It’s that time of year again; every single weekend in San Francisco is going to have at least one event which draws both tourists and locals to one of our many diverse neighborhoods. From the small street fairs to the specialty food tastings to the holiday activities, people who want something to do will not be lacking for events. But, as a local, it can get kind of tiresome. You want to check everything out, but you quickly tire of the constant activity, the crowds and the inflated prices on everything.
There’s something to suit everyone in this city, but these are the Top 5 annual events in San Francisco that locals don’t ever want to miss and tourists should find it worth their while to plan in advance for checking out:
1. Bay to Breakers. It’s a foot race from one end of the city to the other but you don’t have to be interested in runners to love it. First of all, the sheer numbers are worth seeing; 65,000 people participate in this run and more than that head out to watch it. Second, being a spectator is an event in and of itself. There are costumes (and considerable lack thereof), kegs being pushed down main streets, craziness frolicking in the middle of urban life … It’s unlike any event you’ve ever seen before and something you can really only experience in San Francisco. This year, it happens on May 20th.
2. Fringe Festival. Live theatre is one of the most interesting forms of art in San Francisco. Big productions come here but we also get the opportunity to experience a really vast array of different local theatre events, from stand-up comedy to full-on productions. The Fringe Festival happens in September and carries on for two weeks, featuring nearly 200 performances all throughout the city. Some of them are even free things happening on the city streets. There’s something for everyone and it gives both locals and travelers a chance to get an inside look at the local theatre scene.
3. Stern Grove Festival. Speaking of performance art, if you’ve got any interest at all in being entertained and very little money to find that entertainment, San Francisco is the place for you. One event for such folks is the Stern Grove Festival which runs all summer long, bringing free music and entertainment to Golden Gate Park. This year, there will be free music every week from June 17th to August 19th. It ranges from Huey Lewis and the News to the San Francisco Symphony. It’s in the most beautiful part of San Francisco – a park that’s so large it’s got buffalo, polo fields, lakes, botanical gardens, museums and more. And it’s free!
4. Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival. If the normal treats at Ghirardelli Square aren’t reason enough to go check out this “tourist trap”, this weekend-long September festival should be. Vendors with all different kinds of treats are set up one after another in this Bayside location. You buy tickets that let you get samples of every different chocolate treat under the sun. It’s an all ages event with live music and there’s lots of neat stuff in the neighborhood (Hyde Street Pier, the bay beach, random street performers) so you can justify playing tourist while you’re there. This year, it takes place on September 8th and 9th.
5. Pride. It’s cliché, I know, but San Francisco has one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the nation and if you’ve got any interest in getting together to celebrate diversity and the community presence of a GLBT population, here’s where to do it. There’s a downtown event and there’s the PINK party in The Castro which is supposed to be more of a locals thing but isn’t necessarily. Admittedly, I’m divided on this one – drinks in the bars are watered down and the streets are packed from side to side as everyone tries to get a glimpse of gay boys acting naughty in the windows of Castro apartments. But, at the same time, there’s lots of playfulness in the city on this day. Insider tip: try to find out where the Castro house parties are at (hint: Craigslist!) because that’s where the real low-cost fun is at. This year, Pride is on June 23rd.