Upcoming events in San Francisco
An exhaustive list of SF events (plus a few day trips) over the next month · 73 events
Fee-free national park days - visit Muir Woods for free
Aug 25 & Sep 17 · fee-free days
Muir Woods, Mill Valley (~40 min; parking reservation required)
Pumpkin patch, barnyard animals and gentle toddler rides
Watermelon fest Aug 28-30, then daily to Nov 15
Bishop's Pumpkin Farm, Wheatland (~2.5 hrs from SF)
County fair with a rodeo, rides, animals and food
Sep 3-7 · Thu-Mon
Monterey County Fairgrounds (~2 hrs from SF)
Free lifeguarded swimming lagoon with a sandy beach
Daily through Sep 7 (Labor Day)
Spring Lake Park, Santa Rosa (~1.25 hrs from SF)
Free family block party with games and food
Wed Sep 9 · 4-7pm
Willie Wong Playground, Chinatown
Play or hear pianos scattered through the gardens
Sep 10-20 · daily 10am-6pm
SF Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park
Mid-Autumn street festival with lanterns and mooncakes
Sat Sep 12 · 11am-3pm
Clement St, Inner Richmond
Free community singalong on the meadow
Sat Sep 12 · 10:30-11:30am
Mothers Meadow, Golden Gate Park
Neighborhood block party with pancakes and grilled cheese
Sat Sep 12 · 10:30am-5:30pm
Waller & Buchanan, Lower Haight
Latino cultural street festival in the Mission
Sat Sep 12 · 11am-6pm
24th St, Mission
Food trucks and family fun on Treasure Island
Saturdays Sep 12-26 · 11am-4pm
Cityside Park, Treasure Island
Free toddler splash pad next to a water park
Daily through Sep 12 · 11am-7:30pm
Emerald Glen Park, Dublin (~40 min from SF)
Outdoor art festival at the town square
Sun Sep 13 · 10am-4pm
Noe Valley Town Square, Noe Valley
Free outdoor opera concert for all ages
Sun Sep 13 · 1:30-3:30pm
Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park
County fair: carnival rides, animals and agricultural fun
Sep 16-20 · Wed-Sun
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville (~1.5 hrs from SF)
Ride rare historic streetcars and buses for free
Sat-Sun Sep 19-20 · 10am-4pm
SF Railway Museum, Embarcadero
Chinatown's big Mid-Autumn street festival
Sat-Sun Sep 19-20 · 11am-5pm
Grant Ave, Chinatown
Free Ocean Ave culture block party
Sat Sep 19 · 12-2pm
Ocean Ave, Ingleside
Climb aboard fire trucks, diggers and big rigs
Sat Sep 19 · 9am-1pm
Stonestown, Lakeside
Hands-on family jazz session for little ones
Sat Sep 19 · 10am
SFJAZZ Center, Hayes Valley
Free drop-in art making for families
Sat Sep 19 · 11am-3pm
de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
Bernal Heights street fair with kids' activities
Sun Sep 20 · 10am-4pm
Cortland Ave, Bernal Heights
Korean harvest festival with music, food and crafts
Sat Sep 26 · 11am-4pm
Presidio Main Post, Presidio
Hands-on engineering fun at the Exploratorium
Sat Sep 26 · 11am-4pm
Exploratorium, Pier 15
Bluey and Bingo live on stage
Sat-Sun Sep 26-27 · shows 10am, 1pm & 4pm
Orpheum Theatre, Civic Center
Free Latino-heritage kickoff with music and crafts
Sat Sep 26 · 12-4pm
SF Main Library, Civic Center
German heritage festival at the park bandshell
Sun Sep 27 · 11am-4pm
Golden Gate Park Bandshell
Free museum Saturday for Bay Area residents
Saturdays · 9:30am-5:15pm
de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
Saturday science drop-in for curious kids
Saturdays · 10:30-11:30am
Randall Museum, Corona Heights
Drop-in afternoon art at the Randall Museum
Saturdays · 1-4pm
Randall Museum, Corona Heights
Animatronic dinosaurs roar to life at the zoo
Daily · 10am-5pm
SF Zoo, Outer Sunset
Hands-on space exhibition and experiments
Daily · 10am-5pm
Exploratorium, Pier 15
Immersive light-and-color sensory exhibit
Daily · museum hours
California Academy of Sciences
The story of Disneyland, told through exhibits
Most days · 10am-5:30pm
Walt Disney Family Museum, Presidio
Free gallery scavenger hunt; under-18s free
Museum hours (closed Wed)
SFMOMA, SoMa
Free daily 3pm ranger campfire talk
Daily · 3pm
Presidio Tunnel Tops
Free Tea Garden entry, 9-10am (Mon/Wed/Fri)
Mon/Wed/Fri · 9-10am
Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park
Stroller-friendly gardens, lawns and duck ponds
Daily from 7:30am
SF Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park
