A new year has started and we can’t wait to see what it has in store for San Francisco. Here we’ve rounded up some of the best exhibitions, events, festivals, parades, and concerts coming up in 2023. For events with no date yet announced, we’ve put the month they usually occur in so you can be on the lookout. Grab your calendar and jot down your favorites!
1. Museum exhibitions
The city’s best museums are gearing up for another year of breathtaking exhibitions, and we can’t wait to see them for ourselves. Here are some of our favorites happening in 2023 along with their opening or closing dates.
- Opens Feb. 11: Sargent and Spain at the Legion of Honor
- Closes Feb. 12: Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs at the de Young
- Opens Feb. 18: Corporeal at SFMOMA
- Closes Mar. 5: Oz is for Oznowicz: A Puppet Family’s History at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Opens Mar. 31: Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art at the Asian Art Museum
- Closes in May (date TBA): Alexander Calder: Dissonant Harmony at SFMOMA
- Opens Apr. 8: Ansel Adams in Our Time at SFMOMA
- Closes June 25: Conversation Pieces at SFMOMA
Discover more in our running list of current and upcoming SF museum exhibitions.
2. Free admission days
This list shows SF museums and gardens currently offering free admission days to the general public. Many museums including the Exploratorium and Academy of Sciences also take part in Museums for All, which gives free or reduced admission to low-income visitors, or Discover and Go, which gives free admission to visitors with an SF Public Library card.
Bookmark our original article, which is updated every month with with specific dates as they come up.
- SFMOMA
- First Thursdays for Bay Area residents, 1:30-8pm
- de Young Museum & Legion of Honor
- Every Saturday for Bay Area residents
- First Tuesdays for the general public
- Asian Art Museum
- First Sundays for the general public
- GLBT Historical Society Museum
- First Wednesdays for the general public
- Museum of Craft and Design
- “Pay what you can” Wednesdays for the general public
- Contemporary Jewish Museum
- First Fridays for the general public
- Museum of the African Diaspora
- Second Saturdays for the general public
- SF Botanical Garden
- Daily for SF City & County residents
- Daily between 7:30-9am for the general public
- Second Tuesdays for the general public
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day for the general public
- Conservatory of Flowers
- Daily for SF City & County residents
- First Tuesdays for the general public
- Japanese Tea Garden
- Daily for SF City & County residents
- Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays before 10am for the general public
3. Flower blooms
Spring and summer bring some of the best flower blooms in the Bay Area — here’s a snapshot of some of the most popular ones. Be advised that linked articles will be updated for 2023 as the dates come around, but the general info and location stays the same every year.
- 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 Japanese Tea Garden (peak bloom in March)
- Tulips in Golden Gate Park (March-April)
- 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)
See more spring blooms to seek out in Golden Gate Park.
4. Free national park entrance days
The National Parks Service has announced a new lineup of free entrance days to over 400 national parks around the country, and now’s the time to put them on your calendar. Save money on parking, entrance fees, and museums on these special dates which will be here before you know it. Some nearby national parks include the Pinnacles, Muir Woods, and SF Maritime National Historic Park.
- Jan. 16: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday
- Apr. 22: Earth Day and first day of National Park Week
- Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- Sept. 23: National Public Lands Day
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
5. Chinese Lunar New Year
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. Save the dates for all the festivities coming up:
- Jan. 7 – Feb. 4: Rabbit on Parade photo contest
- Jan. 14-15: Flower Market Fair
- Jan. 22: Chinese New Year / Choy Sun Doe Day
- Jan. 28: Basketball Jamboree
- Feb. 3: Miss Chinatown Pageant and Coronation Ball
- Feb. 4: Chinese New Year Parade
- Feb. 4-5: Community Street Fair
- Mar. 5: Chinatown YMCA Run
6. SF Rec & Parks activity registration
Registration dates TBA in March, May, August, and December
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.
You can take a look through past catalogs to get an idea of what’s offered every season.
7. Elephant seal pupping season
January-March
Winter is elephant seal season on the coast of California, an exciting natural phenomenon that’s iconic to our state. Northern elephant seals inhabit the waters from Baja California, Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. They generally breed from December to March at Point Reyes, Año Nuevo, the Channel Islands and Piedras Blancas.
The adult males (known as “bulls”) arrive first in December so as to stake a claim and engage in bloody fights with each other to establish dominance. Pregnant adult females, known as “cows,” arrive shortly afterwards and give birth to the pups, or “weaners,” they’ve been carrying since the previous year. You may witness male dominance contests, birthing of pups, mating, and other fascinating behavior
8. SF Sketchfest
Jan. 20- Feb. 5
San Francisco’s popular annual comedy festival, SF Sketchfest, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month 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.
9. Black Joy Parade
Feb. 26
This massive parade and festival will celebrate the Black experience in epic form. With over 200 vendors, plenty of performances, and a lively parade route, this is the largest free event of its kind in California.
10. Bandshell concerts
February-December
The Lift Every Voice series is bringing dozens of free concerts every month 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.
