We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for San Francisco. Here we’ve rounded up some of the best exhibitions, events, festivals, parades, and concerts coming up in 2026.
For events with no date yet announced, we’ve listed the month they usually occur so you can be on the lookout. Grab your calendar and jot down your favorites!
Spring and summer bring some of the best flower blooms in the Bay Area — here’s a snapshot of the most popular ones. Be advised that linked articles will be updated as the dates come around, but the general info and location stay the same every year.
Flower seasons:
- San Jose Rose Garden and Golden Gate Park Rose Garden: April-November (peak bloom in May)
- Giant water lilies at the Conservatory of Flowers (through summer)
- Dahlia Garden in Golden Gate Park: June-October (peak bloom in August)
- Magnolias in SF Botanical Garden (January-March)
- Almond blossoms in Tracy (January-February)
- Calla Lily Valley in Big Sur (late January-April)
- Wild mustard in Half Moon Bay (peak bloom in February)
- Cherry blossoms at the Japanese Tea Garden (peak bloom in March)
- Tulips in Golden Gate Park (March-April)
See more spring blooms to seek out in Golden Gate Park.
This free, all-ages monthly party happens on the first Thursday of every month from 5-10 pm in the streets of Downtown San Francisco. Organizers have announced that Downtown First Thursdays will continue throughout 2026, bringing dozens of local businesses and thousands of people together.
AURA at Grace Cathedral is a 45-minute immersive show that blends music, visual projections, and the cathedral’s breathtaking architecture. Celebrated around the world, the experience turns the historic space into a dynamic art installation, illuminating its arches and intricate details through light and sound.
Golden Gate Park presents dozens of free concerts nearly all year long, courtesy of Illuminate, SF Rec & Parks, and the SF Parks Alliance. All performances are free and family-friendly, with the impressive Golden Gate Bandshell as the backdrop. The Bandshell, which is 120 years old, added new lighting, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a new stage during the pandemic.
San Francisco celebrates its vibrant jazz history with ‘The Jazz Room,’ a new show at The Palace Theater. This hour-long performance features timeless classics and improvised solos, immersing audiences in the rich musical tradition of New Orleans. Experience a captivating evening filled with beloved songs and talented local musicians, all while enjoying drinks in a setting reminiscent of iconic jazz bars.
San Francisco is full of amazing activities and resources for just about any hobby you can think of. If you’re looking to try a new sport or learn a new skill, SF Rec & Parks lines up excellent programming every season, including yoga, ceramics, photography, swimming, tai chi, knitting, volleyball, kids’ camps, and much more. Course fees range in price from free to over $400, and there are different options for kids, adults, and seniors.
Registration dates: Exact dates for registration and programs are TBA each season, but they generally go as follows.
- Summer: Registration in May for activities in June, July, and August
- Fall: Registration in August for activities in September, October, and November
- Winter: Registration in December for activities in January, February, and March
- Spring: Registration in March for activities in March, April, and May
Experience classical and pop covers by candlelight in iconic San Francisco venues.
Candlelight is a popular concert series in San Francisco where local musicians perform classical and pop covers—ranging from Vivaldi to Taylor Swift—surrounded by hundreds of flickering candles.
Six FIFA World Cup matches will take over Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this summer, and tickets are on sale now. See below for specific game dates.
- June 13: Qatar vs. Switzerland
- June 16: Austria vs. Jordan
- June 19: Playoff winner vs. Paraguay
- June 22: Jordan vs. Algeria
- June 25: Paraguay vs. Australia
- July 1: Round of 32 match
Ballet of Lights presents a mesmerizing fusion of classical ballet and modern technology. As you settle into the intimate setting of the Brava Theater Center, the stage comes alive with six talented ballerinas adorned in glow-in-the-dark costumes, creating a stunning display of lights and movement.
Stern Grove Festival has hosted free summer concerts for almost 90 years with headliners including everyone from Grammy winners to rising stars. This year, we can look forward to performances from Major Lazer, Japanese Breakfast, Suki Waterhouse, Patti Labelle, and more.
SF Pride is known to be the nation’s largest gathering of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. Mark your calendar for the SF Pride celebration, which brings lively performances to multiple stages around Civic Center.
See 1,200 illuminated drones take flight in an unforgettable open-air spectacle in San Jose, depicting your favorite characters and moments from the Harry Potter™ films.
If you miss the show on Fourth of July weekend, you can also get tickets to the event in Sacramento on August 14-15, 2026.
