With the start of May comes the kickoff of street festival and fair season, along with Bay to Breakers and plenty more fun to be had under the sun — when it decides to come out.

You've made it through another winter, San Francisco, and it's once again time to plan out your street fair season. Below, SFist brings you a comprehensive guide to the (mostly) free events and fairs happening just about every weekend between now and October.

MAY 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Downtown First Thursdays (Thursday, May 1)
It's a year-round thing now and will run through at least December, but the Civic Joy Fund's successful activation of Second Street on the first Thursday of every month helps us kick off festival season tonight. And the special guest performers tonight are electronic duo Snakehips, who'll be going on at 7:45 pm at the Howard Street main stage. Look for future Downtown First Thursdays on June 5, July 3, August 7, September 4, and October 2.

San Francisco International Arts Festival (Now Through May 11)
All across the Mission, in galleries, cafes, performance spaces and more, dozens of events are happening daily over the next 11 days, some ticketed and some free (see the full calendar here). The weekend of May 3-4 includes an OG Classic Mission Mural Walk tour with guides from Precita Eyes, jazz performances, and a tribute to Bob Marley. Festival passes can be found here.

Valencia LIVE! Night Market (Thursday, May 8)
The kickoff for this monthly night market, co-presented by the Civic Joy Fund, Into the Streets, and the Valencia Merchants Association, is on May 8, and it will recur on second Thursdays thereafter on Valencia between 16th and 19th streets. Expect happy hours and deals at local businesses, street vendors, and live music curated by Carnaval SF, Blondie's and The Chapel. RSVP here.

Castro Night Market (Friday, May 16)
The bustling Castro Night Market returns this month, closing down portions of 18th Street with vendors, a parking lot dance party, and more.

Bay to Breakers and Bay to Breakers Afterparties (Sunday, May 18)
Yes, there is an official afterparty at the Great Highway, and registered runners usually get a complimentary beer (but the beer usually runs out well before noon). There is also an unofficial gathering this year in the Panhandle, with the park being packed with wacky costumed revelers, and more-than-adequate porta-potties, unlike in years past.

SOMA Nights (Thursday, May 22)
SOMA's own night market of sorts happens the fourth Thursday of every month and presumably will go all summer long. It happens on Folsom between Seventh and Tenth streets, with most of the businesses around there participating, and there's a DJ dance party on Langton Street.

Carnaval (Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25)
The annual, multicultural Mission District celebration Carnaval returns again Memorial Day Weekend, and the theme this year is AfroMundo: African Diaspora in the Americas. The two-day music festival on Harrison Street will feature headliners Wampi and Mexican Institute of Sound, both on Saturday at 5 pm at different stages. The Grand Parade is Sunday, with dozens of local music and dance troupes from around the world, parading from 24th & Bryant Street west to Mission Street then north to 15th Street, which generally goes from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and then more live music and dancing back at Harrison Street for the rest of the day.

Festa Italiana (Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1)
The annual, free, family-friendly North Beach Italian festival, Festa Italiana, is not to be confused with the North Beach Festival that happens two weeks later. This festival promises "Non-stop live Italian music for two days!", a pizza dough-tossing contest with Tony Gemignani, wine tastings and more. Also, the 104th annual Statuto Race will be run on Sunday, commemorating the 1919 signing of the Italian Constitution (it wasn't run during WWII, so the 2021 race was the 100th).

Union Street Festival (Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1)
They’re rolling out the putt-putt turf on Union Street both Saturday and Sunday on the last weekend of May, as the Union Street Festival promises live music, food, and vendors on Union Street from Octavia to Fillmore.

JUNE 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Juneteenth (Saturday, June 14)
Juneteenth in the Fillmore features three music stages, a kids fun zone, and food vendors. Performers for this year haven't been announced yet, but Yolanda Adams was there last year!

North Beach Festival (Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15)
The North Beach Festival is always a fine time, with over 200 vendors, lots of good food, live music, and free performances by the acrobats of Dear San Francisco at Club Fugazi. There is also an interactive arts and crafts area, a kids area, and each day at 1pm is the Blessing of the Animals, so you can bring your pets.