A new lineup is expected beginning in late February. We’ll update our Bandshell lineup article monthly as the concerts are announced.
11. Flower Bulb Day
Mar. 4
San Francisco’s wholesome Flower Bulb Day is back on the calendar for 2023. 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 March event is meant to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is on March 8.
12. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Mar. 11
SF’s 172nd 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 on March 12.
13. Off The Grid Fort Mason Center
March-October, dates TBA
Off The Grid: Fort Mason Center (OTG:FMC) is California’s largest weekly food truck event, and this year will bring its 13th season. The free events bring dozens of gourmet food trucks to the Fort Mason Center parking lot on Friday evenings from 5pm-10pm.
14. Sundown Cinema
May-Oct, dates TBA
SF Parks Alliance and Do The Bay have hosted this massively popular outdoor film series for the last 4 years. It’s a great opportunity to connect with your neighborhood and enjoy the city’s beautiful parks in a cozy outdoor setting. Be sure to keep an eye on the calendar so as not to miss these wholesome outdoor movies.
15. Cesar Chavez Day parade
Holiday is Mar. 31, parade date TBA
San Francisco goes all out to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day, a national holiday celebrating California’s own civil rights and labor movement activist, Cesar Chavez. It usually includes food and drink vendors, live performances, arts and crafts, a lowrider car show, games for children and much more in the Mission District.
16. Bring Your Own Big Wheel race
April, date TBA
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, which returned last year after a 2-year hiatus. Countless neighbors will get together with their own Big Wheel bikes to race down Vermont Street’s wonky curves. The 2023 race is TBA, but keep an eye out for it in April.
17. NorCal Cherry Blossom Festival
Apr. 8-9 and 15-16
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.
18. SF Film Festival
Apr. 13-23
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.
19. BottleRock
May 26-28
BottleRock Napa Valley music festival just announced its 2023 lineup and it’s packed with 6 legendary headliners. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Lizzo, Duran Duran, Lil Nas X, and The Smashing Pumpkins are c0-headlining the event, which is set to take place from May 26-28, 2023 at the Napa Valley Expo.
20. Carnaval SF
May 27-28
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.
21. SF Pride
June 24-25
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 on June 24-25, which brings lively performances to multiple stages around Civic Center. The parade itself will happen June 25th on Market Street from the Embarcadero to Civic Center.
22. Corgi Con
June 18, fall date TBA
San Francisco’s beloved Corgi Con is a celebration of all things corgi at Ocean Beach, bringing up to a thousand corgis and their owners to participate in contests, races, and more. It happens twice a year: once in the summer, and once in the fall. The fall date is still TBA.
The event includes a giant group picture with all the furry participants; a Corgi Ninja Warrior contest that puts those short little legs through their paces; a massive costume contest for creative corgi owners, and “Mickey’s Derby,” which pits the pooches against each other in speed races.
24. Stern Grove Festival
Sundays June-August, dates TBA
Stern Grove Festival has hosted free summer concerts for over 85 years. Headliners have included everyone from Grammy winners to rising stars, including names like Mitski, The Doobie Brothers, Carlos Santana, Pink Martini, Janelle Monae, and more. The official 2023 dates are still TBA, but it usually happens on Sundays throughout the summer.
25. Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
June-November
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. 2023 dates are still TBA but we can usually expect it in the summer and fall.
26. CA Craft Beer Week
July 21-30
Heads up, beer fans! California Craft Beer Week (CCBW) is set to take over hundreds of tap rooms and breweries in July. The Bay Area is coming out in full force with plenty of fun and interesting activities, specials, and events. This is your chance to support local breweries and enjoy the best beers California has to offer.
27. Outside Lands
Aug 11-13
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 2023 lineup is still TBA, but stay tuned as we await more info, and save the dates for now.
28. Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival
August, date TBA
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.
29. Flower Piano
September, dates TBA
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 7 successful years in SF with a break in 2020 for the pandemic.
30. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Sept. 29 – Oct. 1
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. Stay tuned as we await the 2023 lineup!
31. Fleet Week
Oct. 2-10
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!
32. Castro St Fair
October, date TBA
This beloved festival takes the Castro by storm every October, welcoming hundreds of local artists, vendors, organizations, and more to line the streets along with live music and dance stages. Harvey Milk founded the Castro Street Fair in 1974 in order to celebrate the Castro neighborhood’s diversity. Thousands of people participated, and the event has since grown into one of the city’s largest festivals.
33. Leap Sandcastle Classic
October, date TBA
The Leap Sandcastle Classic returns to Ocean Beach every October. The free event brings out 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. This will be the event’s 41st year.
34. Italian Heritage Parade
October, date TBA
San Francisco’s vibrant Italian community comes out in droves to celebrate the Italian Heritage Festival in October. 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.
35. SF Coffee Festival
Nov 11-12
This exciting festival returns for its 7th annual rendition in October. Enjoy great food, fun local products, a latte art competition, live music, learning sessions, and of course endless high-quality coffee.