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Art & Museums

Saturday, May 9

MoAD: Museum of the African Diaspora Free Museum Day (SF)
Saturday, May 9 – 11:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Museum of the African Diaspora
MoAD: Museum of the African Diaspora Free Museum Day (SF)

MoAD, a contemporary art museum, celebrates Black cultures, ignites challenging conversations, and inspires learning through the global lens of the African Diaspora. Free Day MoAD hosts a ‘‍THRIVE @ MoAD Community Day’ every second Saturday with free admission to all of its exhibitions. Check ...Monthly

“Sketchboard”: Figure Drawing Art Class & Live Music | SF
Saturday, May 9 – 2:00 pm - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: $5*
*Donation-based admission: $5-15
| Monument

Join in at the Monument (140 9th St), for figure drawing accompanied by live musicians. Everyone is welcome, we are a mix of seasoned artists, students, and first timers. Poses range from 2, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes. There will be easels provided and ...Monthly

Sunday, May 10

The Box SF Artistica Creators Fest (May 9-10)
Sunday, May 10 – 11:00 am - Ends at 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*TICKETS NOT REQUIRED
| The Box SF
The Box SF Artistica Creators Fest (May 9-10)

The Box SF’s Artistica Creators Fest (formerly known as Artists and Makers Fair) is a multi-day weekend event held monthly at the historic building located in the heart of San Francisco! Originally the William Randolph Hearst printing plant built in the 1920’s, The Box SF is now ...

The Exploratorium’s Free Admission Day for Mother’s Day (2026)
Sunday, May 10 – 10:00 am - Ends at 3:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Typically pay what you can.
| Pier 15
The Exploratorium's Free Admission Day for Mother's Day (2026)
Every year, the Exploratorium typically celebrates Mother’s Day with one of its most beloved traditions: a Pay What You Wish Community Day. > Not yet confirmed for 2026 The museum has a long-standing tradition of opening its doors to the public on Mother’s Day for a day ...

Monday, May 11

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Monday

Tuesday, May 12

San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Free Day (2nd Tuesdays)
San Francisco Botanical Garden's Free Day (2nd Tuesdays)

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds ...Monthly

“Cartoonist Conspiracy of San Francisco” Collaborative Drawing Jam
Tuesday, May 12 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*buy coffee or food from the shop
| Finjan Qahwa
"Cartoonist Conspiracy of San Francisco" Collaborative Drawing Jam

The San Francisco Cartoonist Conspiracy meets from 7-9pm on the second Tuesday of every month at Finjan Qahwa. Generally, we draw collaborative jam comics, socialize and drink beverages.Monthly

Wednesday, May 13

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Wednesday

Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
Wednesday, May 13 – 11:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)

Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. Centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA ...Every Wednesday

Saturday, May 16

De Youngsters Day Out: Free Museum Day for Families (2026)
Saturday, May 16 – 9:30 am - Ends at 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE | de Young Museum
De Youngsters Day Out: Free Museum Day for Families (2026)
We invite you, and all Bay Area families, to attend the 5th annual de Youngsters Day Out on Saturday, May 16, 2026. This event is free and open to every Bay Area family. The event will include hands-on art-making activities, entertainment led by teaching artists ...

Sunday, May 17

SFMOMA’s Hat Party for Matisse Exhibit Opening
SFMOMA's Hat Party for Matisse Exhibit Opening
Celebrate the opening of Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal by wearing your favorite hat to SFMOMA on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The exhibition, on view from May 16 to September 13, 2026, explores the history and impact of Matisse’s iconic 1905 portrait of his wife, ...

Monday, May 18

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Monday

Wednesday, May 20

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Wednesday

Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
Wednesday, May 20 – 11:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)

Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. Centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA ...Every Wednesday

Bay Bridge’s “Bay Lights” Return: Grand Lighting Celebration
Wednesday, May 20 – 6:00 pm - Ends at 12:00 am | Cost: FREE | The Bay Bridge
Bay Bridge's "Bay Lights" Return: Grand Lighting Celebration
The $11M rebuilt Bay Lights installation returns to the Bay Bridge on March 20, 2026 with a Grand Lighting. Once relit, the 1.8-mile artwork will illuminate nightly from dusk to dawn. Full viewing details are still TBA as of 2/19/26. After nearly three years of darkness, ...
North Beach Noir: Free “Renegade Cinema” Night of SF Films (2026)
Wednesday, May 20 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Bring Friends and Family to Support the Gallery !
| Live Worms Gallery
North Beach Noir: Free "Renegade Cinema" Night of SF Films (2026)

We are a group of cinephiles passionate about sharing films that are deeply connected to North Beach, San Francisco, and the city’s rich filmmaking history. Our focus is on films relevant to North Beach, as well as showcasing works from local San Francisco filmmakers. We host monthly screenings every ...Monthly

Sunday, May 24

SFMOMA Free Day Including Special Matisse Exhibit
Sunday, May 24 – 10:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | SFMOMA
SFMOMA Free Day Including Special Matisse Exhibit
On Sunday, May 24, 2026, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opens its doors for Free Community Day, giving visitors full access to the entire museum, including the exhibition Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal. SFMOMA Free Community Day 2026 San Francisco Museum of Modern ...