Twin metal hillside slides - bring cardboard
Any day · daylight hours
Esmeralda Slide Park, Bernal Heights
Free outdoor all-ages concerts in the park
Select days · Mar-Nov
Golden Gate Park Bandshell
Free lunchtime concerts and food trucks downtown
Tue & Thu · 12-3pm
Fulton Plaza, Civic Center
Watch fortune cookies folded by hand + free samples
Daily · 9am-7pm
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Ross Alley, Chinatown
Free streetcar museum with a motorman's platform to 'drive'
Tue-Sun · 12-5pm
SF Railway Museum, 77 Steuart St, Embarcadero
Free library storytimes and playtime, citywide
Weekly · 28 branches
SF Public Library
Free monthly kids' building workshop
Monthly Saturdays
Lowe's (register online)
Free drop-in kids' craft club
2nd & 4th Saturdays
Michaels
Free hands-on kids' creativity sessions
Select days · reserve online
Apple stores
Free LEGO Life kids' magazine, by mail
5 issues a year
By mail
Free family events at Google's visitor campus
Select Saturdays
Google, Mountain View
Walk-through underwater tunnels, touch pools and sea lions
Daily · 10am-5pm
Aquarium of the Bay, PIER 39
Play 300+ vintage coin-operated arcade machines
Daily · 10am-8pm
Musee Mecanique, Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf
150-ft observation wheel with enclosed gondolas
Daily · 10am-10pm
SkyStar Wheel, Fisherman's Wharf
Watch the giant wheels wind the cables at the free powerhouse
Tue-Sun (closed Mon) · 10am-4pm
Cable Car Museum, Nob Hill
Free rooftop park with toddler storytimes and a gondola ride up
Daily · free programs May-Oct
Salesforce Park, 425 Mission St, downtown
Free family events - toddler music, movie nights, festivals
Select days · see schedule
Thrive City, Chase Center, Mission Bay
Free downtown playground and tot lot, with a $3 carousel
Daily · 6am-10pm
Yerba Buena Gardens, SoMa
Free public fire rings for a sunset beach bonfire
Any day to 9:30pm · Mar-Oct season
Ocean Beach (Stairwells 15-20)
Free citywide nature quest with a sticker-collecting map
Any day · pick up at any library
35 SF parks & beaches, citywide
Steep two-story concrete slides - best for ages 4-5+
Tue-Sun (closed Mon) · 10am-5pm
Seward Mini Park, Eureka Valley
Free kids meal every Sunday with an adult order
Sundays · all day
MOD Pizza, Howard St, SoMa
Free kids pizza or pasta on Wednesday evenings
Wednesdays · 5-6:30pm
Fiorella, 1401 Noriega St, Sunset
Pick-your-own apples at Apple Hill's family orchards
Late Aug through October
Apple Hill, Camino (~2.5 hrs from SF)
Self-guided Jelly Belly factory tour + candy train
Daily · tours 9:15am-4pm
Fairfield (~1 hr from SF)
Hands-on kids' museum with indoor + outdoor bayside play
Wed-Mon · 10am-4pm
Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito (~20 min from SF)
Walk among 40+ life-sized animatronic dinosaurs
Through early Sept · daily (closed Tue)
Kaiser Center, Oakland (~30 min from SF)
Free volunteer railway museum with model trains to watch
Saturdays · 10am-2:30pm
SLHRS, Thrasher Park, San Leandro (~30 min from SF)
Free playground with a replica train to climb aboard
Daily · public park
Washington Park, Burlingame (~20 min from SF)
Local-history museum in a restored 1891 train depot
Tue-Sun (closed Mon) · afternoons
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, Danville (~45 min from SF)
Indoor imaginative-play playground with a cafe
Daily · drop-in play
Fox & Kit, San Rafael (~30 min from SF)
Indoor play center with slides and role-play zones
Daily · walk-in play
Kiddo Adventure, San Mateo (~25 min from SF)
Toddler 'Rockin' Tots' trampoline sessions, parent jumps free
Rockin' Tots · weekday & weekend mornings
Rockin' Jump, San Carlos (~30 min from SF)
Indoor play space and cafe for ages 0-5
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun (closed Thu)
Juniper Corner, San Leandro (~30 min from SF)
Weekend organic strawberry u-pick on the coast
Sat & Sun · through October
Blue House Farm, San Gregorio (~50 min from SF)
Every event is checked against its own listing for date, San Francisco location and age fit. Times and prices can change - tap through to confirm before you head out.