Free Events
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!
Saturday, October 17
Free Poetry + LGBTQ Book Celebration (City Lights Books)
Books Not Bans together with City Lights and Litquake present a party for everyone who loves reading.
FREE, $10-$15 suggested donation
Co-presented with City Lights & Books Not Bans
Books Not Bans together with City Lights and Litquake present a party for everyone who loves reading. Join us ...
SF’s 2026 “Bearrison” Street Fair: Wrestling, Deadlift Contest & DJs (SoMa)
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Bears of San Francisco invite you to celebrate “A Fair For Every Bear” on Saturday, October 17, 2026! We’re bringing back favorites including the Deadlift Contest, Full Queer Wrestling, and XL Art Gallery, plus plenty of new attractions.
Set ...
SF’s Free Panhandle Sandwich Potluck + Zine Party (Fall 2026)
Friends & Neighbors hosts a free sandwich potluck and zine-making gathering in the Panhandle to celebrate the release of Inner Outer, a zine about San Francisco parks. Bring a prepared sandwich ingredient, sides or drinks to share, make a sandwich with neighbors, and create a ...
Brava Block Party: Celebrating 40 Years
Brava! Block Party
Saturday, October 17, 2026 @11AM-5PM
40 Years of Brava!, 30 Years of Community Ownership and 100 Years of the Historic Theater
24th Street • Between Bryant and Hampshire
A free, family-friendly celebration of art, community, and 40 years of Brava!
Live performances • Film Screenings • Art ...
Golden Gate Park “The Whale’s Tail” Beer/Wine Garden + Live Music (Summer 2026)
The Whale’s Tale is a seasonal, open-air destination for live music, food and drinks, community programming and relaxing afternoons. Open Saturdays and Sundays and select holidays beginning Memorial Day weekend, the Whale’s Tail features a rotating lineup of musical acts throughout the season, weekly free ...Every Saturday
Top of the Hill Festival 2026 (Daly City)
Daly City’s Top of the Hill Festival Returns October 17, Bringing Together Community, Culture, and Local Pride
The Peninsula’s premier community festival returns with live entertainment, local businesses, family activities, food, shopping, and experiences celebrating everything that makes Daly City unique.
DALY CITY, Calif. — The City ...
District 8 Castro Family Summit
This is Your City. This is Your Voice. This is Your Future. Share your story about growing up and raising your family in San Francisco.
Every family has a story. Every voice matters. Please share yours.
Join us for the District 8 Castro Family Summit! The This Is ...
A Toast to Sausalito: A Beer, Wine and Spirits Festival
A Toast to Sausalito Returns October 17
Raise a glass to one of Sausalito’s premier fall events! Join us on Saturday, October 17, from 1:00–5:00 p.m. for A Toast to Sausalito, a lively celebration of local flavors, art, music, and community on Caledonia Street.
Presented by the ...
2026 “Peculiarities” Market: Oddities + Free Treats for First 30 People (San Jose)
SJ.Makers and Rumble City Boxing host a free, family-friendly Halloween market featuring peculiarities, local art, tooth gems, vendors, treats, trinkets, and oddities. The event includes a Trunk or Treat Decorating Contest with cash prizes, candy and freebies, and costumes are encouraged. The first 30 customers ...
Jack O’ London Square’s 2026 “Pup Crawl”: Halloween Bar Crawl (Oakland)
The Jack O’ London Pup Crawl is a Halloween-themed, dog-friendly bar and restaurant crawl in Oakland’s Jack London District. The free RSVP event includes Halloween decorations, food and drink specials, participating dog-friendly businesses, and costumes for people and pets; donations to Oakland Animal Services are ...
Free Spooky Jeopardy-Style Trivia Night (Palo Alto)
Grab some friends and test your spooky knowledge at our Jeopardy-themed trivia night in the Baylands!
Join us for a fun afternoon of trivia featuring categories about Halloween, spooky nature facts, ghost stories, and more! Bring your friends and form a team, or come solo and ...
Hayward’s Halloween-Themed 2026 Night Market
The Hayward Night Market returns to St. Rose Hospital for a free Halloween-themed market featuring food and goods from local vendors, live music, giveaways, and family activities.
Original Event Description:
_The Hayward Night Market is back this year for another Halloween-themed event! This year’s market is taking ...
Free Fall Family Festival at SF’s Fulton Plaza
Taking place under the twinkling Spectra lights, the Fall Family Festival on October 17th, from 4 to 7pm; features fun carnival games, free pumpkin decorating, face painting, the San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile, and entertainment such as stilt walkers and bubble magic with Sterling Bubble.
The ...
Mission Bay Harvest Festival (Spark Social SF)
Mission Bay Harvest Festival Returns!
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 4PM–7PM
Outdoor Movie Begins at 7PM
SPARK Social SF | 601 Mission Bay Blvd North, San Francisco, CA
Free Admission | Everyone Welcome
Calling all Mission Bay residents! The Mission Bay Harvest Festival is back at SPARK Social for an ...
“Sanctuary” Exhibition Opening
“Sanctuary” brings together the large-scale landscape paintings of William Nichols and the emotionally charged pencil drawings of Sara Gallagher in an exhibition exploring nature as a site of refuge, restoration, and human connection.
The exhibition opens with a reception on Saturday, October 17th from 5-8 PM. ...
Twilight Nature Walk at the Baylands (Palo Alto)
Bats, birds, and other spooky critters! A twilight exploration of this unique habitat is not to be missed!
What’s happening
Nature enthusiasts of all ages are invited to join our Twilight Nature Walk led by one of our friendly and knowledgable docents. An expert naturalist will lead ...
Hayward Night Market: Spooky Season Return (Fall 2026)
The Hayward Night Market returns to St. Rose Hospital’s parking lot to celebrate the spooky season with local food, vendors, organizations, artists, musicians, and giveaways. The event is free to attend and offers a variety of activities, food options, and community engagement opportunities. Vendor booths ...
Yerba Buena Illuminated: Free 95-Ft Art Projection on Market Street
San Francisco has officially turned a downtown building into a giant art projector. Yerba Buena Illuminated launched Tuesday, August 25, 2026 projecting giant digital artworks onto the historic Humboldt Bank Building at 785 Market St., at the top of Yerba Buena Lane. The massive projection ...
San Francisco Midnight Mystery Ride (Every Third Saturday)
Every third Saturday, you are invited to bicycle with the San Francisco Midnight Mystery Ride as they set out to a new mystery location in SF. Where to meet? They’ll post ride start locations on their website and Facebook page, the day of the ride only; there’s ...Monthly
Sunday, October 18
Secret Guest List: Cobb’s Free Comedy Nights (Drag-Up Comedy)
Cobb’s Comedy Club has a secret guestlist for a handpicked group of shows at SF’s biggest comedy club. Every month they handpick some of SF’s top local comedians to showcase for you – often with credits like SF Sketchfest, NBC, Comedy Central and more. Secret ...
