Home » City Guide » , , ,

San Francisco’s Summer Festivals & Street Fairs (2025)

Your Bay Guide Guide to Summer 2025 dates for 50+ of SF’s most fun festivals and street fairs
By - posted 6/23/2025 No Comment

Summer is the best time in San Francisco for fairs and festivals. Here’s a round-up of fun and fabulous summer festivals, street fairs, and the best events you can look forward to this summer 2025.

MAY 2025

2025 Slavic Festival

May 2-3, 2025 – SF (Sutter Street) – $17.85 – Experience the rich traditions of Slavic culture at San Francisco’s two-day Slavic Festival held in a historic venue on Sutter Street in Lower Pacific Heights. The festival features live performances, authentic cuisine, and handcrafted goods.

The Bay’s Huge “626 Night Market”

May 2-4, 2025 – Pleasanton (Alameda County Fairgrounds) – $5 – Inspired by the famous open-air nighttime bazaars of Asia, come ready to feast and explore 200+ food, merchandise, crafts, arts, games, music, and entertainment attractions.

2025 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

May 10, 2025 (Season Opener with events through November typically) – SF (SoMa) – FREE – Yerba Buena Gardens Festival hosts a full lineup of free outdoor music, theater, circus, dance, poetry, and children’s programs. The Festival kicks off on Saturday, May 10, 2025 with La Santa Cecilia.

“Focus Fest” Alameda’s 1st-Ever Climate Photography Festival

May 10, 2025 – Alameda – FREE – Radium Runway transforms into an open-air gallery showcasing national and international works, climate-friendly cuisines curated by the Bizerkeley Vegan, artist talks, walking tours, art projects and other family friendly activities.

2025 Taiwanese American Cultural Festival

May 10, 2025 – SF (Union Square) – FREE – The West Coast’s largest celebration of Taiwanese American culture features tasty Taiwanese cuisine in the festival food court, show-stopping performances, fun, cultural activities and crowd-favorite vendors.

Hawaiian May Day Festival 2025

May 10-11, 2025 – Pleasanton – $25 – Join the family-friendly festival dedicated to perpetuating Native Hawaiian and Polynesian culture through arts, language, music, and dancing. New in 2025, it’s now a two-day festival.

The Exploratorium’s Free Admission Day 2025

May 11, 2025 – SF (Embarcadero) – FREE (Pay What You Wish) – The Exploratorium opens up its doors to everyone each year to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s typically the only “pay what you wish” day all year.

Bay to Breakers 2025

May 18, 2025 – SF (From Howard & Main to the Great Highway) – FREE to watch or ‘race’ unofficially – Welcome back to “Bay to Breakers,” the crown jewel of San Francisco events since 1912 with 20,000+ people racing (and 100,000+ watching) from the Bay to the Breakers at the western end of Golden Gate Park in a costumed mass of everything we love about San Francisco.

2025 San Francisco Carnaval Festival & Parade

May 24-25, 2025 – SF (Mission Dist.) – FREE – San Francisco’s Carnaval features a free, two–day festival covering 17 blocks in the Mission District, with five main stages, 50 local performing artists, and 400 vendors, plus its Grand Parade which boasts a 60-contingent lineup, with over 3,000 artists representing the cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, and more.

Union Street Festival 2025

May 31 – June 1, 2025 – SF (Cow Hollow) – FREE –  Kick off the summer with one of the largest street festivals in San Francisco with the two-day long Union Street Festival with live music, food and goods vendors, family-friendly activity zones, artists, makers and fun for all ages.

2025 Bay Area Book Festival

May 31 – June 1, 2025 – Berkeley – Most Events Free – The Bay Area Book Festival returns with four headliner events, eight Writers’ Workshops, a lively outdoor fair/block party, and six indoor stages packed with top-notch programming in Downtown Berkeley.

JUNE 2025

Union Street Festival 2025

May 31 – June 1, 2025 – SF (Cow Hollow) – FREE –  Kick off the summer with one of the largest street festivals in San Francisco with the two-day long Union Street Festival with live music, food and goods vendors, family-friendly activity zones, artists, makers and fun for all ages.

2025 Bay Area Book Festival

May 31 – June 1, 2025 – Berkeley – FREE (except for night events) – The Bay Area Book Festival returns with four headliner events, eight Writers’ Workshops, a lively outdoor fair/block party, and six indoor stages packed with top-notch programming in Downtown Berkeley.