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival was founded in 2000 as a way to hold public space for San Francisco’s diverse cultural heritage and creators. The festival especially works to uplift the city’s low-income communities of color, many of whom were displaced during the city’s redevelopment plan of the 1970s and 1980s. Throughout the years, the festival has presented over 42,000 new artists for over 2.3 million attendees.
Jerry Day returns every year to the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, in celebration of Jerry Garcia’s birthday.
Jerry Garcia was a San Francisco legend and the lead guitarist/vocalist of the Grateful Dead. Garcia was born and raised in San Francisco’s Excelsior District and is a major source of pride for many locals who call the neighborhood home.
Outside Lands is the city’s largest music festival and is back for 3 days of music this August in Golden Gate Park. The annual festival draws music lovers from across the country and is famous for its misty forested setting. The 2026 lineup features headliners Charli XCX, The Strokes, and Rüfüs du Sol.
San Francisco knows how to throw a party, and there are few parties as legendary as the Folsom Street Fair. Tens of thousands of leather and BDSM lovers gather to celebrate sexual liberation in SoMa, dressed in leather, latex, fishnets, harnesses, body paint, thongs, or… nothing at all.
The Portola Music Festival is San Francisco’s newest live music festival happening in the early fall at Pier 80. Last year, the festival had an impressive lineup including LCD Soundsystem, Christina Aguilera, The Chemical Brothers, Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou, Underworld, and more.
This beloved fall event brings twelve gorgeous pianos to SF Botanical Garden for a series of performances and free play time in the gardens. The event is free for SF residents and has enjoyed 8 successful years in SF.
The free annual Haight-Ashbury Street Fair returns every September with art, music, comedy, and other exciting performances. Performers have yet to be announced, but the fair is known for hosting some iconic musicians, including Jefferson Starship/Airplane, The Tubes, Metallica, Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience), and many others.
Chinatown’s beloved event celebrating the moon and summer harvest goes back to 1991. This spectacular festival always takes Chinatown by storm, with countless food vendors, nonstop entertainment, lion dancing, mooncakes, kids’ activities, and more. The event is free to attend and will happen all along Grant Avenue between Broadway and California Street. The San Francisco Chinatown Merchants Association is working around the clock to produce an unforgettable weekend.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass dates back to 2001, when SF venture capitalist Warren Hellman founded it as “Strictly Bluegrass.” As such, it was originally a bluegrass-only event but has since evolved to encompass a multitude of genres, hence the decision to add “Hardly” to its name in 2004. Throughout its run, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has remained completely free and noncommercial at the bequest of Hellman, who passed away in 2011.
The all-ages Aftershock Festival is known to draw upwards of 160,000 fans from all over the world, who come to enjoy the West Coast’s largest rock, punk, and metal event. Last year’s event featured 115 bands across 4 main stages for 4 days straight.
San Francisco Fleet Week has been a fixture on the Bay Area cultural calendar since 1981, when then-Senator Dianne Feinstein kicked off this celebration of the nation’s sea services. The Air Show is perhaps Fleet Week’s most highly anticipated event, and for good reason. Each year, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform a choreographed show between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, attracting fans from across the world. It’s the only air show in the U.S. to feature a commercial airliner, the United 777, doing a fully choreographed act. The Blue Angels themselves will be flying their new F-18 Super Hornets, a premium fighter aircraft that is sure to make a statement in the sky!
San Francisco’s vibrant Italian community comes out in droves to celebrate the Italian Heritage Festival in North Beach. Festivities include a bazaar all weekend long, and of course the Italian Heritage Parade with Fernet pit stops along the route. You don’t want to miss this giant party lifting up the contributions of Italian-Americans in San Francisco.
San Francisco’s Victoria Theatre is welcoming back SF’s favorite Star Wars burlesque show! The Empire Strips Back has sold over 500,000 tickets across the globe, selling out in cities like L.A., Chicago, and New York. Don’t miss out on its newest SF run.
The Leap Sandcastle Classic is a favorite at Ocean Beach every year, drawing thousands of people for the ultimate sandcastle contest. You can watch teams build absolutely enormous sand sculptures while enjoying live music, performances, and local food trucks. The event is hosted by Leap Arts in Education as their main fundraising effort to support arts education in Bay Area schools.
Step into the heart of a tense courtroom drama where your verdict makes all the difference. The Jury Experience is an immersive live show that casts you as a juror, pushing your ethics and decision-making to the limit. Blending live acting with multimedia storytelling, it pulls you into a high-stakes trial that puts your judgment to the test.
