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 3
Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair 2026 (Oakland)
The Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair is an annual event that brings together people interested and engaged in radical work to connect, learn, and discuss through books and information tables, workshops, panel discussions, skill sharing, and more! Dozens of publishers, micro-presses, and community organizations will ...
52nd Annual Black Cowboy Parade + Festival 2026 (Oakland)
The Oakland Black Cowboy Association presents its 52nd annual Parade & Festival at DeFremery Park. The parade begins at 10:00 AM, and the festival runs until 6:00 PM with live entertainment, line dancing, youth activities, pony rides, food, vendors, and community resources.
Parade 10am
Festival 10am to ...
Bank of America’s “Museums On Us” Free Museum Weekend (2026)
Holders of Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, or U. S. Trust cardholders (credit cards and debit cards) get free admission to six Bay Area museums, two Sacramento museums and to more than 225 cultural institutions nationwide, for the first full weekend each month including the de ...Monthly
SF’s 2026 African Arts Festival: Free Family Day (Yerba Buena Gardens)
The 6th African Arts Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens offers a free, family-friendly day featuring live music, dance, drumming, food vendors, kids activities, and more. The event takes place on the Great Lawn and includes performances from Arenas and other artists.
Original Event Description:
_Save the date ...
District 5 Fillmore 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 5 Fillmore Family Summit! The This Is ...
Off the Grid 2026 Treasure Island w/ Free Kites + Free Ferry Rides (Fall 2026)
through October 17 from 11 AM to 4 PM, Off the Grid returns to Treasure Island, bringing food trucks, music, and family-friendly activities to Cityside Park in San Francisco’s newest waterfront neighborhood. The spring series includes free kite flying, face painting, and plenty ...Every Saturday
Free Historic Waterfront Walking Tour at Jack London Square (Oakland)
Join local historian Scooter Marriner for a free 90-minute guided walk through Jack London Square and Oakland’s historic Produce & Warehouse District. The tour covers Jack London’s early life, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, transcontinental railroads, and the Port of Oakland. Meet at Ferry ...
Free Georgia O’Keeffe + Calder Art Block Party w/ Salt & Straw Ice Cream (Palo Alto)
On the occasion of the grand opening of Hauser & Wirth Palo Alto and the inaugural exhibition ‘Calder | O’Keeffe,’ we are thrilled to invite you to a series of exhibition walkthroughs with leading scholars in the gallery, poetry readings in our new bookshop and ...
Drawing From Film—Onibaba
We’ll be pausing Shindō’s historical horror film, Onibaba, to draw striking frames.
Basic materials (pencils, paper, erasers) will be provided. You may bring your own materials, but please no fume-creating paint or paint pens. Watercolor, ink and gouache are fine.
This is a self-led event; there will ...
“Rhythm Rascals” SFCO Very First Concerts (SF Main Library)
Very First Concerts are an admission free classical series designed with the youngest listeners in mind.
Two Shows! At 11:00 and 11:45am
Very First Concerts are a classical series designed with the youngest listeners in mind. Each interactive, 30 minute concert features a central theme, short selections, ...
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 in Golden Gate Park (Oct. 2-4)
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is 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. Save the date as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass makes its return for 2026. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass ...
6th Annual African Arts Festival (Yerba Buena Gardens)
The 6th Annual African Arts Festival celebrates the glorious diversity and extraordinary creativity of the continent’s peoples. Co-presented by Duniya Dance and Drum Company and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, it’s a family-friendly celebration of live music and dance featuring Bay Area ensembles representing different regions of ...
Makers Market Local Artist Fair at First Street Napa
The Fall 2026 Makers Market™ Local Artist Fair at First Street Napa takes place on Saturday, October 3! Shop creative local talent, enjoy tasty food and drinks in the nearby shops and restaurants, and relax to live tunes by local musicians.
Meet 25+ local Napa Valley ...
Free Calder | O’Keeffe Exhibition Walkthrough (Palo Alto)
Celebrating the grand opening of Hauser & Wirth Palo Alto and its inaugural exhibition, ‘Calder | O’Keeffe,’ please join us for an exhibition walkthrough with Calder Foundation President Alexander S. C. Rower and Senior Curatorial Director Alexis Lowry to discuss the artist Alexander Calder and ...
Santa Cruz’s 1st Ever “Porchfest” Free Downtown Music Crawl (14 Venues / 50+ Concerts)
Santa Cruz Porchfest is a free, all-ages community music event that turns porches throughout downtown Santa Cruz into performance stages. Attendees can walk between locations to hear local artists across genres including folk, jazz, bluegrass, rock, hip-hop, salsa, and more, with printed maps and schedules ...
DayThinking Trivia Brunch: Mean Girls
Get In Loser, We’re Going to Mean Girls Brunch!
Saturday, October 3rd, 2026
NOON-2pm
Prizes for Best Team Name! Best Team Costume!
Wear Pink & Bring your friends, Plastics or not!
Cultivar Block Party: 9+ Hours of Live Music, Food & Waterfront Fun (Sausalito)
Join Cultivar Sausalito for a full day of live music, food, craft cocktails, and wine on Tracy Way. Enjoy a festive waterfront atmosphere with performances throughout the afternoon and evening.
Live Music & Entertainment Schedule:
12:00–1:30 PM — Robbie Collins
2:00–3:30 PM — Stroke 9 Acoustic
3:30–4:15 PM — ...
Studio One Art Center Open House and Art Show
FREE mini-workshops for adults, family-fun art projects, kids’ zone, speakers, music, and more fun!
Meet Oakland’s favorite public art center at Studio One’s community open house and art show. Neighbors, artists, and art lovers of all ages can explore amazing artwork, meet local artists, enjoy food ...
30th Annual Middle Eastern Food Festival (SF)
Join us as we celebrate 30 years of food, faith, culture, and community!
Enjoy an incredible variety of authentic favorites, including savory kebabs, falafel, shawarma, hummus, tabbouleh, kibbeh, stuffed grape leaves, and so much more. And don’t forget to stop by our sweets table for an ...
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