Circus Bella at Yerba Buena Gardens (Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21)
The dynamic, SF-born troupe of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, and clowns known as Circus Bella, along with their six-piece band, will descend on Yerba Buena Gardens for free performances on June 20 (at noon) and June 21 (at noon and 2:15 pm).

Off the Grid Fort Mason Night Market (June 27)
The monthly markets are back at Fort Mason Center, and now along with the food truck array they come with a whole artists' and makers' market as well with 100+ craft vendors curated by West Coast Craft. Also, there will be cocktails from Rye on the Road, and beer and wine for sale too.

Pride Weekend (June 27-29)
Pride weekend this year will include, as always, the kickoff with the Trans March on Friday evening, the organizers of Dyke March are trying to drum up a bigger showing this year, and there's a new, queer-centric, one-day music festival called SoSF on Pier 80 featuring Kehlani and Kim Petras (which is not free). The festival in Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday is free as always, and, of course, there's the parade, which will wind its way up Market Street most of Sunday morning and afternoon — though with a bit less of a corporate presence than previous years.

JULY 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Fillmore Jazz Festival (July 5-6)
The Fillmore Jazz Festival will be back over July 4th weekend, thanks to a generous donation from Chris Larsen's Avenue Greenlight organization — after an announcement last month that the festival was deeply in debt from last year and unable to afford the event this year. But the 12-block-long festival, the largest free jazz festival on the West Coast, will be happening over two days along Fillmore Street, extening up toward Pacific Heights. Grab a funnel cake, and go listen to some good music.

Three-Legged Dog Picnic (Sunday, July 13)
The beloved tri-pawed picnic for differently abled dogs returns to Little Marina Green this year, and maybe it could top last year's Guinness record-breaking gathering of 94 three-legged pups. As always, there will also be a Three-Legged Dog Tricks contest.

Castro Night Market (Friday, July 18)
The monthly market returns on 18th Street, with over two weeks to recover from your Pride hangovers.

Sunday Streets Mission (Sunday, July 20)
It's the only time of year that Valencia Street gets closed down all the way from Duboce Avenue to 26th Street, and you can expect plenty of fun in the (hopefully) sun with live music, activities and more.

Up Your Alley Fair (Sunday, July 27)
The gayer, arguably even sluttier counterpart to Folsom Street Fair returns, and that weekend in July can sometimes be quite warm, though sometimes gets fogged in. The Stud, The Eagle, Powerhouse and Oasis will be the places to be as the day winds down.

AUGUST 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

23rd Annual Jerry Day (Saturday, August 2)
This year’s Jerry Day coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, and the renaming of Jerry Garcia Street in the Excelsior District will be part of the celebration. Meanwhile, Melvin Seals & JGB and Stu Allen & Mars Hotel will be jamming out all day at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park. And like last year, this will be followed by a “Jerry Nite” pub crawl through the Excelsior, with bands performing at each venue. (McLaren Park, 11 am)

Nihonmachi Street Fair (Saturday, August 2nd and Sunday, August 3rd)
The Nihonmachi Street Fair returns to Japantown for its 51st year, showcasing AAPI nonprofit organizations, Asian artisans, Asian food vendors, and more. Highlights include live music, Doggie World, Children’s World, and the annual Sounds of Thunder Car Show. (11:00 am - 6:00 pm both days)

Outside Lands (August 8-10)
We now know that the Outside Lands 2025 lineup features headliners Doja Cat, Hozier, and Tyler, the Creator, with a very impressive undercard that boasts Doechii, Ludacris, and Vampire Weekend. Three-day passes are currently available, with single-day passes likely on sale soon. Or if you’re on more of a budget, the Outside Lands' Night Shows will give you a chance to see individual artists at a local indoor venue at a much lower price point.

Stern Grove Big Picnic featuring Diana Ross (Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17)
The Stern Grove Festival goes every Sunday for much of the summer, but this grand finale “Big Picnic Weekend” weekend has Bob Marley’s kids Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Stephen Marley on Saturday, and the incomparable Diana Ross performing Sunday. The shows are free, though this year they’re rolling out a lottery ticket system. By the way, the first lottery starts on May 4 for the June 15 California Honeydrops show, so you’ll want to keep an eye on this schedule if you’re interested in those Sleater-Kinney or Girl Talk shows coming up.  

