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. This year, once again, includes fan favorite Circus Bella, a free circus performance starting in June. You can also see a beautiful sculpture collection in the gardens during the festival, called Alebrijes & Nahuales: Fantastic Animals from Mexico. Plus, there are many more stand-out events, so we recommend marking your calendars accordingly. Check out the full schedule and details at theYerba Buena Gardens Festival event page.
Yerba Buena Festival Schedule 2025
- 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.
- Fridays: Children’s Garden Series, which presents live interactive performances for kids.
- Weekends: The weekend session flagship series, which presents unique multicultural concerts and performers on weekends. 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.