Festivals & Events

The sixth African Arts Festival runs Saturday, October 3, 2026, 11am to 4pm on the Great Lawn at Yerba Buena Gardens, with music and dance from Bay Area African and diaspora ensembles, lessons and vendors. Free.

The Potrero Hill Festival runs Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am to 5pm, across four blocks of 20th Street, with R&B, food and family activities benefiting the neighborhood’s public schools.

World of Dumplings returns to the Ferry Building on Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 11am to 5pm, with more than 25 restaurant vendors, eating contests and cooking demos. Free admission.

The 44th Leap Sandcastle Classic runs at Ocean Beach at Balboa Street on Saturday, October 24, 2026, with building from 11am to 2:30pm and awards at 3:15pm. Free to watch.

Thrill-O-Ween, the free all-ages Halloween event at Thrive City outside Chase Center, runs Saturday, October 24, 2026 from noon to 5pm with a costume contest, trick-or-treat stations, a mini pumpkin patch and a screening of E.T.

Sunday Streets, San Francisco’s free car-free open-streets program, holds its last 2026 event in the Excelsior on Sunday, October 18. The route is still to be announced by Livable City.

The Bay Area Science Festival runs Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 11am to 4pm at UCSF Mission Bay, with more than 100 hands-on demonstrations, lab tours and a robot zoo. Free, no tickets needed, rain or shine.

The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade starts at 12:30pm on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Jefferson and Powell Streets and runs down Columbus Avenue to Washington Square. Free, with a car show and actor Joe Mantegna as grand marshal.

Litquake’s 2026 festival runs October 8 to 24 at venues across San Francisco, opening with the Booksellers Ball and closing with Lit Crawl SF on October 24. Many events are free or pay what you can.

The Castro Street Fair runs Sunday, October 4, 2026 around Castro and Market Streets, with a $10 to $20 suggested donation at the gates and a 2026 theme of “Where We Belong.”