Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival Returns to Grant Avenue September 19 and 20

The San Francisco Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival returns to Grant Avenue on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026, running 11 am to 5 pm both days. The street fair is free and covers Grant Avenue between California Street and Broadway. The Chinatown Merchants Association presents the event, which marks the mid-autumn holiday with mooncakes, lion dancing, and two days of stage performances.

What to Expect

An opening parade and ribbon cutting start Saturday at 11 am at California and Grant, followed by lion dancing and martial arts from Yau Kung Moon. The main stage at Washington and Grant runs performances through both afternoons, including a K-pop dance contest Saturday at 1:15 pm and a dumpling eating contest Sunday at 2:45 pm. Sunday’s schedule adds Tai Chi Yuen at 10 am, taiko drumming from Heiwa Taiko, the SF Guzheng Society, and the Grant Avenue Follies. A closing dragon parade by Leung’s White Crane ends the festival Sunday at 4:30 pm. Vendors along the street sell mooncakes, the filled pastries traditionally eaten during the holiday, along with food and crafts. The organizers note the program can change without notice; the full schedule is posted at moonfestival.org.

Details

When: Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026, 11 am to 5 pm. Where: Grant Avenue between California Street and Broadway, Chinatown.

Cost: Free. Getting there: The 30 Stockton and 45 Union/Stockton buses run on Stockton Street, one block west of Grant, and the California Street cable car crosses Grant at the festival’s southern end. On-street parking is impossible in Chinatown; garages exist under Portsmouth Square and St. Mary’s Square, and transit is the practical option.

For neighborhood background, walking routes, and where to eat nearby, see our Chinatown guide.

Photo: Gary Stevens, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.