Marigold Project hosts the annual Festival of Altars and Ritual Circle in SF’s Potrero Del Sol Park every November 2nd. Guests can build their own personal altars or come and observe the community altars on display, and are recommended to bring flowers, 8-inch glass prayer candles, and other mementos to honor their loved ones. The ritual procession usually occurs in the Mission District that same day.
This exciting festival returns for its 8th annual rendition in the fall. Enjoy great food, fun local products, a latte art competition, live music, learning sessions, and of course endless high-quality coffee.
San Francisco’s popular annual comedy festival, SF Sketchfest, is celebrating its 22nd anniversary with over two weeks of performance across SF. It’s a celebration of comedy in all of its forms including improv, stand-up, movie screenings, podcasts, special tributes, retrospectives, panel discussions, and more.
This two-week music festival spans numerous venues across San Francisco and is supplemented by art shows, happy hours, and after parties. The 2026 lineup featured Tortoise, Clipping., Vs Self, and Beats Antique. Shannon Shaw, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Devotchka.
San Francisco Beer Week is a special opportunity to explore some of the best craft beers the Bay Area has to offer. Plenty of local breweries will be putting on special promotions and events in San Francisco and beyond.
The Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is one of the most iconic events on San Francisco’s cultural calendar. The festival has been happening since 1851, making it the oldest and largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia.
SF’s 174th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade goes down Market Street all the way to Civic Center Plaza. The historic parade is one of the largest in the world, with over 100,000 people. It’s followed by a giant block party.
Giants fans flock to Oracle Park for the free and highly anticipated Giants FanFest. Guests will have the opportunity to meet their favorite players and Giants VIPs, access the field and tour the ballpark’s hidden gems, and enjoy multiple events and activities throughout the day.
San Francisco’s wholesome Flower Bulb Day is a massively popular event every March. The gorgeous outdoor garden will cover Union Square with 100,000 tulips, all of which are free for visitors to pick and take home! Visitors can pick a max of 15 tulips each and always draws a ton of crowds. The event is meant to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is on March 8.
This popular festival features plenty of Japanese cultural performances, a Grand Parade, traditional art, live music, food, and much more. There’s also typically a Cherry Blossom Queen Program, a tradition that has spanned 5 decades at the SF festival. Some standout exhibitions include the Paper Tree origami exhibit, tea ceremonies at the East Mall, bonsai, and shodo/calligraphy.
Every year on April 20th, a dense and hazy cloud forms over Golden Gate Park’s Robin Williams Meadow. This is 420 at Hippie Hill, California’s biggest free cannabis event. The event is known to turn out tens of thousands of people, although it will depend on city permitting and regulations.
Did you know that Lombard Street is not actually the crookedest street in the world? In fact, it’s not even the crookedest in San Francisco – that title belongs to Vermont Street, a less-manicured but decidedly more crooked street in Potrero Hill. And what makes Vermont Street even more iconic is its annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel (BYOBW) race, wherein countless neighbors will get together with their own Big Wheel bikes to race down Vermont Street’s wonky curves.
Heads up, film fanatics! SFFILM is the longest-running film festival in the Americas, featuring consistently impressive lineups from filmmakers both local and international. In past years, SFFILM has showed over 100 films from 40+ countries, so we’re sure to have another incredible lineup this time around.
This wild, energetic footrace through SF’s most iconic neighborhoods has been a local staple for over 100 years and just keeps getting better. Get ready to run, walk, or dance your way to the finish line while enjoying live music along the route and plenty of unforgettable costumes.
This massive music festival in Napa Valley always brings out big names. 2026 headliners were Lorde, Teddy Swims, Lil Wayne, Foo Fighters, LCD Soundsystem, Zedd, Backstreet Boys, Sombr, and Ludacris.
California Roots
California Roots highlights the best musical artists in the realms of hip hop, reggae, and folk. The festival is known to draw over 11,000 attendees per day and is considered one of the largest reggae festivals in the country. 2026 headliners included Ice Cube and Tash Sultana.
Carnaval San Francisco is gearing up for a festive return on Memorial Day weekend! The free event returned last year with the state’s first community-led, permitted cannabis garden on 16th and 17th streets. Expect over 50 local performing artists on 5 main stages, as well as 400+ vendors with international food from Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Peru, Chile, and Haiti.
