6/16/19-8/18/19, 2 pm-5 pm. See details.
- Free Shakespeare In The Park, MacBeth various locations & dates October & November. See see calendar.
- Bicycle Sundays – Open Sundays round subject to weather. Main roads are closed to cars on Sundays at both Golden Gate Park and Canada Road (off Hwys 280 & 92, Belmont) for bicyclists & skaters of all levels to enjoy.
Month of October – Other
- Pro Sports: See the San Francisco Giants.
- Golden State Warriors: Preseason starts 10/5/19, regular season starts 10/24/19. See schedule (or national TV NBA schedule).
- College Sports: In the Bay Area you can see a variety of interesting collegiate sports up close and at low cost. E.g., the sunken diamond at Stanford is one of the best places to watch college baseball in the country. Check Stanford’s schedules for baseball or all sports. Also see the Cal Berkeley, San Jose State and San Mateo Jr. College event schedules.
- FREE Monthly Museum Days:
Typically the first Tue/Wed/Thu, every month at many Bay Area locations
Many San Francisco Bay Area museums have free admission days once a month. See dates & links. Often these events are quite crowded but if you arrive early enough this is a way to see the best museums for free.
Related Pages:
- PAST SF Bay Area Events. See events which have already passed.
- Top of page and Home page
