San Francisco… land of the free. Here’s just the free stuff in SF and the Bay Area. Keep your wallet in your pocket and enjoy!
Friday, October 16
“The Stoner Comedy Jam” Friday Nights (SF)
You know what makes stand-up comedy funnier? Smoking while watching it live! Come to San Francisco’s premiere cannabis club Moe Greens every Friday night for a night of laughter and, well, getting stoned. HellaFunny is taking over the cannabis lounge at Moe Greens for the ...Every Friday
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 Friday
“Pay-What-You-Can” Taco Day at SF’s Tato (Every Friday)
While many restaurants are struggling, San Francisco Mexican restaurant TATO wants to give back. They’re bringing back their “Taco Love” special which features a two taco plate with sides, and pay-what-you-can pricing. Pay-What-You-Can Taco Day Tato 4608 3rd St. (@ McKinnon) San Francisco (Bayview) Every ...Every Friday
“Politics is a Funny Business” Art & Poster Exhibit at Pier 23 (SF)
Politics is a Funny Business, an eclectic group of vintage political memorabilia of and by offbeat San Francisco players will open at Pier 23 Cafe Waterfront Gallery, Friday, October 16, 2026, from 4-6 pm.
Art include posters by Spain Rodriguez, S. Clay Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Lil’ ...
Free NFL Stories w/ Peter King + 49ers Architect Carmen Policy (Berkeley)
Are you ready for some football? Join fellow fans and scholars of the game for an afternoon with award-winning sports columnist Peter King.
Are you ready for some football? Kick off a weekend of big games—including Cal’s home matchup with Wake Forest and culminating with the ...
Oktoberfest at SideTrack in Pleasanton
It’s time to take out your lederhosen and dirndl dress! SideTrack’s Oktoberfest celebration is back, bringing a biergarten experience to downtown Pleasanton on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17!
The two-day event features a special menu of German food and drink, live entertainment by Polkageist West, fun games ...
Mirus Gallery Presents: Nostalgia – A Group Exhibition
Friday, October 16 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Mirus Gallery
Mirus Gallery San Francisco presents Nostalgia, a dynamic group show featuring a menagerie of creative interpretations of the phenomenon of nostalgia by artists from California and beyond. This collection of artists uniquely reveals an element of a simpler time, and what colored time-treasured memories. Join ...
$1 Drink Fridays: “Battle of the Decades” DJ Party (North Beach)
Fridays are now a little bit more awesome. Did someone say $1 drinks? Monroe in North Beach hosts “Battle of the Decades” DJ party and happy hour every Friday with a DJ spinning progressive tunes. Every hour is a different decade – with drink prices ...Every Friday
“Union Square Dances” Free Outdoor Friday Night Dance Party (SF)
Friday, October 16 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 8:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
Come out to Union Square Park every Friday from 5 pm to 8 pm through October 16 for our free Union Square Dances. Enjoy rotating styles of live music and dancing, including Salsa, Country Western, Swing, Bollywood, and Tango. Each event starts with a lesson followed by ...Every Friday
Pleasant Hill Night Market: Food, Music & Performances
Friday, October 16 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Chilpancingo Park
Pleasant Hill Night Market Will Return in May 2026 After a successful first season, the Night Market will be back in May 2026 with food, music, merchandise, activities and more! Visit Pleasant Hill California for more info. After getting so much love and support from ...
“Sundown Cinema” SF’s Outdoor Movie Night in the Park (Crane Cove Park)
Friday, October 16 – 6:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Crane Cove Park
San Francisco’s free outdoor movie tradition is back with a full season for 2026. The Sundown Cinema series has just announced its lineup, bringing family-friendly films to parks across the city from June through October. After a scaled-back return in 2025, the full program is ...
SF’s Free Mission Rock Fall Friday Night Movies “Ratatouille” (China Basin Park)
Friday, October 16 – 6:30 pm - Ends at 9:30 pm |
Cost: FREE | China Basin Park
Movie nights are back at China Basin Park! Gather your friends and family and join us Friday nights this October for four cozy evenings of movies under the stars. Bring a blanket to the Great Lawn, grab your favorite movie-night snacks, and settle in for ...
“Lit Laugh Lyric” Haunted Spoken Word + Eerie Comedy (North Beach)
This autumn’s Lit Laugh Lyric comes to Mabuhay Gardens for a night of haunting spoken words, eerie comedy and frightening melodies.
Lit Laugh Lyric is a quarterly variety show that brings together three art forms in one night bringing you groundbreaking emerging Bay Area artists in ...
SF State’s Free Public Rooftop Stargazing Nights w/ Huge Telescope (October 2026)
San Francisco State University Observatory hosts a free public open night with family-friendly astronomy talks, updates on astronomy research, and rooftop telescope observing. Programming is offered in English and Spanish, weather permitting. Located at SFSU Thornton Hall top floor Upcoming Weekly Schedule Through Dec. 4, ...
2026 Murphy & Cadogan Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony
Friday, October 16 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | SOMArts Cultural Center
Marking the 40th anniversary of the awards, SOMArts Cultural Center and the San Francisco Foundation are honored to present the 2026 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, featuring 15 emerging visual artists developing their artistic practices through painting, sculpture, hybrid practice, installation art, mixed media, drawing, and ...
Free ‘Hoppers’ Outdoor Movie Night (Proxy SF)
Friday, October 16 – 7:15 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Proxy SF
FREE and open to all!
Join us at PROXY to save the animal world in Hoppers!
Animal lover Mabel uses clever new technology designed to “hop” human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals to communicate with beavers, uncovering mysteries within the animal world beyond anything she could have ...
Now That’s What I Call Italo-Disco
The 25th volume of the Italo Disco series featuring a family affair lineup!
Now That’s What I Call Italo-Disco is a local Bay-Area party created by DJ PlayStation out of his love for Italo-Disco; a playful side of the 80’s Although short lived, Italo-Disco played a ...
Saturday, October 17
SF’s “Secondhand Saturday” 2025 w/ Sunset Mercantile (Every Third Saturday)
Launching April 18th, one of San Francisco’s favorite vintage and makers market is returning for it’s fifth season! Come celebrate Earth Day at the 2026 season launch of Secondhand Saturday! A curated, stylish, and modern take on the traditional flea market, featuring over 60 vintage ...Monthly
2026 Bay Area Science Festival w/ 125+ Free Hands-on Experiences (UCSF)
Saturday, October 17 – 11:00 am - Ends at 4:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | UCSF Mission Bay Campus
Discover science fun and excitement together at the Bay Area Science Festival, Northern California’s largest free celebration of science.
The festival returns to UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus for one big day of 125+ hands-on experiences, jaw-dropping demonstrations, games, behind-the-scenes lab tours, film screenings and science talks. ...
Weekend Sessions w/ Joe Bataan (Yerba Buena Gardens Festival 2026)
Saturday, October 17 – 2:00 pm - Ends at 4:30 pm |
Cost: FREE | Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens
Sat, Oct 17
2:00pm – 4:30pm
Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens
Mission St. between 3rd & 4th Sts.
San Francisco, CA
FREE | RSVP
Opening Set from MeloDious
Festival favorite Joe Bataan, a Latin music legend since the mid-1960s, returns to the Gardens for his third performance in the past four years. He ...
