The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival has returned for another year of free community events. The independent nonprofit organization is dedicated to presenting accessible cultural events from May to October, including world-class music, theater, dance, and more.
Every week, guests can enjoy a series of free recurring performances and events. Free circus performances by Circus Bella make an appearance at the festival, along with many musicians, a mime troupe, and more. Plus, you can look forward to the African Arts Festival on September 7, with live music and dance performances. Plus, there are many more stand-out events, so we recommend marking your calendars accordingly.
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 12:30 pm.
- Wednesdays: Dance Outdoors is a full-body free dance workout class on Wednesdays at 12 pm
- Thursdays: Lunchtime concert series at 12:30 pm with Bay Area bands.
- 1ist Thursdays: Salsa at Jessie Square on the third Thursday of every month.
- Fridays: Children’s Garden Series, which presents live interactive performances for kids.
- Saturdays: The weekend session flagship series, which presents unique multicultural concerts and performers on Saturdays in the afternoon. The time varies per event, so make sure to check their website for specific details each weekend.
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.