Outside Lands Alternative Guide: 50 Things to Do Around the Bay Instead (Aug. 7-9)

From huge cultural festivals and free street fairs to circus cabaret, baseball fireworks, comedy, markets and weird Bay Area happenings, here are 50 ways to spend Outside Lands weekend without going to Outside Lands.

🎉 Big Festivals & Street Fairs

1. Pistahan 2026: SF’s Filipino Cultural Festival & Parade — Aug. 8–9, FREE
   Two days of Filipino food, music, dance, cultural performances and the huge Saturday parade at Yerba Buena Gardens.
2. Bay Area Aloha Festival — Aug. 8–9, $5
   Hawaiian and Pacific Islander music, dance, food, crafts and cultural activities at the San Mateo County Event Center.
3. 25th Annual Laurel StreetFair World Music Festival — Aug. 8, FREE
   A massive Oakland street festival with music, food and multicultural entertainment along MacArthur Boulevard.
4. 53rd Annual Gravenstein Apple Fair — Aug. 8–9, $23
   Head to Sebastopol for an old-school Sonoma County festival celebrating apples, agriculture, food and community.
5. Live on Larkin: Free Street Fest — Aug. 8, FREE
   A new Tenderloin street festival with live music, performances, vendors, games and free activities.
6. Pleasant Hill Night Market — Aug. 7, FREE
   Food trucks, live music, pet adoptions and kids activities at Chilpancingo Park.
7. Third Annual ‘Dancing Under the Lights’ Street Festival — Aug. 7, FREE
   A free downtown San Rafael street party with music, food and dancing.
8. Oakland First Fridays — Aug. 7, FREE
   Five blocks of Telegraph Avenue come alive with art, food, vendors and street activity.
9. North Beach First Fridays Art Crawl — Aug. 7, FREE
   Galleries, museums, bars and restaurants stay open late for a self-guided art crawl.
10. South First Fridays Art Walk — Aug. 7, FREE
    Explore San Jose’s SoFA district during its monthly evening arts walk.

🤸 Weird & Wonderful

11. San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival — Aug. 7–9, $15+
    Contemporary aerial dance, circus arts and site-specific performances at Fort Mason.
12. The Soiled Dove: Immersive 1890s Circus Cabaret — Aug. 7, $74+
    A full-on 1890s San Francisco circus experience with live music, circus acts, comedy, storytelling and cocktails in Alameda.
13. Circus Æternus — Aug. 7, $29
    Fifteen-plus DJs, carnival games, silent disco, circus acts, fortune tellers and live art at The Midway.
14. SF Bike Party — Aug. 7, FREE
    A monthly themed night bike ride and party for riders of different ages and styles.
15. San Francisco Mime Troupe — Aug. 8–9, FREE
    Catch the legendary political theater troupe’s free summer musical in a park setting.
16. San Jose Giants + Post-Game Fireworks — Aug. 7, FREE*
    Baseball followed by fireworks at San Jose Municipal Stadium.
17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Live in Concert — Aug. 8–9, $80+
    Watch the final Harry Potter movie while a live symphony performs the score at Davies Symphony Hall.
18. Lindy in the Park — Aug. 9, FREE
    Swing dancers take over JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park.
19. Golden Gate Park Sunday Roller Disco — Aug. 9, FREE
    Bring your skates and dance around to a mobile DJ at Skatin’ Place.
20. Golden Gate Park Band: Symphony in the Park — Aug. 9, FREE
    A free outdoor concert by the 30-piece Golden Gate Park Band.

