Several San Francisco and Bay Area museums offer free admission days in August 2026. Most fall in the first week of the month. Free days draw crowds, so arriving near opening helps. Special exhibitions usually carry a separate fee even on free days.
Free Days in August 2026
Sunday, August 2: The Asian Art Museum in Civic Center is free to all in its collection galleries on the first Sunday of the month, 10am to 5pm. Special exhibition tickets are $15 that day instead of the usual surcharge. Same-day walk-up availability is limited, so reserving ahead helps.
Tuesday, August 4: The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, and the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park are each free to all on the first Tuesday of the month. At the de Young and the Legion, free admission covers the permanent collection galleries only; full price still applies to special exhibitions, including Treasures of the Pharaohs.
Wednesday, August 5: The GLBT Historical Society Museum in the Castro is free to all on the first Wednesday of the month, sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation. Free tickets are not reservable online that day; entry is first come, first served. Masks are required at the museum on first Wednesdays.
Thursday, August 6: The Museum of Craft and Design in the Dogpatch is free on the first Thursday of the month, no ticket needed. Across the bay, BAMPFA, the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, has free galleries on the first Thursday as well.
Tuesday, August 11: The San Francisco Botanical Garden is free to all on the second Tuesday of the month.
Free Every Week or Every Day
The de Young and the Legion of Honor are free every Saturday for residents of the nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Bring a driver license or a postmarked envelope showing your address, and book online in advance to save time at the door. Visitors 17 and under are always free in the permanent galleries.
All three Gardens of Golden Gate Park sites, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the San Francisco Botanical Garden, are free any day for San Francisco residents with proof of address, and for veterans and Museums for All participants. The Japanese Tea Garden is also free to everyone from 9 to 10am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The Botanical Garden is free to everyone from 7:30 to 9am daily.
SFMOMA is free every day for visitors 18 and under.
Other Ways In
Discover and Go: California public library cardholders can reserve free museum passes through the Discover and Go program, which covers the de Young, the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, and others. Passes are limited and book up quickly.
Bank of America Museums on Us: Bank of America, Merrill, and Bank of America Private Bank cardholders get free general admission at the de Young and Legion of Honor on the first full weekend of the month, which is August 1 and 2. Tickets are day-of and on-site only.
Museums for All: Visitors with a Medi-Cal or EBT card get free general admission at the de Young, the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, the Museum of Craft and Design, and the Gardens of Golden Gate Park. The number of free entries per card varies by museum.
Transit discount: The de Young and Legion of Honor take $3 off admission with proof of purchase from BART, Muni, Caltrain, or another Bay Area transit system, in person only.
Good to Know
Free days and resident programs change. Check each museum’s website before you go, especially around holidays and for special exhibitions. The Exploratorium and the California Academy of Sciences do not have a regular monthly free day. Note that the GLBT Historical Society Museum is closed for exhibit installation through August 4 and reopens in time for its August 5 free day.
For everything else happening this month, see our guide to things to do in San Francisco in August 2026.
