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San Francisco’s Fall Festivals & Street Fairs (2024)

All the 2024 dates for 40+ of SF’s most fun fall festivals and street fairs including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, Comedy Day & more
By - posted 10/27/2024 No Comment
bgwashburn via Flickr - CC BY-SA 2.0

Autumn is here! Here’s a round-up of fun and fabulous fall festivals, street fairs, and the best events you can look forward to this Fall 2024.

SEPTEMBER 2024

OCTOBER 2024

NOVEMBER 2024

San Francisco Oktoberfest Comedy Festival

September 29 – October 3, 2024 – SF’s brand new – very first (and only) Black-owned comedy club (The Function) – FREE – Get ready for five nights of laughs, rare Oktoberfest beers on tap, and unforgettable performances of top-tier comedians who usually grace the stages of Punchline, Cobb’s, or SF Sketchfest.

Opera in the Park 2024

September 8, 2024 – SF (Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park) – FREE – Upwards of 15,000 bring their picnic blankets and wine to the park for this annual free outdoor concert by the San Francisco Opera for a delightful afternoon of arias, duets and more performed by the stars of the fall season.

2024 Flower Piano: 12 Hidden Pianos in GG Park

September 13-22, 2024 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE for SF residents – For 10 days, Flower Piano will once again transform San Francisco Botanical Garden into the city’s own alfresco concert hall where everyone is invited to play and listen.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

“Corgi Con” Bay Area 2024

September 14, 2024 – Pleasanton – (Alameda County Fairgrounds) – $11 – Celebrate all things Corgi at the largest Corgi event in Northern Corgifornia.

Korean Center, Inc. / Youtube

2024 Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival

September 14-15, 2024 – SF (Chinatown) – FREE –  The bustling streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown are transformed into a vibrant public celebration for the 34th Annual Autumn Moon Festival filled with arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, live music, local contemporary entertainment, mooncakes, lion dancing, and more family-friendly fun.

Calvin Jeng via SFCMA

45th Annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair

September 15, 2024 – SF (Haight) – FREE – The annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair brings thousands of people to Haight Street between Stanyan and Masonic to shop over 200 outdoor vendors including food, green businesses, local artists, clothing, crafts, non-profits and more plus two stages of live music.

David Yu - CC BY-NC 2.0

SF’s Annual Comedy Day 2024

September 15, 2024 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE – San Francisco’s original, longest-running, free, outdoor comedy concert in the world, Comedy Day in the Park is back to celebrate its 43rd anniversary with a five-hour free comedy show in the park with over 50 comedians.

2024 San Francisco Greek Festival

September 20-22, 2024 – SF (Mission Dist) – FREE – “A Taste of Greece” returns for its 73rd year with aromas of freshly made Spanakopita, Moussaka, Gyros, plus live Greek music and dancing.

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

45th Annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair

September 15, 2024 – SF (Haight) – FREE – The annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair brings thousands of people to Haight Street for a six-block-long street fair with 200+ vendors and live music on two stages.

David Yu - CC BY-NC 2.0

SF’s Muni Heritage Weekend 2024

September 21-22, 2024 – SF (Embarcadero) – FREE – The annual Muni Heritage Weekend is an opportunity to ride special vintage transit vehicles that are rarely seen on the streets of San Francisco including vintage buses and the beloved Blackpool Boat Tram. Plus rides on all these streetcars will be FREE all weekend.

Market Street Railway

3rd Annual Chinatown Lion Dance Festival

September 21-22, 2024 – SF (Chinatown) – FREE – Experience the excitement of the traditional lion dance, performed by skilled dancers to the beat of the drums.

Kurt Bauschardt

Yerba Buena Gardens Dance Day 2024

September 28, 2024 – SF (Yerba Buena Gardens) – FREE –  Yerba Buena Gardens transforms into an outdoor dance center where participants can sample dance in a variety of forms and flavors with some of the Bay Area’s most talented teachers.