🎨 Art, Museums & Markets

21. Oakland Art Murmur — Aug. 7, FREE
    More than 30 galleries and art spaces participate in Oakland’s monthly First Friday art walk.
22. Friday Nights at OMCA + Off the Grid — Aug. 7, FREE
    Outdoor music, DJs, food trucks, activities and a Friday-night block-party atmosphere.
23. Free Opening Night: “Behind the Curtain” at YBCA — Aug. 7, FREE
    See GaHee Park’s new surrealist exhibition and meet the artist and curator.
24. MoAD Free Museum Day — Aug. 8, FREE
    Free admission to the Museum of the African Diaspora’s exhibitions.
25. Free de Young Museum Day — Aug. 8, FREE for Bay Area residents
    Free general admission to the permanent collection galleries
26. Free Legion of Honor Museum Day — Aug. 8, FREE for Bay Area residents
    Free general admission to the permanent collection galleries
27. Inner Sunset Flea Market — Aug. 9, FREE
    Vintage, secondhand treasures, makers and neighborhood vendors take over Irving Street.
28. Contra Costa Vintage Market — Aug. 9, FREE
    A curated vintage market in downtown Lafayette.
29. Bernal Heights Hillwide Garage Sale — Aug. 8, FREE
    More than 100 neighborhood sellers turn Bernal Heights into one giant treasure hunt.
30. Creative Growth Summer Studio Sale — Aug. 8, FREE
    Browse and shop artwork from the Oakland nonprofit’s artists.
31. Alemany Farmers Market Market Bash — Aug. 8, FREE
    Celebrate the historic farmers market with 80+ vendors, music and free totes.
32. AniMachi Market: Let the Fandom Ship — Aug. 8, FREE
    Anime, manga, cosplay and fandom vendors at Koho Creative Hub.
33. Free Oakland Up Market — Aug. 7–9, FREE
    Pick through free art materials, books, electronics parts and other oddball treasures.
34. BART “Tool Time” Festival — Aug. 8, FREE
    Get an up-close look at BART equipment, maintenance gear and giant machinery in Fremont.

😂 Comedy & Nightlife

35. Crazy Funny Asians Comedy Showcase — Aug. 7–8, FREE with RSVP
    Bay Area Asian-American comedians at The Function.
36. HellaSecret Speakeasy Comedy Show — Aug. 7, FREE*
    A secret-location Oakland comedy show where you don’t get the address until later.
37. HellaSecret Desi Comedy Night — Aug. 8, FREE with RSVP
    A showcase of South Asian comedians at a secret SF venue.
38. Punch Line Secret Guest List — Aug. 9, FREE with RSVP
    See comedians at the iconic SF club without paying the usual ticket price.
39. Free Sunday Comedy Night — Aug. 9, FREE with RSVP
    Another free comedy option at The Function.
40. The Confessional Improv Comedy Show — Aug. 7–8, $11.94
    Audiences anonymously submit their sins and secrets, which performers turn into improvised scenes.
41. Your Fucked Up Relationship — Aug. 7–8, $16.37
    Improvised comedy inspired by audience members’ dysfunctional relationship stories.
42. The Infinite Wrench — Aug. 7–8, $18.60
    Thirty bite-sized plays performed in 60 frantic minutes by the SF Neo-Futurists.
43. The Ritual Comedy Show — Aug. 7, $12.16
    A late-night, deliberately weird improv/comedy show in the Mission.
44. Stoner Comedy Jam — Aug. 7, FREE*
    Comedy inside the Moe Greens cannabis lounge.
45. Puff Puff Laugh — Aug. 8, FREE*
    Saturday-night comedy at Moe Greens.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family & Offbeat Activities

46. STEM Play + Bubble Day — Aug. 8, FREE
    Hands-on STEM activities, a live DJ and giant bubble creations in Mountain View.
47. Kids Rock! Music Festival in the Park — Aug. 8, FREE
    Kid-focused music, dancing and entertainment in Redwood City.
48. Golden Gate Park Singing in the Park — Aug. 8, FREE
    A casual community sing-along at Mother’s Meadow.
49. Free Beginner Parkour “Urban Ninja” Class — Aug. 8, FREE
    Try parkour in a beginner-friendly class.
50. Snowboard & Ski Trick Workshop on Trampolines — Aug. 8-9, $40
    Practice ski and snowboard tricks with professional coaches at House of Air.