2025 Festa Italiana Street Fair

May 31 – June 1, 2025 – SF (North Beach) – FREE – San Francisco’s only Italian street festival features Italian Marionette show, tarantella dancing, the famous pizza toss, live Italian music, a “symphony” of accordions, an Italian marketplace and more.

SFMOMA Free Family Day 2025

June 8, 2025 – SF (SoMa) – FREE* – SFMOMA opens up its doors to families for Free Family Day with art-making activities for the whole family and free admission for up to four adults accompanying each visitor 18 and younger.

SF’s Filipino “Be Free” Festival 2025

June 13, 2025 – SF (SoMa) – FREE – SF’s Be Free Festival is an annual celebration that showcases the vibrant Filipino culture. In 2025, the Be Festival is now a nighttime festival with more details still TBA (as of 4/21/25).

OminoDay in the Park World Music Festival 2025

June 14, 2025 – SF (John McClaren Park) – FREE – One of the only home-grown, community-led music festivals in the area, OminoDay celebrates arts, culture and community of San Francisco with a fun day in the park featuring poets, dancers and DJs in loving memory of Andrew “DJ Domino” Ele.

2025 Juneteenth Freedom Celebration & Block Party

June 14, 2025 – SF (Fillmore) – FREE – Eight blocks of the Fillmore get turned into a big community celebration with free unlimited carnival rides, six sprawling “districts” plus a classic car show, a block party, free wine tastings, live music and more.

2025 Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival

June 14, 2025 – SF (Japantown) – FREE – The annual festival celebrates all things soy with soy and tofu vendors, cooking demonstrations, live music, interactive games, and a tofu eating contest, culminating in a Soy and Tofu Dessert Competition.

SF’s Dirtybird Free Back 2 Baysics Rave

June 14, 2025 – SF (Embarcadero Plaza) – FREE – Dirtybird is hosting a free outdoor rave for all ages in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza.

71st Annual North Beach Festival

June 14-15, 2025 – SF (North Beach) – FREE – One of the country’s original outdoor festivals, North Beach Festival spans nine blocks around on Grant and near Washington Square Park with 150+ vendors and arts & craft booths, plus DJs, live music, beer gardens, Italian street art and the annual “Blessing of the Animals.”

2025 Golden Gate Park Band Festival

June 14-15, 2025 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE – The annual two-day festival features bands from all around the state performing back-to-back concerts from 11am to 5pm in the Spreckels Temple of Music bandshell.

2025 Native Contemporary Arts Festival

June 15, 2025 – SF (Yerba Buena Gardens) – FREE – A beloved Father’s Day tradition celebrating the creativity of North America’s indigenous peoples featuring a diverse array of Native music, dance, spoken word, visual artists, vendors, and crafts.

“Sunday Streets” 2025

June 15 – October 18, 2025 – All Over SF – FREE –  Sunday Streets SF transforms San Francisco streets into car-free community spaces for all with free recreational activities, health resources, music, dance, and fun to neighborhoods across SF.

Free National Parks Day 2025

June 19, 2025 – All Over the USA – FREE – In honor of Juneteenth, 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.

2025 San Francisco Juneteenth Parade

June 22, 2025 – SF (Embarcadero) – FREE – San Francisco hosts a big parade with vibrant floats and live music typically followed by a festival with incredible musical performances, food and drink, games, and so much more in celebration of Juneteenth. Please note that the details for the 2025 festival haven’t been announced yet as of 4/18/25).

San Francisco’s Annual Trans March & Festival 2025

June 27, 2025 – SF (Dolores Park) – FREE – Hit the streets with pride to march through iconic neighborhoods, raising awareness and visibility for the transgender and gender non-conforming community. 2025 event details & times have not yet been announced (as of 4/30/25)

San Jose’s 2025 FoodieLand Night Market

June 27-29, 2025 – San Jose – FREE – Inspired by Asia’s open-air night markets, FoodieLand is a family-friendly outdoor food festival featuring a carefully curated multicultural marketplace featuring 175 vendors representing foods and flavors from across the globe. Plus there are carnival games and live musical performances.

2025 San Francisco Pride Parade & Festival

June 28-29, 2025 – SF (Civic Center) – FREE – The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is one of the largest LGBT gatherings in the nation with a giant two-day festival and a massive parade with over 200 contingents.