Folsom Street Fair

Free National Parks Day 2024

September 28, 2024 – All National Parks – FREE –  Enjoy free entry to all national parks and monuments including Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, and free admission aboard all of the historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier of SF’s Maritime National Historical Park.

Sunset Mercantile

Folsom Street Fair 2024

September 29, 2024 – SF (Folsom) –  FREE* (but $10-20 donation suggested) – A true only in San Francisco original, typically covers over 13 city blocks filled with 250,000+ people in their most outrageous leather, rubber, and fetish attire enjoying the world’s largest leather fair.

Union Square Ice Rink

San Francisco Oktoberfest Comedy Festival

Sun-Thu, September 29 – October 3, 2024 – SF’s brand new – very first (and only) Black-owned comedy club (The Function) – FREE – Get ready for five nights of laughs, rare Oktoberfest beers on tap, and unforgettable performances of top-tier comedians who usually grace the stages of Punchline, Cobb’s, or SF Sketchfest.

Funcheap

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2024

Fri-Sun, October 4-6, 2024 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE – One of the largest, free-est, and beloved music festivals in the country. Be one of over 750,000 attendees over the three-day musical extravaganza in beautiful Golden Gate Park.

Sur Herrera Paredes via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

50th Annual Castro Street Fair

Sunday, October 6, 2024 – SF (Castro) – FREE – Community street celebration that was founded by Harvey Milk in 1974 features hundreds of local artists, vendors, craftspeople, and multiple stages with live entertainment and dancing throughout the neighborhood.

Castro Street Fair

2024 San Francisco Fleet Week

October 7-14, 2024 – SF (Northern Waterfront) – FREE – The annual Fleet Week airshow and festival is back with nearly a full week of events including ship tours, K9 showcases, ship tours and the three-day airshow running October 11-13, 2024 highlighted by the Blue Angels buzzing the city.

SF’s World of Dumplings Food Festival

Saturday, October 12, 2024 – SF (FiDi) – FREE – A brand new food festival celebrates dumplings from around the world from 15+ restaurants, eating contests, cooking demos, a beer garden, and more.

Asians Are Strong

2024 Italian Heritage Festival & Parade

Sunday, October 13, 2024 – SF (North Beach) – FREE – The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade launched in 1868, and is now the longest continuously running Italian Heritage Parade in the United States. 

Italian Heritage Festival & Parade

2024 Bearrison Street Fair

Sunday, October 13, 2024 – SF (SoMa) – FREE – Enjoy burly entertainment, including attendee competitions building off the fan-favorite wrestling stage and the buns-out deadlift competition.

Gareth Gooch courtesy of Bearrison Street Fair

2024 Indigenous Peoples Day

Monday, October 14, 2024 – SF (Yerba Buena) – FREE – Join the celebration of San Francisco’s Indigenous Peoples Day at Yerba Buena Gardens with Native American art, music and vendors. The program highlights the vastly diverse and talented community of Indigenous artists in the Bay Area, California and beyond.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

2024 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off

Monday, October 14, 2024 – Half Moon Bay – FREE – The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their Goliath, mind-bending, Rhinoceros-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record at the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off –– the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” –– in the World Pumpkin Capital, Half Moon Bay.

Mirama Events

Castro Night Market

Friday, October 18, 2024 – SF (18th & Castro) – FREE – A brand new all-ages night market with merchants, local food vendors and entertainment launching October 2024 with six total events planned on the 3rd Friday of select months in the next year.

@castro.nightmarket

Potrero Hill R&B Festival 2024

Saturday, October 19, 2024 – SF (Potrero Hill) – FREE – Jam out to R&B music while we celebrate the Potrero community outdoors on 20th Street as we stretch out over 4 blocks with live music, food, family, and fun.

Potrero Festival

2024 Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

Sat-Sun, October 19-20, 2024 – Half Moon Bay – FREE – The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates with a smashing lineup of heavyweight champion pumpkins, four stages of stellar live music, the fantastically fun Great Pumpkin Parade, and tons more.

