The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is back in action for 2023! The independent nonprofit organization is dedicated to presenting accessible cultural events from May-October, including world-class music, theater, dance, and more.
Every week, guests can enjoy a series of free recurring performances and events. Below is the schedule to keep in mind, but you can see more details at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival event page.
- Tuesdays: Poetic Tuesdays feature the best local poets and spoken word artists on Tuesdays at 12:30pm.
- Tuesdays: Yoga in the Gardens is a free yoga class happening every Tuesday at 11am.
- Wednesdays: Dance Outdoors at is a full-body free dance workout class on Tuesdays at 11am.
- Thursdays: Lunchtime concert series at 12:30pm with Bay Area bands.
- 3rd Thursdays: Salsa at Jessie Square at 11am on the third Thursday of every month.
- 1st and 3rd Thursdays: Yerba Buena Gardens Public Art Tour at 11am.
- Fridays: Children’s Garden Series, which presents live interactive performances for kids at
- Saturdays: The weekend session flagship series which presents unique multicultural concerts on Saturdays at lunchtime.
- 1st Sundays: Yerba Buena Art & Makers Market with musical performances and local artisans selling their wares.
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival also facilitates special projects through local artist commissions. These “seed commissions” go towards art, music, and production-related expenses for up-and-coming creators, for everything from short films to musical albums to research projects.
This free popular 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. You can donate to support this work here.
Be sure to open up your calendar for the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, happening at SF’s Yerba Buena Gardens in the Financial District.