Monday, May 25

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Monday

Wednesday, May 27

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
Japanese Tea Garden's Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California ...Every Wednesday

Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
Wednesday, May 27 – 11:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Free Admission Day at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)

Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. Centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA ...Every Wednesday

Tuesday, June 2

SF’s Conservatory of Flowers Free First Tuesdays (Golden Gate Park)
Tuesday, June 2 – 10:00 am - Ends at 4:30 pm | Cost: FREE | Conservatory of Flowers
SF's Conservatory of Flowers Free First Tuesdays (Golden Gate Park)

Whether you’re a native San Franciscan, a visitor from the other side of the world, or a budding botanist, the Conservatory of Flowers, located in Golden Gate Park, offers an intimate, up-close experience with nearly 2,000 species of rare, exotic, and endangered plants from more ...Monthly

Wednesday, June 3

SF’s GLBT History Museum: Free First Wednesday
SF's GLBT History Museum: Free First Wednesday

Located in SF’s Castro District, the GLBT Historical Society Museum is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. The museum celebrates 100 years of the city’s vast queer past through dynamic exhibitions and programming. Normally, admission is $10, but on ...Monthly

Drink & Draw Art Event & Raffle | The Knockout
Wednesday, June 3 – 6:30 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE | The Knockout
Drink & Draw Art Event & Raffle | The Knockout

At Drink and Draw, artsy bar patrons draw to a theme and submit their artwork into a raffle for cocktails and other prizes at The Knockout in the Mission District. The artwork gets scanned online for all to admire. Drink and Draw happens every first Wednesday of the ...Monthly

Thursday, June 4

Free First Thursdays at SF’s Museum of Craft and Design
Thursday, June 4 – 10:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free Admission every First Thursday
| Museum of Craft and Design
Free First Thursdays at SF's Museum of Craft and Design

There’s no better time to visit the Museum of Craft and Design than on their Free First Thursdays. Committed to making art, craft, and design accessible to everyone, the Museum of Craft and Design is free on the first Thursday of every month. Museum of ...Monthly

SFMOMA’s “Free First Thursdays” Free Museum Day for Locals
Thursday, June 4 – 12:00 pm - Ends at 8:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us
| SFMOMA
SFMOMA's "Free First Thursdays" Free Museum Day for Locals

2026 UPDATE: Sadly, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has confirmed that its Free First Thursday program is temporarily paused beginning February 2026. The museum says the program will be re-envisioned and relaunched at a future date, with updates to be shared once plans are finalized. As ...Monthly

Lower Polk / TL Art Walk | Trendyloin
Thursday, June 4 – 6:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Lower Polk / Gulch Corridor
Lower Polk / TL Art Walk | Trendyloin

The SF First Thursday Art Walk makes 27+ galleries available late night to the public for an art walk every first Thursday from 6-10 pm. This is not a bar crawl. Each location is either a traditional gallery or a retail space with room dedicated to ...Monthly

Friday, June 5

History Museum: Free First Fridays (Redwood City)
Friday, June 5 – All Day | Cost: FREE | San Mateo County History Museum
History Museum: Free First Fridays (Redwood City)

Enjoy free admission from 10 am to 4 pm, every first Friday of the month, at the San Mateo History Museum. Explore the museum housed in the 1910 County Courthouse; listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it features a stained glass dome and mosaic tile floor. The History Museum is ...Monthly

Free Admission Day at Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Friday, June 5 – All Day | Cost: FREE | Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Free Admission Day at Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Connect with nature at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, a place for learning, explorationand building community located in a beautiful building right on the beach in Santa Cruz. Permanent exhibits include wildlife and habitat displays, artifacts and cultural exhibits of the Ohlone, a ...Monthly

“Block Fest” Tenderloin Arts Festival & Free Art Making | SF
Friday, June 5 – 3:00 pm - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free, but an RSVP is required.
| CounterPULSE
"Block Fest" Tenderloin Arts Festival & Free Art Making | SF

Every first and third Friday of the month, locally sourced Artist Activators offer up free art making. Block Fest animates and celebrates the unit block of Turk Street with free arts activities, cultural offerings, community information, and discussion for the local residents, workers, and visitors. From ...Monthly

North Beach First Fridays Art Crawl (SF)
Friday, June 5 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE | North Beach
North Beach First Fridays Art Crawl (SF)

On the first Friday of every month, over a dozen North Beach galleries, museums, bars, and restaurants stay open late for a self-guided First Fridays Art Crawl with special events to showcase the ever-growing collections of art and entertainment that diversify North Beach. First Fridays Art Crawl ...Monthly