Miramar Events

Red Bull “Skyline” Skate Park Pop-Up atop SF’s Twin Peaks

Saturday, October 19, 2024 – SF – FREE – Red Bull is transforming this iconic lookout with 360° views into a “Skyline” skateboard competition with rainbow ramps and jumps over dumpsters. 10:30a to 3:30p-ish

Photo by Ben Kim on Unsplash

Sunday Streets “Phoenix Day” Block Party Day 2024

Sunday, October 20, 2024 – SF – FREE – SF’s biggest block party with over a dozen community-led block parties and activities happening across the city, there’s something for every San Franciscan and visitor to enjoy.

Sunday Streets SF

SF’s Annual Sandcastle Classic 2024

Saturday, October 26, 2024 – SF (Ocean Beach) – FREE – For one day, Ocean Beach is home to the largest sandcastle contest in Northern California; featuring dozens of jaw-dropping, supersized sand sculptures; plus there are food trucks and live music all day.

Leap Sandcastle Classic

SF’s “Kite by the Bay” Festival in the Park

Sunday, October 27, 2024 – SF (Candlestick Park) – FREE – Kite By The Bay is a free, family-friendly event and attendees are invited to bring kites or assemble and decorate kites that will be provided. The festival will also feature a free pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, face painting, music by local DJ BeatsMe, and free food on a first come first serve basis.

SF Parks Alliance

SF’s “Nightmare on Front Street” Halloween Block Party

Thursday, October 31, 2024 – SF (Downtown) – FREE – San Francisco’s first “entertainment zone” will transform into a Halloween haven for the city’s brand-new “Nightmare on Front Street” Halloween Block Party with DJs, live music, horror movie screenings, adult carnival games, and costume contests.

Downtown SF
Alison Taggart-Barone via NPS

2024 Día de los Muertos in the Sunset

November 1, 2024 – SF (Outer Sunset) – FREE – Come and enjoy a night full of food, music, dance, and compassion as we mourn our loved ones through the joys of life. Watch Folklorico dancers weave a story through performance, and create and set up an ofrenda, or alter offering, for your loved ones.

Sunset Mercantile

“Halloween Hoopla” Kids Festival in the Park 2024

November 2, 2024 – SF (SoMa) – FREE – The 24th annual Halloween Hoopla returns with awe-inspiring performers from Circus Bella plus live music from the Circus Bella All-Star Trio. The Hoopla grand finale is the popular Halloween Costume Parade – all kids are welcome to join in their best Halloween looks.

SF’s 2024 Dia de los Muertos Festival of Altars

November 2, 2024 – SF (Potrero Del Sol Park) – FREE – Every November 2nd, Marigold Project produces the Dia de Los Muertos Festival of Altars to honor your ancestors and understand where we come from with community altar building at 8am, ceremony at noon, and performances at 5pm. Then you can join the Day of the Dead Ritual Procession that typically begins at 22nd and Bryant Streets.

Renegrade Craft

2024 “Dia de los Muertos” 43rd Annual Procession in The Mission

November 2, 2024 – SF (Mission Dist.) – FREE – Join the procession through The Mission to honor our ancestors, with Azteca Dancers leading the way, stopping at each main corner of the four stops and performing a ritual dance.

ralphleon via Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Renegade Craft Fair Winter 2024

November 2-3, 2024 – SF (Fort Mason) – $5 Suggested Donation – Shop from over 250 artists at Renegade San Francisco featuring the best artist-made gifts, creative small biz goods, and handmade treasures, all in time for the holidays.

Photo | Renegade Craft Fair

San Francisco Tea Festival 2024

November 2-3, 2024 – SF (Ferry Bldg) – FREE* – If you love tea, there’s probably no better event all year to attend. Explore and taste hundreds of teas from 30+ different tea makers. Vendors include established brands and local artisans. *Free tickets are sold out! GA Tickets start at $24 and include free tastings and a souvenir porcelain tasting cup.

