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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!

Sunday, December 29

Union Square’s 2024 Chanukah Festival: Bill Graham Menorah Day
Sunday, December 29 – 2:00 pm - Ends at 6:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
Union Square's 2024 Chanukah Festival: Bill Graham Menorah Day

Lighting it up since 1975! This is our 49th Year!  The First Giant Public Menorah outside of Israel has inspired thousands of Menorahs around the world! Chanukah In Union Square Dec 25th – Jan 2nd The 1st Lighting: Wednesday, Dec 25th Bill Graham Menorah Day ...

Monday, December 30

Oakland’s Brand New “Mezcal & Mole” Comedy Night (Mondays & Tuesdays)
Monday, December 30 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free with RSVP. Food/drink for purchase
| Mesa Maguey
Oakland's Brand New "Mezcal & Mole" Comedy Night (Mondays & Tuesdays)

Get ready for the return of HellaFunny comedy night to Temescal with a series of pop-up live comedy shows at unique spots all across the bay. This HellaFunny comedy show takes place at the just-opened Mesa Maguey, an upscale agave bar and Oaxcacan restaurant that’s a perfect date-night spot with lots ...

Monday Night Free Comedy Showt at SF’s Newest Comedy Club (The Function)
Monday Night Free Comedy Showt at SF's Newest Comedy Club (The Function)

San Francisco’s newest comedy club & cocktail lounge brings comedy and nightlife back to Market Street. Co-owned by comedian Stroy Moyd. Be among the first to check out THE FUNCTION – San Francisco’s brand new full-time comedy club bringing back stand-up comedy and nightlife to ...Every Monday

SF’s Civil War Era Fort’s Film Series (Final Day)
Monday, December 30 – 10:00 am - Ends at 4:30 pm | Cost: FREE | Fort Point National Historic Site
SF's Civil War Era Fort's Film Series (Final Day)

Artist, Ben Wood, in collaboration with the Fort Point National Historic Site and National Park Service, is excited to announce the unveiling of a 20×15 ft video artwork projected onto the interior bastion walls of Fort Point, called Fort Point: A Bastion of Memory on ...

Union Square’s 2024 Chanukah Festival: 6th Night
Monday, December 30 – 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
Union Square's 2024 Chanukah Festival: 6th Night

Lighting it up since 1975! This is our 49th Year!  The First Giant Public Menorah outside of Israel has inspired thousands of Menorahs around the world! Chanukah In Union Square Dec 25th – Jan 2nd The 1st Lighting: Wednesday, Dec 25th Bill Graham Menorah Day ...

Tuesday, December 31

2024 Macy’s Holiday Windows & Adorable Puppies & Kittens: Final Day | Union Square
Tuesday, December 31 – 12:00 pm - Ends at 6:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Macy's (Union Square)
2024 Macy's Holiday Windows & Adorable Puppies & Kittens: Final Day | Union Square

Get ready for a heartwarming holiday tradition as adoptable rescue animals return to Macy’s 38th Holiday Windows, bringing joy and cheer to the festive displays. Macy’s, in partnership with the San Francisco SPCA, aims to inspire families to consider the joy of adopting a furry friend, reminding ...

Union Square’s 2024 Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah: 7th Night
Tuesday, December 31 – 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
Union Square's 2024 Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah: 7th Night

Lighting it up since 1975! This is our 49th Year!  The First Giant Public Menorah outside of Israel has inspired thousands of Menorahs around the world! Chanukah In Union Square Dec 25th – Jan 2nd The 1st Lighting: Wednesday, Dec 25th Bill Graham Menorah Day ...

Wednesday, January 1

Free Admission Day at SF Botanical Garden for New Year’s Day 2025
Wednesday, January 1 – 7:30 am - Ends at 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and daily from 7:30-9 am
| San Francisco Botanical Garden
Free Admission Day at SF Botanical Garden for New Year's Day 2025

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds ...Monthly

SF’s GLBT History Museum: Free First Wednesday
SF's GLBT History Museum: Free First Wednesday

Located in SF’s Castro District, the GLBT Historical Society Museum is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. The museum celebrates 100 years of the city’s vast queer past through dynamic exhibitions and programming. Normally admission is $10, but on ...Monthly