Pride Comedy Guide

Funcheap is proud to present several FREE Pride comedy shows for 2025!

Thrive City Outdoor Free Pride Comedy Night
Thursday, June 26 at Thrive City/Chase Center | 6:30p
FREE – RSVP

w/ Oliver Graves (America’s Got Talent), Pallavi Gunalan (Netflix is a Joke Fest), Marcus Williams (Cobb’s) and more!

Akeem Woods (NBC, HBO, CBS) Pride Comedy Show
Friday & Saturday, June 27-28 at Mayes (SF) | 7p Shows – FREE – RSVP
JUST ADDED! Sunday, June 29 at The Function (SF) | 8:30p – FREE – RSVP

JULY 2025

San Francisco 4th of July Fireworks Show 2025

July 4, 2025 – SF (Pier 39 / Fisherman’s Wharf / Fort Mason) – FREE – San Francisco’s annual Independence Day fireworks show is set off from two barges on the city’s northern waterfront. Just pray for the fog to stay away, otherwise, you’ll just see puffy colorful clouds.

2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival

July 5-6, 2025 – SF (Fillmore) – FREE – The largest free jazz festival on the West Coast, the Fillmore Jazz Festival draws over 100,000 visitors over the Independence Day weekend from sunup to sundown, to hear live music from 5 stages spread over 12 blocks plus browse fine art and crafts and enjoy gourmet food and beverages.

2025 “Get Free” Hip Hop Dance Festival

July 11-13, 2025 – $20 (No one turned away for lack of funds) – Get Free is a celebration of street dance featuring a film screening, panels, an experimental battle, the Rebearth House Dance Party and a live performance showcase.

San Francisco Mime Troupe 2025

July 4 – August 3, 2025 – FREE – The Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe performs its 2025 season with more free and lively political musical theater in park settings around the Bay Area.

People in Plazas 2025

July 8 – September 24, 2025 – 15 different venues in SF – FREE – This free annual outdoor music festival puts on over 130+ free lunchtime concerts featuring an array of different styles in over 15 different public plazas near Market Street.

Dolores Park Hillbomb?

July 5, 2025?* (*It’s hard to know the exact date but often it’s around the first or second Saturday in July) – SF (Dolores Park) -FREE – Skateboarders speed down Dolores Hill in San Francisco for the annual “hill bomb”. Typically on a random early evening in early July, skateboarders take to the Dolores hill next to Dolores Park and fly down at breakneck speed (almost literally). The 2025 date and information are not yet available, but the event is typically scheduled, under the radar, for early/mid-July (the event was held last year on Saturday, July 6, 2024).

48th Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival

July 12, 2025 – SF (Golden Gate Park Bandshell) – FREE – Taking over the historic bandshell and gardens in between the de Young and the Cal Academy of Sciences, the annual free folk festival typically features 5 stages of music, performances and workshops including folk, Irish, Cajun-Creole, Jazz, Silly Songs, Sea Chanteys, Blues and more.

114th Annual Hayes Valley Carnival (2025)

July 19, 2025 – SF (Hayes Valley) – FREE – Join the long-running Hayes Valley Carnival for a day of fun from 12-5 pm. In past years, they’ve hosted an open-air contemporary circus with carnival games and prizes and two performances by Circus Bella and Prescott Theater Circus; however, details for 2025 are TBA.

2025 Urban Youth Arts Festival

July 19, 2025 – SF (Precita Park) – FREE – Precita Eyes celebrates its 29th year of providing a safe, fun, and free space for youth to express themselves through collaborative spray art through a day of fun with live music, rappers, dancers, plus kids’ and collaborative art activities.

SF’s Annual Dance Day 2025 at Yerba Buena Gardens

July 20, 2025 – SF (Yerba Buena Gardens) – FREE – YBG Dance Day transforms the Gardens 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. Classes are one-hour long with genres like salsa, bachata, dance cardio, soul line dance, contemporary dance, dancehall and more.

The Bay’s Huge “626 Night Market” 2025

July 25-27, 2025 – Pleasanton – $5.90 – Inspired by the famous open-air nighttime bazaars of Asia, this iconic Californian festival named after the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles, features 200+ food, merchandise, crafts, arts, games, music, and entertainment attractions in an epic event that appeals to all ages.

