We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for San Francisco. Here we’ve rounded up some of the best exhibitions, events, festivals, parades, and concerts coming up in 2025. 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!
Table Of Contents
2025 San Francisco events calendar
1. SF Giants FanFest
Giants fans will be flocking 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.
🗓️ Dates: March 8, 2025
2. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
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.
🗓️ Date: SF’s parade is on March 15, 2025
3. Flower Bulb 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.
🗓️ Date: March 22, 2025
4. Cesar Chavez Day parade
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.
🗓️ Date: April 12, 2025
5. NorCal Cherry Blossom Festival
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.
🗓️ Dates: April 12-13 and 19-20, 2025
6. 420 at Hippie Hill
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.
🗓️ Date: Apr. 20, 2025
7. Bring Your Own Big Wheel race
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.
🗓️ Date: The event usually happens in April, but 2025 dates are TBA.
8. SF Film Festival
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.
🗓️ Date: April 17-27, 2025
9. Bay to Breakers
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.
🗓️ Date: May 18, 2025
10. BottleRock
This massive music festival in Napa Valley always brings out big names. 2025’s headliners are Green Day, Sublime, Justin Timberlake, Benson Boone, Noah Kahan, and Khruangbin. Do you have tickets?
🗓️ Dates: May 23-25, 2025
11. Carnaval SF
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.
🗓️ Dates: May 25-26, 2025
12. SF Jazz Festival
The SF Jazz Festival started in 1983 as a small “Jazz in the City” event, and 4 decades later has grown into what the Chicago Tribune once called “The crown jewel among American jazz festivals.” This year will be its 41st season.
🗓️ Dates: June 13-15, 2025
13. SF Pride
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.
🗓️ Dates: June 28-29, 2025
14. Jerry Day
Jerry Day returns every year to the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, in celebration of what would be Jerry Garcia’s 82nd birthday.
Jerry Garcia was a San Francisco legend and 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.
🗓️ Date: August 2, 2025
15. Outside Lands
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 2024 lineup included The Killers, Sturgill Simpson, The Postal Service, Grace Jones, Kaytranada, Jungle, Chris Lake, Gryffin, and Tyler, The Creator.
🗓️ Dates: Aug 8-10, 2025
16. Folsom Street Fair
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.
🗓️ Date: Sept. 28, 2025
17. Portola Music Festival
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 Fisher, Rüfüs Du Sol, Jamie XX, Disclosure, M.I.A., Four Tet, Gesaffelstein, and Justice.
🗓️ Dates: The event usually happens in September, but 2025 dates are TBA.
18. Flower Piano
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.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 12-21, 2025
19. Haight-Ashbury Street Fair
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.
🗓️ Dates: The event usually happens in September, but 2025 dates are TBA.
20. Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival
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.
🗓️ Date: SF’s 2025 event date is TBA, but the holiday falls on Oct. 6, 2025
21. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
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.
🗓️ Dates: Oct. 3-5, 2025
22. Fleet Week
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!
🗓️ Dates: Fleet Week is from Oct. 5-13, 2025. The Air Show will be from Oct. 10-12, 2025
23. Italian Heritage Parade
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.
🗓️ Date: Oct. 12, 2025
24. Leap Sandcastle Classic
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.
🗓️ Date: Oct. 25, 2025
25. Día de los Muertos Ritual Procession & Festival of Altars
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.
🗓️ Date: Nov. 2, 2025
26. SF Coffee Festival
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.
🗓️ Dates: Nov. 8-9, 2025
Ongoing and recurring activities in San Francisco
1. 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 2024 as the dates come around, but the general info and location stays the same every year.
🗓️ Flower seasons:
- 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.
2. Seasonal activities with SF Rec & Parks
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
3. Elephant seal pupping season
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.
🗓️ Dates: January-March
4. Sundown Cinema
SF Parks Alliance and Do The Bay have hosted this massively popular outdoor film series for the last 5 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 movie nights on Fridays.
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2025. Sundown Cinema usually falls on Fridays about once a month in the summer and fall seasons.
5. Stern Grove Festival
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.
🗓️ Dates: Sundays from June 15 – Aug 17, 2025
6. Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
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.
🗓️ Dates: Ongoing events between June and November
7. Golden Gate Park Bandshell concerts
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.
🗓️ Dates: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from March to November
2026 San Francisco events calendar
1. SF Sketchfest
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.
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2026, but usually in January and February
2. Chinese New Year Parade
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.
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2026, but likely in February
3. SF Beer Week
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.
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2026, but likely in February and/or March.