**Over 100 Free Performances from May to November**

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presents FREE music, theater, dance, cultural events in downtown SF.

OCTOBER

Featured

Oct 4

October 4, 2026

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM11:00 – 16:0011:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Litquake Out Loud + Book Fair

October 4, 2026

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM11:00 – 16:0011:00 AM – 4:00 PM

In a city built on tall tales, hard-boiled prose, revelatory memoirs, and penetrating reportage, Litquake is the soul of San Francisco’s cultural life.

October 4, 2026

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM11:00 – 16:0011:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Oct 8

October 8, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Quinteto Latino

October 8, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM

A wind quintet with an imperative mission, Quinteto Latino is a singular Bay Area-based chamber ensemble devoted to breaking down the racial and social barriers that have long plagued the classical music world.

October 8, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Oct 10

October 10, 2026

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM14:00 – 16:002:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Follow the Music

October 10, 2026

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM14:00 – 16:002:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Since launching in 2023 Follow the Music has been at the forefront of a rising movement promoting arts education around the Bay Area.

October 10, 2026

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM14:00 – 16:002:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Oct 11

October 11, 2026

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM10:00 – 15:0010:00 AM – 3:00 PM

YBG Dance Day

October 11, 2026

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM10:00 – 15:0010:00 AM – 3:00 PM

A party, a workout, a meditation and a communal celebration, Yerba Buena Gardens Dance Day is a portal to a joyous dance-filled world! Presented by YBG Festival and Rhythm & Motion, YBG Dance Day transforms the Gardens into an outdoor dance heaven where participants can sample dance in a variety of forms and flavors with some of the Bay Area’s most talented teachers.

October 11, 2026

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM10:00 – 15:0010:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Oct 12

October 12, 2026

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM12:00 – 16:0012:00 PM – 4:00 PM

San Francisco Indigenous Peoples Day

October 12, 2026

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM12:00 – 16:0012:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Join us in celebration of San Francisco Indigenous Peoples Day with a magnificent profusion of Native American art, music and vendors.

October 12, 2026

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM12:00 – 16:0012:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Oct 15

October 15, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Richard Howell's John Coltrane Tribute

October 15, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM

The 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birthday has inspired dozens of performances across the Bay Area this year, but no artist is better equipped to evoke the legacy of the saxophone titan and spiritual seeker than Richard Howell.

October 15, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM12:30 – 13:3012:30 PM – 1:30 PM