Zach Bryan and Kings of Leon in Golden Gate Park (Friday, August 15)That weekend after Outside Lands concert is technically called Golden Gate Park Concerts, and tickets are already on sale for this show with highly tattooed country star Zack Bryan, plus Kings of Leon, Turnpike Troubadours, and Noeline Hofmann. (3 pm)

Sunday Streets Bayview (Sunday, August 24)
While the 2025 Sunday Streets season runs throughout the summer and fall, Sunday Streets Bayview is on Sunday, August 24, bringing music, dance, and frivolity to some location in the Bayview/Dogpatch that has not yet been announced. (11 am - 4 pm)

Free Shakespeare in the Park, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Saturday, August 30 - Monday, September 1)

The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s California-fied interpretation of The Two Gentlemen of Verona also plays in Cupertino and Redwood City earlier in the summer, but comes to McLaren Park for Labor Day Weekend and the first weekend of September, and will also play at the Embarcadero’s Sue Bierman Park on September 13-14 and September 20 -21 (2 pm, Free)

SEPTEMBER 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Haight Street Fair (Sunday, September 7)
This year’s Main Stage performers have not yet been announced, but the Haight Street Fair has already announced its returning for its 46th year on Sunday, September 7, and they’ve also acknowledged they’ll have the traditional Haight Street Skate Jam at Belvedere Street, and a  Children’s Alley with the “San Francisco Rock Project Stage, Mobile Library & Jumpy House.” (11 am - 5:30 pm)

Duboce Park’s 125th Anniversary Celebration (Saturday, September 13)
The dog-gone fun at the off-leash destination Duboce Park has been going on for 125 years now, and the Friends of Duboce Park will celebrate with food trucks and historical displays, plus other activities like a dodgeball tournament, scavenger hunt, and of course the adorable pooches of Muttville. (11 am - 4 pm)

Flower Piano (September 12-21)
It's the ten-year anniversary of the beloved annual tradition of Flower Piano, in which more than a dozen pianos are scattered through the SF Botanical Garden for anyone to play — and with a bunch of scheduled performances as well — is returning for a full 10-day stint this September. (10 am to 6 pm daily)

Folsom Street Fair (Sunday, September 28)
The big daddy of all kink and fetish fairs, Folsom Street Fair, will be celebrating 42 years of bondage and perhaps a little scat play. The fair typically occupies all of Folsom between 8th and 12th streets, and runs from 11 am to 6 pm, but details for this year have not yet been released.

OCTOBER 2025 SF STREET FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (Friday, October 3 - Sunday, October 5)
We can’t imagine eggs will really be only five cents at this year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, but we do know it’s returning for the first weekend of October. The schedule generally starts dripping out in bits in August and September, so we’ll know the pickin’s around then.  

Castro Street Fair (Sunday, October 5)
"We get better with age!" declares the 51-year-old Castro Street Fair, which Harvey Milk first launched in 1974 to highlight gay-owned businesses in the neighborhood. The festival footprint grew a bit last fall to occupy part of 18th Street again, and the fair always includes a vendor marketplace down Castro Street, food vendors, and performance stages. (11 am to 6 pm)

SF Fleet Week (Friday, October 10 - Sunday, October 12)
Okay, so maybe there was a parachute accident that fractured a teen’s pelvis last year. Still, the Blue Angels and company will return, and the sonic booms will probably start Thursday afternoon and last through the weekend.

Bearrison Street Fair (Saturday, October 18)
The Bearrison Street Fair website does not say on what date this year’s street fair for gay bears and their admirers will be this year. But the fair’s vendor application is pretty clear that the event is returning for its fifth year on October 18, 2025. It usually spans about three blocks around 11th Street and Harrison, extending over to The Eagle Tavern on one side and Lone Star Saloon on the other. (12 pm - 6 pm)

Related: Castro Becomes SF’s Biggest Boozy 'Entertainment Zone’ Where Bars Can Sell To-Go Cocktails During Events [SFist]

Top image: Cheryl L. Guerrero via Hoodline

Jay Barmann also contributed to this list.