There is free live music on a downtown lawn from spring through November. The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival runs its whole season on the Great Lawn in SoMa, between Third and Fourth Streets off Mission, and every program is free.
What Is Programmed
The festival runs several recurring series. Thursday Lunchtime brings a midday concert from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Children’s Garden shows run Friday mornings at 11am and noon. Dance Outdoors with Rhythm and Motion runs Wednesdays from noon to 1pm. Weekend Sessions carry the larger afternoon events, and Poetic Tuesdays cover spoken word.
September 2026 Schedule
Wednesday, September 2: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm and Motion, noon to 1pm.
Thursday, September 3: Los Calderones, 6 to 7:30pm.
Saturday, September 5: Yerba Buena Movie Night, a screening of Black Panther, 6:30 to 9:30pm.
Wednesday, September 23: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm and Motion, noon to 1pm.
Wednesday, September 30: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm and Motion, noon to 1pm.
Separately from the festival series, SOMA Pilipinas unveils a Filipino light sculpture in the gardens’ eastern plaza on September 4, with a free dance party that evening and Filipino street food. See our post on the Philippine Sun at Yerba Buena Gardens.
October and November
October is the fullest month of the back half of the season. The African Arts Festival runs October 3 from 11am to 4pm, and Litquake Out Loud with a book fair follows on October 4, same hours. Quinteto Latino plays a Thursday Lunchtime set on October 8. Follow the Music runs October 10 from 1 to 4pm, YBG Dance Day is October 11 from 10am to 3pm, and San Francisco Indigenous Peoples Day on October 12 runs noon to 4pm with a performance by Jeremy Dutcher. Richard Howell’s John Coltrane Tribute is October 15 at lunchtime, Joe Bataan plays October 17 from 2 to 4:30pm, and the Afro-Filipino Jazz Project plays October 24 from 2 to 3:30pm. Halloween Hoopla closes the month on October 31, noon to 3pm. Dance Outdoors continues on the Wednesdays of October 7, 14, 21 and 28.
The season ends with the Bhangra and Beats Night Market on Friday, November 13, from 4 to 9pm.
Visiting
Where: Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission Street between Third and Fourth Streets
Cost: Free. Seating on the lawn is first come, first served, and most people bring a blanket. Times are listed on the festival calendar, which changes as acts are added.
More Free Music in San Francisco
Yerba Buena Gardens is one of several free outdoor series in San Francisco. See our guide to free outdoor summer concerts in San Francisco for the Stern Grove Festival, the Golden Gate Park Band, and Sunday Streets, including how the free ticket lotteries work. For the rest of this month, see our September 2026 guide.
Getting There
Yerba Buena Gardens is two blocks from the Powell Street and Montgomery Street stations, served by BART and Muni Metro. Market Street bus lines stop within a few blocks. Several garages serve the area, including the Fifth and Mission garage. Check SFMTA for current routes.
