The Top Music Festivals In San Francisco

It’s no secret that San Francisco possesses a vibrant music scene. Each year, dozens of festivals showcase the city’s cultural variety and vitality. From today’s top artists to lesser known gems, San Francisco hosts musical experiences unlike any other. Here are five of the best music festivals the City by the Bay has to offer.

How Weird Street Faire

‘Weird’ has long been one of the defining descriptions of San Francisco since the Beat and Hippy movements of the 1960s. With 10 music stages, food and and Art Alley, How Weird Street Faire hosts a plethora of fun that calls back to that distinctive SF quirk. The musical aesthetic, described as ‘vibrations of peace,’ is largely of the EDM variety, so expect some big crowds and rumbling bass beneath your feet. Prepare to have fun and get weird.

How Weird Street Faire, Howard and Second Streets, San Francisco, CA, USA

Carnaval San Francisco

San Francisco’s Mission District hosts many events, including Pride Parade and Love Evolution. Another essential festival is Carnaval San Francisco, a two-day celebration of Latin American and Caribbean culture taking place May 23-24. Local food and crafts showcasing Latin/Caribbean life will be available from multiple vendors and workshops located throughout the event. The festival will culminate in the colorful Grand Parade, where more than 30 musical acts and dance troupes will march the streets to the sounds of Cumbia, Cha Cha Cha, Tango and Salsa, along with Reggae, Samba, and Rancheras flavors. The event is completely free, though donations are encouraged at the gate.

Check out the website for details of locations throughout the city

Stern Grove Festival

If you’re looking for a quintessential picnic in the park, look no further than Stern Grove Festival’s ‘Big Picnic.’ The concert will feature none other than The Doobie Brothers and will be free to attend. You also have the option to purchase tickets for reserved seating, as well as an invitation to the Picnic Party following the event in the Big Picnic Lounge. The Stern Grove festival is a perfect blend of music and nature available to people of all ages.

Check out the website for details of locations throughout the city

1. Castro Street Fair

Market

Gay rights and the larger LGBT community have always been a ubiquitous aspect of San Francisco’s Castro District. Though Pride Parade is a larger, more well-known celebration of the gay lifestyle, the Castro Street Fair presents an equally colorful experience located in the heart of the Bay’s gay community. Founded by harvey Milk in 1974, the fair offers the diverse array of people, vendors, craftsmen and artists from the community. Celebrate the right to equality of love with authenticity at this historic event.

Outside Lands

What list of music festivals would be complete without mentioning Outside Lands? The Bay Area’s answer to Coachella, Outside Lands provides entertainment from top artists and independent musicians, from Kanye West to Flume. Combine this with large crowds, multiple stages, exotic foods, a campground for visitors and locals alike, and exciting side acts (comedians Lewis Black and Gallagher have both played in previous years), and the result is one hell of a time. It’s no doubt that Outside Lands is one of the best music festival San Francisco has to offer.

Check the website for details of locations throughout the city

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.