Bay Area Summer Festival Guide 2021 (Updated)

Things are feeling close to back to normal, so that means that many traditional summer fairs and festivals are returning for the first time in more than a year. Here’s our upcoming list big fun events to look forward to!

2021 Summer Festivals / Bay Area

Updated 8/17/21

June 2021

• San Mateo County Fair (San Mateo) – Live music, carnival rides, pig racing and fair food. $5 day on Wed. June 9  – June 5-13, 2021
• Pride (SF) – Mostly Canceled for 2021 – No parade, expo or big festival for 2021, but smaller one-off events like movie night at Oracle Park still taking place June 11-12, 2021
• Union Street Music Festival (SF) – Likely Canceled for 2021 – Typically in June, but website is dead.
• Haight Street Fair (SF) – Likely Canceled for 2021 – Typically in mid-June, but no mention at all of date change, or cancelation for 2021
• Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival (Berkeley) – Sidewalks along Shattuck and Cedar in North Berkeley – FREE – Saturday, June 19, 2021 (10a-4p)
• Stern Grove Festival (SF) – Annual outdoor Sunday summer music festival- FREE  – June 20 – August 29, 2021
• Craneway Craft Fair (SF) – Outdoor market w/ 130+ artists at SF’s Pier 70 – FREE – June 26-27, 2021
• NEW Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (SF) – Outdoor music and arts festival in the park w/ 20+ events – FREE – June 26 – Aug 28, 2021
• West Coast Craft Market (SF) – Outdoor market with 80+ makers at Fort Mason – FREE – Saturday, June 26, 2021 (10a-6p)
• Urban Air Market (SF) – Curated summer vendor fair w/ 50+ makers in Hayes Valley – FREE  – Sunday, June 27, 2021 (11a-6p)
• A la Carte & Art (Mountain View) – Canceled for 2021

July 2021

• Fillmore Jazz Festival (SF) – Canceled for 2021, but website says it’s on for “4th of July Weekend 2022”
• Berkeley 4th of July Fireworks – Canceled for 2021
• San Francisco 4th of July Fireworks –  Mayor London Breed announced fireworks are back for 2021
• San Jose 4th of July Fireworks – Unknown for 2021 – Website says “will not take place this year” but we can’t tell if that’s old info from 2020, or updated for 2021.
• Marin County Fair (San Rafael) – Canceled for 2021 and is instead a virtual fair – June 30 – July 4, 2021
• Gilroy Garlic Festival (Gilroy) – Smaller version of festival with a “drive-thu” gourmet alley – Open weekends July 23 – August 1, 2021
• Oakland Art and Soul Festival – Unknown for 2021 – No mention about a cancelation or any 2021 dates

August 2021

• NEW Golden Gate Park Band (SF) – 139 years of free outdoor big band concerts in Golden Gate Park. 2021 season begins August 1 – FREE
• Jerry Day (SF) – Unknown for 2021 – Website for annual tribute to Jerry Garcia at McLaren Park  says “Stay tuned for for info on Jerry Day 2021” – FREE
• Santa Clara County Fair (San Jose) – Unknown for 2021 – Facebook says it’s taking place in person, website says it’s mostly virtual for 2021. – July 30-August 6, 2021
• Napa’s Oxbow Riverstage Festival – Riverfront summer concert series w/ Billy Idol, Widespread Panic and Death Cab for Cutie – August 14-October 9, 2021
• Hot San Jose Nights / Airport Day (San Jose) – Air show, cars on display, aircraft on display, live music at Reid-Hillview Airport – FREE – Saturday, August 28, 2021 (10a-3p)
• NEW Free Shakespeare in the Park (Bay Area) – No specific schedule yet, but dates confirmed as August 28 – October 10 for FREE outdoors park performances

September 2021

• BottleRock (Napa) – SOLD OUT – Big 3-day music and food festival w/ Guns ‘N’ Roses, Foo Fighters and Stevie Nicks – Labor Day Weekend – September 3-5, 2021
• Kings Mountain Art Fair (Woodside) – Outdoor art market in a redwood forest – FREE – Labor Day Weekend – September 4-6, 2021 (10a-4p)
• NEW How Weird Street Fair – 22nd annual street dance party in SoMa around Howard & 2nd. – $11.11 early bird tix – Sept. 22, 2021
• North Beach Festival (SF) – Typically in mid-June, but this year’s dates are rescheduled for September 18-19, 2021 – FREE
• TreasureFest (San Rafael) – Two day outdoor festival of music, art, food and hundreds of indie craft and vintage vendors – Marin Center – September 18-19, 2021
• NEW Flower Piano (SF) – Golden Gate Park’s Botanical Garden turns into alfresco concert hall – Sept. 17-21, 2021 – FREE for SF Residents
• West Coast Craft Indoor Festival (SF) – Huge craft fair w/ 275+ makers – FREE – Fort Mason Festival Pavilion – September 18-19, 2021
• NEW Comedy Day (SF) – The original, longest-running, free, outdoor comedy concert in the world returns with 40 comedians on one stage for 5 hours
• Sunday Streets (SF) – Neighborhood festival taking over 1-4 miles of streets slated to return “this fall” but dates and locations are still TBA – FREE – Fall 2021
• Sausalito Art Festival – Canceled for 2021

October 2021

• Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (SF) – Unknown for 2021 – On 6/9/21 organizers said they will provide updates on 2021 “in the coming weeks.” Original plans were to hold it October 1-3, 2021
• Urban Air Market (SF) – Curated fall vendor fair in Hayes Valley FREE – – Sunday, October 3, 2021 (11a-6p)
• NEW San Francisco Fleet Week (SF) – Parade of ships and airshow headlined by Blue Angels returns (Festival, Oct. 3-11, Air Show, Oct. 8-10) – FREE
• 20th Street Block Party (SF) – Noise Pop’s free indie music festival on 20th btwn Bryant and Harrison – FREE – October 16, 2021
• NEW Corgi Con – Massive dogo beach paw-ty returns to Ocean Beach – FREE – October 16, 2021
• Outside Lands (SF) – Golden Gate Park festival w/ The Strokes, Lizzo, Tame Impala – Halloween Weekend – October 29-31
• NEW Castro Street Fair – Always the 1st Sunday in October, The Fair, founded by Harvey Milk, returns in person this year – October 3, 2021