SF’s Holiday Ice Skating Rink: Opening Day 2024

November 6, 2024 – SF (Union Square) – $20 General Admission (includes skate rental) – One of San Francisco’s favorite holiday traditions returns for the 2024-25 holiday season. From November 6, 2024 through January 20, 2025, enjoy ice skating in San Francisco’s iconic Union Square plaza surrounded by festive lights and the sights and sounds of the season. Plus for Opening Day, the first 100 guests skate for free during the 5:30pm and 7pm sessions on November 6, 2024.

Union Square Ice Rink

SF”s 2024 “Laternenfest” German Autumn Lantern Festival

November 8, 2024 – SF (Presidio) – FREE – Celebrate “Laternenfest” and enjoy German food, student performances, lanterns, and a delightful evening stroll through Eureka Valley’s charming streets.

GISSV - German International School of Silicon Valley

Legion of Honor Free 3-Day Weekend for 100th Anniv.

November 9-11, 2024 – SF (Legion of Honor) – Free but tickets required – In a rare three-day event, San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum will open its doors for free to all visitors from November 9-11, 2024, in celebration of its 100th anniversary with a “cake picnic” on Saturday and special Monday opening for Veteran’s Day.

Legion of Honor / Henrik Kam

The San Francisco Fall Cider Fest 2024

November 9, 2024 – SF (SPARK Social SF) – $59 – Raise your glass and sip your way through unlimited pours of 30+ ciders featuring flavors like sweet honey-sage, agave ginger, sour blood orange, and tropical passionfruit. Indulge in all your fall food truck favorites, warm up by the fire pit with s’mores, and snap Insta-worthy shots at our awe-tumn photo ops—all while grooving to live beats.

2024 “SF Tweed Ride” Dress Up Bicycle Party

November 9, 2024 – SF (Alamo Square Park) – FREE – The Tweed Ride is a dapper bicycle party through the streets of San Francisco. Don your best tweed and join the group ride which stops for a picnic along the route and ends with drinks.

Melissa Davies

Free National Parks Day

November 11, 2024 – All National Parks – FREE –  Enjoy free entry to all national parks and monuments including Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, and free admission aboard all of the historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier of SF’s Maritime National Historical Park

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair via Rich Yee

Indigenous Peoples’ Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering 2024

November 28, 2024 – SF (Alcatraz) – FREE (but adult boat tix to Alcatraz are $15.50) – The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony is an annual event held every year on Thanksgiving on Alcatraz Island, part of the San Francisco Ohlone Territory, to commemorate the 1969-71 occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes. Typically, there are presenters on current and past Indigenous Peoples’ struggles to defend human rights, sovereignty, treaties, sacred sites, and traditional lands, plus drummers and dancers.

Alison Taggart-Barone via NPS

2024 dates not yet announced (as of Oct. 24)

Ghirardelli Square’s Holiday Lighting Ceremony

Friday, November 24, 2023 – Starts at 4:30p – Sing along to a collection of Holiday Tunes with the SF Boys Chorus, just before Santa comes to officially illuminate Ghirardelli Square with Christmas Lights. Afterwards, visit Santa in the carillon to take a photo and receive a free Ghirardelli Chocolate chocolate square.

Scottish Highland Winter Festival

Sunday, November 26, 2023 – Starts at Noon – Golden Gate Park Bandshell – The golden hues of autumn pave the way for a spectacular celebration of Scottish music and culture. From the rousing tunes of the Prince Charles Pipe Band to the soulful melodies of Peter Daldry, this musical extravaganza promises to transport you to the heart of Scotland.

Thrive City “Winter Wonderland” Lighting Ceremony

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 – 5p-7p – Thrive City – The holidays are here! Winter Wonderland is tipping off the festive season with the annual Lighting Ceremony featuring the Bay Area’s largest tree standing at 90 feet tall! This 2-hour showcase features live music from original member and founder of RUN DMC, Darryl McDaniels!