Funcheap ↗
A guide to free and inexpensive events in San Francisco and the Bay Area.
Planned: we still need reliable venue coordinates before adding its listings to the map.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, CLEAR SOURCES
Sources & methodology.
A smaller, carefully checked selection of things to do in San Francisco. Every listing links back to its original source.
Event sources
“Collecting events” means a source is connected. “Planned” sources are on our curated list, but their events are not yet included. “Reviewed weekly schedule” means we check the operator’s page and generate dated occurrences from maintained rules; short-notice exceptions may need a separate review.
Publishers and calendars
San Francisco Chronicle ↗
The San Francisco Chronicle provides regional arts, entertainment, and event coverage.
We query its public Evvnt calendar for each day, verify event dates and venue coordinates, and require complete results before recording coverage.
Mission Local ↗
A local newsroom with an events calendar covering arts, music, community gatherings, and neighborhood life.
We use its public calendar API, following every page in the requested date range. Dates, venue coordinates, and any listed prices come from the publisher.
The Ingleside Light ↗
A neighborhood publication covering Ingleside and surrounding communities, including things-to-do roundups.
Planned: individual event dates and locations need to be extracted and checked separately from article publication dates.
Richmond Review / Sunset Beacon ↗
Neighborhood coverage from the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon, including community activities on the west side of the city.
Planned: we are identifying reliable event listings and verifying dates and locations.
Marina Times ↗
A neighborhood publication with arts, culture, and calendar coverage for San Francisco’s northern neighborhoods.
Planned: current event coverage and the freshness of calendar entries need verification.
Civic Joy Fund ↗
A community organization supporting public celebrations and neighborhood activities in San Francisco.
We read the public Google Calendar behind its website, including recurring dates and exceptions. Linked organizer records verify cleanup meeting points, and city street data verifies festival intersection pins. Reviewed street geometry covers date-specific ValenciaLIVE events.
Venues and organizers
San Francisco Public Library ↗
San Francisco’s public library calendar includes readings, workshops, performances, and activities at neighborhood branches.
We check each day in the 30-day window, including additional results pages, and use the library’s calendar timestamps and branch locations.
San Francisco Recreation and Parks ↗
The city’s Recreation and Parks calendar lists public activities and events in its parks and facilities.
We check the daily calendars across the full window. Published listings currently focus on the Golden Gate Bandshell, where we have verified the venue coordinates.
Recurring series
Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival — official organizer ↗
Annual festivities
An annual San Francisco festivity listed by its official organizer.
We check organizer pages against explicitly reviewed dates, hours, admission and locations. Only confirmed occurrences in the next 30 days are listed; annual dates are never inferred. Changed pages require review. Pins may mark an entrance when the full boundary is unverified. Optional donations and paid participation are distinguished from free admission.
Folsom Street Fair — official organizer ↗
Annual festivities
An annual San Francisco festivity listed by its official organizer.
We check organizer pages against explicitly reviewed dates, hours, admission and locations. Only confirmed occurrences in the next 30 days are listed; annual dates are never inferred. Changed pages require review. Pins may mark an entrance when the full boundary is unverified. Optional donations and paid participation are distinguished from free admission.
Castro Street Fair — official organizer ↗
Annual festivities
An annual San Francisco festivity listed by its official organizer.
We check organizer pages against explicitly reviewed dates, hours, admission and locations. Only confirmed occurrences in the next 30 days are listed; annual dates are never inferred. Changed pages require review. Pins may mark an entrance when the full boundary is unverified. Optional donations and paid participation are distinguished from free admission.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass — official organizer ↗
Annual festivities
An annual San Francisco festivity listed by its official organizer.
We check organizer pages against explicitly reviewed dates, hours, admission and locations. Only confirmed occurrences in the next 30 days are listed; annual dates are never inferred. Changed pages require review. Pins may mark an entrance when the full boundary is unverified. Optional donations and paid participation are distinguished from free admission.
Bay to Breakers — official organizer ↗
Annual festivities
An annual San Francisco festivity listed by its official organizer.
We check organizer pages against explicitly reviewed dates, hours, admission and locations. Only confirmed occurrences in the next 30 days are listed; annual dates are never inferred. Changed pages require review. Pins may mark an entrance when the full boundary is unverified. Optional donations and paid participation are distinguished from free admission.
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market — Foodwise ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Alemany Farmers Market — Foodwise ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Mission Community Market — Foodwise ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Heart of the City Farmers Market — Heart of the City Farmers Market ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Clement Street Farmers Market — Agricultural Institute of Marin ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Stonestown Farmers Market — Agricultural Institute of Marin ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Fort Mason Center Farmers Market — California Farmers’ Markets Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Noe Valley Farmers Market — Noe Valley Farmers Market ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Outer Sunset Farmers Market & Mercantile — Sunset Mercantile ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Castro Farmers Market — Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Fillmore Farmers Market — Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Inner Sunset Farmers Market — Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Divisadero Farmers Market — Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
Hayes Valley Farmers Market — Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association ↗
Farmers markets
A San Francisco farmers market listed by its official operator.
We check the official page against reviewed hours and location, then expand the weekly schedule within 30 days and its review expiry. Known closures are excluded. Changed or unavailable pages report a collection failure; short-notice cancellations and new holiday exceptions require review. Entry is free; purchases cost extra.
