With the possibility of a clear weekend coming up in San Francisco, it’s time to start planning what to do to make the most of it. Check out these five cost-free outdoor events around the city this weekend to make the sunny skies count.
1. Fillmore Jazz Festival in the Fillmore District
🗓️ Saturday-Sunday | 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
📍 Fillmore Street between Geary Boulevard and Jackson Street
🔗 fillmorejazzfest.com
San Francisco’s Fillmore District will be alive and jamming this weekend. Once full of successful jazz clubs and other Black-owned businesses, the Fillmore was once known as the “Harlem of the West” before urban renewal pushed out many Black communities from the area. The first Fillmore Jazz Festival took over the neighborhood in 1986, and it has since been a way to celebrate the Fillmore’s vibrant musical roots. The event will feature five stages of entertainment, plus food vendors so you can grab a bite to eat while you groove.
2. Sundown Cinema in the Presidio
🗓️ Friday | 6-11 p.m.
📍 The Presidio
🔗 sanfranciscoparksalliance.org
Summer is prime time for outdoor movie screenings, and what better backdrop for a sunset flick this weekend than the Presidio? Sundown Cinema is back in full swing for another season of movie screenings in seven different San Francisco parks, and this week’s pick is Top Gun: Maverick. Local food trucks and pre-show entertainment will be provided, and if you’re looking for more movie-watching under the stars, check out The Standard’s full guide to outdoor movie screenings around the Bay Area.
3. California College of the Arts Comics Festival in the Mission
🗓️ Saturday | 4-9 p.m.
📍 Silver Sprocket
🔗 portal.cca.edu
Stop by Silver Sprocket—a publisher, gallery space and retail shop focusing on comic books and related arts—for a comics festival on Saturday showcasing the work of master of fine arts comics students from California College of the Arts. Artists will have tables set up in the store and on the street outside to sell original comics, zines, stickers and other wares. Later in the evening, students will also read from their work live.
4. Art Mart and Block Party in the Castro
🗓️ Sunday | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
📍 Noe and Market streets
🔗 artyhoodsf.com
Every first Sunday of the month, you’ll find an art market and block party enlivening the Castro neighborhood. Local drag queen Per Sia will host the all-afternoon event while you shop for goods from local LGBTQIA+ artists. Plus, live music and drag performances will be going on throughout the day to keep shoppers’ spirits high.
5. Try Out Disc Golf in Potrero Hill
🗓️ Sunday | Noon.-5 p.m.
📍 Starr King Open Space
🔗 billsflyingdiscs.com
Another way to get out of the house this weekend is to hit up your neighborhood park with a couple friends and maybe play a game of Spikeball or fling a Frisbee around. If you’re looking for an activity with a little extra challenge, though, you can try your hand at disc golf in Potrero Hill this Sunday. The inaugural meetup, titled “The Putt Hill Thrill,” welcomes all experience levels—whether you’re looking for a space to work out your throwing arm or you haven’t even gotten a Frisbee yet. No sign-up is necessary to play, and there will be prizes and giveaways, too.