Cultural Festivals and Events in San Francisco You Must Experience

Carnaval (May)

Carnaval isn’t just a festival; it’s a season. Kicking off in February and culminating in a massive parade and party on the last weekend in May, Carnaval draws crowds of more than 400,000 to celebrate San Francisco’s vibrant Latin-American and Caribbean communities, making it the largest annual multicultural event in California.

San Francisco’s Latino roots are as old as the city itself. The Mission District, now the center of Latino life in San Francisco, was first settled by Spanish missionaries in 1776. Chileans, Peruvians, Cubans and other Latin-American and Caribbean arrivals later added to the cultural mix. Today, that ethnic diversity can be experienced throughout the Mission, from the vivid Mission Murals to the eclectic culinary scene to Mission Dolores, San Francisco’s oldest building.

Carnaval isn’t just a festival; it’s a season.

Numerous events happen throughout the Carnaval season, but the Grand Parade puts all of these cultures on dazzling display at once. With hundreds of costumed performers dancing in the street to high-energy samba and salsa music, feathered headdresses swirling in every color of the rainbow, tricked-out low-riders on parade and fiery, flavorful foods cooking up on every corner, it’s a true feast for the senses.

Festivals For Every Season

Winter

SF Sketchfest (January)

Is there such a thing as laughing too much? You’ll find out at SF Sketchfest, a nearly month-long showcase of comedy from the Bay Area and beyond. Rising out of San Francisco’s influential comedy history and vibrant contemporary comedy scene, SF Sketchfest has become one of the premier comedy festivals in the country. Previous years’ lineups read like a who’s who of humor: legends like Billy Crystal, underground favorites like Amy Sedaris and Patton Oswalt, and the casts of shows like Saturday Night Live and Arrested Development. Events include stand-up sets, improv shows, tributes, panel discussions, special screenings and more. 

Spring

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival (March)

The West Coast’s largest Irish event celebrating Irish history and culture, the annual San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, attracts some 100,000 revelers every year and is one of the city’s most popular events. The colorful festivities surrounding the parade will showcase Irish culture through live performances and entertainment, arts and crafts exhibitors, food and beverage concessions, children’s rides and inflatables, and non-profits booths representing the Irish community.

San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) (April)

San Francisco’s picturesque streets have been the backdrop for numerous films, from Bullitt to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. There are plenty of ways to feed your inner movie buff in San Francisco, but attending the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) tops the list. The longest-running film festival in the Americas, SFFILM screens acclaimed movies from around the globe, including world premieres, arthouse discoveries, documentaries, classic films and more. SFFILM is just one of many festivals geared toward cinephiles.

Summer

Union Street Festival (June)

Between Pacific Heights and the Marina lies Cow Hollow, a neighborhood that was once used to feed cattle and now feeds plenty of visitors and locals alike. There's no bad time to take a stroll down Union Street (it is one of your best bets for dining and bar-hopping), but early June might be the best. You'll get to experience all the food, music, and family-friendly activities that the neighborhood has to offer.

Haight-Ashbury Street Fair (June)

The Summer of Love never quite ended in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, and the spirit of that summer lives on at this community-oriented street fair. Browse through 200 local vendors selling art, clothing, crafts and foods, plus live music and non-profits promoting their causes. Take some time to explore the Haight’s Victorian architecture and eclectic independent shops, many of which will make you feel like you’ve stepped right back into 1967.

North Beach Festival (June)

Considered one of the country’s original outdoor festivals, the North Beach Festival celebrates the historic North Beach, the historically Italian neighborhood and the the home of the famed beat generation. The festival site includes numerous quaint streets in the heart of the district including Grant Avenue, Green Street, Vallejo Street and Columbus Avenue.

Fillmore Jazz Festival (July)

Visit the neighborhood considered "the Harlem of the West" for an annual celebration of its storied jazz history. The Fillmore's many music venues hosted the legends of the time, including Duke Ellington and Billie Holliday. You can still hear performers in some of those spaces today, as well as up and down Fillmore St. during the Fillmore Jazz festival.

Castro Street Fair (October)

Founded by the late Harvey Milk as a protest against the discriminatory practices of local merchants, Castro Street Fair is one of the most important (and colorful) LGBTQ+ events in San Francisco. Rainbow flags fly and thousands of revelers take to the Castro to dance, feast on street foods, shop local wares and rally around their community. Before you join the party, here’s everything you need to know about the Castro Street Fair.

Italian Heritage Parade (October)

Often recognized as the City's oldest civic event and the oldest continuing Italian-American parade and community organization in the United States, the celebration continues to be an icon on the San Francisco annual festival calendar. Originally named La Societa Italiana Mutua Beneficenza, the Italian Heritage Parade the festivities grew to include a formal Grand Ball, a representation of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (and, later, just the Queen), and a city-wide celebration of heritage and culture. You can expect to see handcrafted floats celebrating San Francisco Bay Area business, community groups and Italian organizations, and noted area Italian-Americans, with local high school Italian clubs and marching bands.

Litquake (October)

We San Franciscans are proud of our literary roots. Everyone from Mark Twain to Jack Kerouac to Maya Angelou has found inspiration here, and City Lights Bookstore helped proliferate the counterculture ideas of the 1950s and ’60s. Litquake keeps that literary flame lit, with ten days of poetry, panel discussions and author appearances across 160 venues.