2025 San Francisco Marathon

July 27, 2025 – SF – FREE to Watch – Get up early to watch the fastest runners in the Bay. The race starts at 5:15am at Embarcadero at Mission and heads over and back the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio, Golden Gate Past, down to Chase Center, by Oracle Park and back up past the Bay Bridge for the finish line.

Due South Music Festival

Typically End of July – SF Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre (McLaren Park) – FREE – Typically, from July through October, a lineup of contemporary talent as diverse as the Bay Area itself takes the stage each month at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. The entire concert series is free and open to the public. The 2024 dates and information are not yet available, but the festival typically kicks off in late July with one concert a month through October. Last year, the first concert was held on Saturday, July 29, 2023.

Up Your Alley 2025

July 27, 2025 – SF (SoMa) – FREE (donations appreciated) – If rubber, sportswear, biker gear, punks, or any variety of built, hairy men turns you on, then they’ve got it. You probably won’t find a filthier event in the states. This fetish festival makes Folsom Street Fair look tame.

AUGUST 2025

>  We’ll be updating this guide with more August events soon!

Jerry Day 2025

August 2, 2025 – SF (Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre, McLaren Park) – FREE – Enjoy more than six hours of jams and tributes at the amphitheater in McLaren Park that now bears the local legend’s name. And just like the Dead’s concerts never seemed to end, from 5:30-10 pm, the festival leaves the park, spilling into the neighborhood for after-parties. This year, 2025, is the 20th anniversary of Jerry Garcia Amphitheater and the ​60th Anniversary of Grateful Dead.

51st Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair 2025

August 2-3, 2025 – SF (Japantown) – FREE – Japantown’s 51st annual festival and street fair with a car show, “doggie world”, food fest, plus live music and cultural performance stages.

Free National Parks Day 2025

August 4, 2025 – All Over the USA – 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.

2025 Pistahan Filipino Festival & Parade

August 9-10, 2025 – SF (Yerba Buena Gardens) – FREE – Two-day event kicks off Saturday with the annual Pistahan Parade, the largest Filipino parade on the West Coast along with tons of live music, dance performances, and hands-on and authentic cultural experiences in 8 pavilions: Art, Culinary, Dance, Health, Heritage, Innovation, Sports and Tavern.

2025 Perseids

August 11-13, 2025 – All Over – FREE – Get out in the open, away from city lights to see the annual Perseids Meteor Shower, the most beloved meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. Predicted Peak: The night of Aug. 12, before dawn on Aug. 13, 2025 

2024 Annual Dahlia Competition in Golden Gate Park

August 16-17, 2025 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE – The Dahlia Society of California draws thousands of visitors to its annual show in the enormous Hall of Flowers. Growers from all over the state bring their best blooms. Blooms in all categories are judged and awarded ribbons, including the elusive “Best in Show.”

Hungry Ghost Festival

August 23, 2025 – SF (Chinatown) – FREE –  The Hungry Ghost Festival, akin to the Day of the Dead, celebrates Chinese traditions and cultural heritage. This free family-friendly event typically features interactive art, performances, Chinatown businesses, and a one-of-a-kind “Ghost King Parade” that’s not to be missed.

Festival of Chariots 2025

August 24, 2025 – SF (Golden Gate Park) – FREE – An ancient spiritual festival of India made its way to the West; watch the parade, pull chariots, take part in a free feast, tour through exhibits, watch cultural performances, and more.

 

>  We’ll be updating this guide with more September events soon!

SEPTEMBER 2024

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“King of the Streets” Lowrider Parade & Car Show 2025

September 20, 2025 – SF (Mission St.) – Free for spectators? (pricing TBA as of 7/4/25) – Check out an epic lowrider parade down Mission Street that will be televised live. Usually up to 500 classic cars from the 1930s to 1980s participate in the King of the Streets car show (which will likely follow the parade). Typically, this event features a massive car hopping competition where cars compete for how high they can go, followed by a lowrider cruise through the Mission, but details haven’t been announced yet for 2025.

Free National Parks Day 2025

September 27, 2025 – 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.

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.

50th Annual Castro Street Fair

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.

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.

2024 Italian Heritage Festival & Parade

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. 

2024 Bearrison Street Fair

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.

2024 Indigenous Peoples Day

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.

Potrero Hill R&B Festival 2024

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.

Sunday Streets “Phoenix Day” Block Party Day 2024

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.

SF’s Annual Sandcastle Classic 2024

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.