This Weekend
in SF
The Fort Mason and Castro night markets run Friday, Tune-Yards plays a free rooftop set at Salesforce Park, the 60th Festival of Chariots parades through Golden Gate Park on Sunday, and Sunday Streets closes Lane Street in the Bayview.
Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23, 2026. Refreshed every Monday and Thursday. For Monday through Thursday, see Things to Do in San Francisco This Week. For the rest of the month, see our August 2026 guide.
Friday, August 21
Fort Mason Night Market
The free market returns to the Fort Mason Center waterfront campus on August 21 with more than 80 artist and designer craftspeople and nearly 30 food and beverage vendors. The next date after this one is September 18. See our Fort Mason Night Market guide.
Castro Night Market
The third Friday night market takes over 18th Street between Hartford and Collingwood with local food vendors, merchants, and live entertainment on two stages. It is free and open to the public, and the event is non-alcoholic. Castro Station is a block away.
Rooftop Rhythms: Tune-Yards at Salesforce Park
The TJPA opens its free Rooftop Rhythms weekend on the Salesforce Park roof with Tune-Yards, presented with Noise Pop, plus Rituals of Mine and Everyone is Dirty. Doors open at 3pm and capacity is limited, so register ahead. The series continues Saturday with a free techno night from 3 to 8pm featuring Lady Starlight, and closes Sunday with Suds Francisco.
Saturday, August 22
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
The Saturday farmers market wraps around the Ferry Building with more than 100 vendors selling California produce, flowers, and prepared food, alongside the food hall inside. Saturday is the largest market day of the week.
Alemany Farmers Market
California’s oldest continuously operated farmers market has run since 1943 and hosts about 90 small family farms and food businesses in Bernal Heights. Foodwise took over operations in February 2026.
Treasures of the Pharaohs and Free Saturday at the de Young
Treasures of the Pharaohs continues at the de Young through January 31, 2027 with a separate timed ticket, $40 for adults. A Gallery of Their Own, women artists from the Carr and Goldblum gift, runs through February 14, 2027 and is included with general admission. On Saturdays, general admission is free for residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties; the free offer covers the permanent collection galleries, not ticketed shows like Pharaohs. See our Treasures of the Pharaohs guide.
World Arts West Dance Festival: Legacy Artist Panel
Weekend two of the festival, themed Legacy of Liberation, honors Deborah Vaughan, Mythili Kumar, Naomi Diouf, and Roy and PJ Hirabayashi in a panel moderated by World Arts West CEO Dr. Anne Huang and Samuel Cortez of Los Lupenos de San Jose. A reception follows in the Latino/Hispanic Community Room. Register through the organizer’s Eventbrite.
The Sound at the Golden Gate Bandshell
An annual Jesus festival at the Spreckels Temple of Music with music, food, art, dance, and family activities. Paid parking is available in the Music Concourse garage, with free street parking on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Nancy Pelosi Drive.
Sunday, August 23
Festival of Chariots, 60th Annual
The Festival of Chariots, first held in San Francisco in 1967, marks its 60th year. Hand-pulled chariots parade along JFK Drive to Bowling Green Drive in Golden Gate Park, followed by a festival at Robin Williams Meadow with a complimentary vegetarian feast, exhibits, and cultural performances. Anyone can help pull the chariots. The organizers had not posted start times when this page was updated, so check their site before you go.
Sunday Streets Bayview
Sunday Streets closes Lane Street between Thomas and Underwood avenues, with short extensions along Thomas and Underwood at 3rd Street, for a free block party. The lineup includes a kids zone, a seafood boil, barbecue with live blues, a winemaking workshop, fitness classes, playground yoga, African dance, boot camp, and line dancing, plus performances from the African-American Shakespeare Company and belly dancers.
Golden Gate Park Band: Celebrating Ukrainian Culture
The Golden Gate Park Band, in its 144th season, plays a free program celebrating the traditions of Ukraine in partnership with the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council and the Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California, at the Spreckels Temple of Music on the east side of the park near the de Young.
Suds Francisco: A Funk and Fermentation Festival
The Rooftop Rhythms weekend closes with Suds Francisco, presented by Barebottle Brewing and the TJPA on the Salesforce Park rooftop. Entry is free and open to the public, with registration; tasting and VIP tickets are sold separately and cover unlimited tastings from breweries, wineries, cideries, and fermented food makers, with live music and DJ sets through the afternoon. You must be 21 or over to drink.
Getting Around
The largest event closure is Sunday Streets in the Bayview, which closes Lane Street between Thomas and Underwood avenues on Sunday, with towing on the route from 6am and no vehicle entry after 10am except guided local access. The organizers state there are no Muni reroutes for the event, and the T Third Metro line runs along nearby 3rd Street. On Friday evening, the Castro Night Market closes 18th Street between Hartford and Collingwood. The Festival of Chariots stays inside Golden Gate Park on JFK Drive and the JFK Promenade, which is already car free, so expect crowds rather than street closures around Robin Williams Meadow and the Music Concourse.
The Broadway Tunnel is down to one lane in each direction while phased construction for the Chinatown Public Health Center runs through fall 2027, with one bore open at a time, so drivers crossing between North Beach and Van Ness should allow extra time or route around it. Our guide to the Chinatown closures has the background. On the Bay Bridge, Caltrans closes four of the five eastbound lanes overnight, 10pm to 7am, Sunday through Thursday nights, most nights through October.
The Giants are in Boston all weekend, so there are no ballpark crowds at Oracle Park. BART runs normal service through this weekend; the next Green Line shutdown, with free buses between Union City and Warm Springs/South Fremont, is August 29 and 30. Check SFMTA for transit alerts before you travel. The western half of the city stays foggy and cool most August evenings, so bring a warm layer for the night markets. For Monday through Thursday, see Things to Do in San Francisco This Week. For the rest of the month, see our August 2026 guide.
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