SF Shakes — Free Shakespeare in the Park ↗
Performances
Free outdoor Shakespeare performances presented by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. This touring series includes venues outside San Francisco.
We read individual San Francisco performances from the reviewed 2026 production schedule, using city-verified venue points. End times use the organizer’s approximate running time. The season’s date range is not a daily schedule; each new season needs review.
From the E — Excelsior Night Market ↗
Markets
A recurring community night market at Ocean Avenue and Mission Street in the Excelsior.
We read the organizer’s individual event pages for dates, times, cancellation status, and stated free admission. The Ocean/Mission intersection is verified against city street data and shown as a point. We do not infer dates from a monthly pattern.
Sunday Streets SF ↗
Street festivals
Livable City’s series of car-free neighborhood street celebrations across San Francisco.
Planned: verify dates, hours, and routes for each neighborhood occurrence. A verified meeting point is sufficient when the full route is unavailable. Other Livable City programs are separate events.
Subscribe via RSS
Follow these publishers directly in your favorite feed reader. Copy a feed link below and paste it into your reader to subscribe.
- San Francisco Recreation and Parks RSSEvents
- Funcheap RSSRecently added events
- Mission Local RSSEvents
- The Ingleside Light RSSNeighborhood news
- Richmond Review / Sunset Beacon RSSNeighborhood news
- Marina Times RSSNeighborhood news
News feeds include stories beyond events. These feeds may show only recent entries, rather than a complete calendar.
Free Places schedule providers
These operators provide the recurring schedules in Free Places. They are separate from event publishers and are not affected by the Event sources filter.
Gardens of Golden Gate Park ↗
Official admission and hours for the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, and Conservatory of Flowers.
We maintain a reviewed schedule with eligibility, opening days, last entry, known closures, and a review expiry. Check the official page for current restrictions and tickets.
Asian Art Museum ↗
Official museum ticketing information, including its first-Sunday free general admission program.
We maintain a reviewed schedule with eligibility, opening days, last entry, known closures, and a review expiry. Check the official page for current restrictions and tickets.
Mission Science Workshop ↗
Hands-on science and engineering activities for youth and families, with community workshops in the Mission, Excelsior, and Bayview.
We maintain the Mission site’s explicitly published 2026–27 community-day dates as a reviewed schedule. Other sites and weekly programs await complete date and location verification.
Map data
OpenStreetMap ↗
Community-maintained geographic data provides our background map.
The browser requests only the map tiles needed for interactive viewing and uses normal HTTP caching. Attribution stays visible. Automated tests use local tiles instead of the community service.
MapSF event areas ↗
MapSF groups the city’s 41 Analysis Neighborhoods into 15 areas for finding events. Bayview–Hunters Point and Treasure Island remain separate; the southern neighborhoods form two groups.
We combine adjoining Analysis Neighborhoods into reviewed areas, preserving outer boundaries, holes and islands. Selecting an area includes places and routes that touch it. These are MapSF browsing groups, not official neighborhood definitions or promises of short travel times. Boundaries come from DataSF under PDDL; original layouts and provenance are retained for future use.
How we gather and check listings
A rolling 30-day window
Our scheduled collection runs daily and checks today plus the next 29 days in San Francisco time. We follow calendar pages or query a publisher’s public event API across that window, including extra pages of results. We mark dates as checked only after collection completes. A checked date can have no qualifying events; gray dates have not been checked in the available feed.
Public information, carefully collected
We use public calendar APIs when available. For other sources, we read the event information in public calendar and detail pages—a process often called scraping. Requests have limits, duplicate pages are reused within a run, and failed or incomplete requests do not count as a completed date range.
Quality before quantity
We keep event titles, dates, times, places, prices when stated, and links to the original source. We do not reproduce news articles. Listings need usable dates and verified map locations in San Francisco. Missing or ambiguous information can keep an event out of the list, even when we have checked that date.
Costs and eligibility stay explicit
An explicit publisher price takes precedence. For missing prices, we use reviewed defaults for SFPL venues, city parks, named Golden Gate Park meadows, and recognizable public street celebrations. Inferred prices are identified in the event details; unmatched prices remain “Cost not listed.” Resident admission, proof of residency, special-exhibition exclusions, and other conditions are shown separately.
Places, routes, and areas
Most calendars supply a venue point. A festival with a verified venue or intersection can appear as a point. We use a route or area when the streets or boundaries for that specific event are verified. Reviewed route and area records retain their full shape on the map.
Original sources and repeat events
We track recurring markets, street festivals, and performance series separately from broad calendars. Each published occurrence needs its own verified date and location. When listings have the same normalized title, start time, and map geometry, we show the venue or series organizer’s listing ahead of a publisher’s copy. Reviewed farmers-market names and aliases can also match nearby venue pins to their route or area at the same start time. Separately titled concerts and workshops at a market remain distinct. Different dates, locations, or uncertain matches remain separate; a series is not a daily event.
Updates, cancellations, and limits
We remove ended events, reconcile duplicates, and honor cancellations we can identify. If a source fails, previously verified upcoming listings may remain with their original freshness information. We cannot guarantee that every event or last-minute change is captured, so check the linked publisher before heading out.
Reviewed recurring schedules
Museum and garden admission rules are maintained separately from event collection. We record their official sources, conditions, seasonal hours, known closures, and review expiry. These schedules do not make an unchecked event date count as checked.