New Year’s Day Collaborative Huge Art at SF’s Ocean Beach (2024)
Wednesday, January 1 – 2:00 pm - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*donations welcome, not required
| Ocean Beach (Balboa)
New Year's Day Collaborative Huge Art at SF's Ocean Beach (2024)
Join me in creating a massive artwork on the beach. Let’s set the tone for the New Year by creative beauty together.  Check out the kind of artwork I make and what you can be a part of making as well.
SF’s New Year’s Day 2025 Polar Bear Ice Skate (Union Square)
Wednesday, January 1 – 2:30 pm - Ends at 3:30 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free to watch; $25 to skate (Includes Skate Rental)
| Union Square Park
SF's New Year's Day 2025 Polar Bear Ice Skate (Union Square)
POLAR BEAR SKATE Wednesday, January 1, 2025 | 2:30–3:30 p.m. $25pp The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Kaiser Permanente welcomes skaters of all ages to start the New Year off in your swimsuit…on the ice…in the middle of Union Square! As a nod ...
Union Square’s 2024 Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah: Final Night
Wednesday, January 1 – 4:00 pm - Ends at 6:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
Union Square's 2024 Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah: Final Night

Lighting it up since 1975! This is our 49th Year!  The First Giant Public Menorah outside of Israel has inspired thousands of Menorahs around the world! Chanukah In Union Square Dec 25th – Jan 2nd The 1st Lighting: Wednesday, Dec 25th Bill Graham Menorah Day ...

Thursday, January 2

SF’s New Monthly Block Party: “Downtown First Thursdays”
Thursday, January 2 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Second Street (South of Market)
SF's New Monthly Block Party: "Downtown First Thursdays"

Get ready, San Francisco, for the return of this brand new free monthly party coming back to Downtown SF. A new, free, all-ages street party comes to Downtown SF every first Thursday of the month, from 5-10pm. Free kids activities, disco, two outdoor bars, live ...Monthly

Every Thursday: “Inner Circle” Dance Party at White Rabbit (SF)
Thursday, January 2 – 9:00 pm - Ends at 1:00 am | Cost: FREE | White Rabbit
Every Thursday: "Inner Circle" Dance Party at White Rabbit (SF)

Step into the Inner Circle every Thursday night at White Rabbit on Fillmore St., where the heart of dance music beats! , join us at White Rabbit on Fillmore St. for Inner Circle, a new weekly dedicated to the DJ and our love for ...Every Thursday

Free First Thursdays at Berkeley Art Museum
Thursday, January 2 – 11:00 am - Ends at 7:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free admission to galleries. Film programs are excluded. No advanced tickets required, but subject to capacity limits
| Berkeley Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive
Free First Thursdays at Berkeley Art Museum

The UC Berkeley Art Museum is the visual arts center of the University of California, Berkeley. Through art and film programs, collections, and research resources, the University aspires to be locally connected and globally relevant, engaging audiences from the campus, community, and beyond. Normally $14, the ...Monthly

SFMOMA’s “Free First Thursdays” Free Museum Day for Locals (2025)
SFMOMA's "Free First Thursdays" Free Museum Day for Locals (2025)

All residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us! From noon–8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, Bay Area residents can enjoy SFMOMA’s galleries filled with lively and inspiring art and related events ...Monthly

Friday, January 3

Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)
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

History Museum: Free First Fridays (Redwood City)
Friday, January 3 – All Day | Cost: FREE | San Mateo County History Museum
History Museum: Free First Fridays (Redwood City)

Enjoy free admission from 10 am to 4 pm, every first Friday of the month, at the San Mateo History Museum. Explore the museum housed in the 1910 County Courthouse; listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it features a stained glass dome and mosaic tile floor. The History Museum is ...Monthly

North Beach First Fridays Art Crawl (SF)
Friday, January 3 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE | North Beach
North Beach First Fridays Art Crawl (SF)

On the first Friday of every month, over a dozen North Beach galleries, museums, bars, and restaurants stay open late for a self-guided First Fridays Art Crawl with special events to showcase the ever-growing collections of art and entertainment that diversify North Beach. First Fridays Art Crawl ...Monthly

“Oakland First Fridays” Street Festival
Friday, January 3 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 9:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Telegraph & 27th
"Oakland First Fridays" Street Festival

Oakland First Fridays is an immersive art and community experience on the first Friday of each month from 5-9 pm for five huge blocks on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street. Photography from @skyhighoakland via Oakland First Fridays Oakland’s KONO district (Koreatown/Northgate) springs ...Monthly