Friday’s recurring events are smaller and more neighborhood-scale than the rest of the week: jazz in the back room of a Glen Park bookstore, roller disco in a former church on Fillmore Street, and on the last Friday of each month, a mass bike ride leaving from the foot of Market Street.
Jazz at Bird & Beckett
Bird & Beckett Books & Records at 653 Chenery Street in Glen Park has hosted Friday-night jazz for 25 years. Sets start at 7:30pm; cover is $20 to $25 cash at the door ($10 for students, kids free), and it is BYOB. The shop also runs Saturday evening shows and a Sunday 5pm set.
Roller Disco at Church of 8 Wheels
Friday sessions at Church of 8 Wheels, 554 Fillmore Street, run 5 to 6:30pm for all ages and 7 to 11pm for 18 and over. Tickets through the rink’s site.
Critical Mass (Last Friday)
On the last Friday of every month since 1992, cyclists gather at Embarcadero Plaza at the foot of Market Street around 5:30pm and roll out around 6:30pm for Critical Mass, a leaderless group ride through the city. Free; bring a bike and lights.
Fort Mason Night Market (One Friday a Month)
The Fort Mason Night Market runs one Friday a month from 5 to 10pm, spring through December, free and all ages. It brings around 30 food vendors curated by Off the Grid, more than 80 craft vendors organized by West Coast Craft, and live music curated by the Stern Grove Festival. Dates are on the Fort Mason calendar. This monthly format replaced the old weekly Off the Grid Friday food truck market at Fort Mason.
Chinatown Night Market (Second Friday, Seasonal)
BeChinatown runs a night market along five blocks of Grant Avenue on the second Friday of the month, May through October, from 5 to 9pm, with food stalls, lion dances, and beer and wine gardens. Free entry; confirm dates on the organizer’s site.
Free Morning Hours
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park is free for everyone from 9 to 10am on Fridays (also Mondays and Wednesdays), and the San Francisco Botanical Garden is free daily from 7:30 to 9am.
Museums
Friday is the one weekday when every major museum is open: SFMOMA (10am to 5pm), the de Young and Legion of Honor (9:30am to 5:15pm), the Asian Art Museum (10am to 5pm), the Exploratorium (10am to 5pm), and the California Academy of Sciences.
Planning Note
For this week’s one-off Friday shows and events, see Things to Do in San Francisco This Week, updated every Sunday, and This Weekend in San Francisco, updated every Wednesday.
