San Francisco has always been a city that thrives on contradictions. The fog rolls in and swallows the sun, but somehow the streets are alive with color. This year will easily provide us the same dichotomy: a shitstorm of tension in our national politics that will likely fuel escapism in San Francisco — messy, chaotic, loud parties and joy.
This year will be anything but quiet, and I plan to embrace the good moments whenever I can. I’ll be at the galas pretending I know what forks to use, and at Dolores Park cheering on the hunkiest Jesus. I’ll be in the thick of Folsom Street, soaking up the unabashed individuality that makes this city worth fighting for. Because if there’s one thing I know about San Francisco, it’s that even in the middle of a shitstorm, it still throws the best damn party.
The SF Ballet Gala — A wild evening of elegance
When: January 22, 2025
Where: San Francisco City Hall and War Memorial Opera House
More details and Read our 2024 review
Fancy people, fancier outfits, and a performance so stunning you’ll swear off Netflix (for one night, at least). The San Francisco Ballet Gala kicks off the year with champagne, pirouettes, and a dinner at City Hall that makes you feel far classier than you are. Whether you’re there for the art or just to drink bubbly under the marble rotunda, this night is peak San Francisco sophistication — before it devolves into slightly tipsy networking at the afterparty.
Lunar New Year Concert — A symphony of red envelopes and flair
When: February 8, 2025
Where: Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Leave it to San Francisco to turn the Lunar New Year into a full sensory experience. This isn’t just a concert — it’s an extravaganza featuring lion dancers, calligraphy stations, and a playlist that feels equal parts celebratory and deeply cinematic. If pipa solos and dramatic orchestral swells don’t get you in the spirit, there’s always the banquet afterward to keep the festive vibes flowing. Bonus: it’s the one night at Davies where sequins in the audience feel totally on-brand.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade — More green, more chaos
When: March 15, 2025
Where: 2nd and Market to Civic Center Plaza via McAllister St., San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 how-to guide
San Francisco knows how to do parades, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. Expect floats, bagpipes, and enough Jameson-fueled enthusiasm to turn the sidewalks into dance floors. The route winds from 2nd and Market all the way to Civic Center Plaza, where the celebration continues with live music, vendors, and probably a few questionable attempts at Irish accents. Wear something green or risk getting pinched by someone who’s already three pints in.
Golden Gate Bandshell Concert Series — Your free ticket to musical nirvana
When: March through November 2025
Where: Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco
More details
Imagine this: you’re lounging in Golden Gate Park, the sun is doing its best to break through the fog, and suddenly, live music fills the air. Welcome to the Golden Gate Bandshell Concert Series, where spontaneity meets tradition in the most delightful way. Running from March through November, this free concert series turns the park into your personal music festival — minus the exorbitant ticket prices and questionable porta-potties.
The lineup is as eclectic as San Francisco itself. One day, you might stumble upon a jazz ensemble that’s smoother than your morning cold brew; the next, a reggae band that has you swaying like you’re at a beach in Jamaica. With performances scheduled multiple times a week, including Singer/Songwriter Wednesdays, Friday Happy Hours, and Crucial Reggae Sundays, there’s always something to tickle your auditory fancy.
Bring Your Own Big Wheel — Embrace your inner child on three wheels
When: Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
Where: Vermont Street at 20th, Potrero Hill, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Every Easter Sunday, adults in San Francisco abandon any pretense of dignity and race plastic tricycles down Vermont Street. It’s silly, chaotic, and absolutely beloved. Costumes are encouraged — because why wouldn’t you want to dress like a banana while speeding down the city’s most crooked hill? Whether you’re racing or just watching, BYOBW is a quintessentially San Francisco tradition that turns a residential street into a festival of absurdity.
Hunky Jesus Contest — Because why not?
When: April 20, 2025
Where: Dolores Park, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Only in San Francisco could Easter Sunday involve a Jesus lookalike contest hosted by drag queens. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence return to Dolores Park with their annual celebration of irreverence and fabulousness. It’s part drag show, part community gathering, and all hilariously blasphemous fun. Bring a picnic, dress for the occasion, and prepare to laugh, cheer, and maybe meet the hunkiest Jesus of them all.
420 Hippie Hill — Light up with the masses
When: April 20, 2025
Where: Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Every April 20th, thousands gather at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park to celebrate cannabis culture in a haze of smoke and camaraderie. This iconic event features live music, food trucks to satisfy the munchies, and a communal vibe that harkens back to San Francisco’s counterculture roots.
Art Bash — Highbrow chaos at SFMOMA
When: April 23, 2025
Where: SFMOMA, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Art Bash is a full-blown sensory overload that makes every other event feel like a PTA meeting. Held inside SFMOMA, it’s the kind of night where avant-garde installations meet free-flowing cocktails, and you’re just as likely to stumble into a dance floor as you are a performance piece that involves interpretive twerking.
The crowd? Equal parts art snobs, downtown scenesters, and that one person who definitely didn’t get the memo about a dress code. One moment you’re discussing the meaning of abstract expressionism, the next you’re getting handed a neon cocktail by someone in a sequined jumpsuit. It’s messy, loud, and entirely fabulous.
Bay to Breakers — The race where running is optional
When: May 18, 2025
Where: Howard St & Main St to Ocean Beach, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
Costumes, chaos, and a questionable amount of body paint — Bay to Breakers is more party than marathon. Sure, some people take the running part seriously, but they’re vastly outnumbered by participants in banana suits, centipede costumes, and what can only be described as “creative interpretations of nudity.” The course starts downtown and winds its way through the city, transforming San Francisco into a festival of absurdity.
As you make your way to Ocean Beach, you’ll encounter floats, music, and an energy that’s equal parts athleticism and pure chaos. Spectators line the streets, cheering, offering questionable beverages, and sometimes joining in the madness. By the time you reach the sand, it feels less like you’ve finished a race and more like you’ve survived an epic carnival.
Frameline Film Festival — Cry, laugh, repeat
When: June 20–30, 2025
Where: Various theaters across San Francisco
More details and Read this Frameline 2024 film review
Frameline is a celebration of queer storytelling that takes over San Francisco’s screens for many glorious days. From heart-wrenching dramas to campy comedies so over-the-top they deserve their own glitter category, the lineup is as diverse as the audience. Expect Q&A sessions that turn into mini therapy circles, spontaneous debates in the lobby about what really happened in that experimental short, and at least one film that’ll haunt your thoughts for weeks. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you bump into someone in full drag or a star from that indie queer film you saw three years ago — this is Frameline, after all.
Stern Grove Festival — Free music under the eucalyptus canopy
When: Sundays, June 15 — August 17, 2025
Where: Sigmund Stern Grove, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review and that time we got real high at Stern Grove
Stern Grove Festival is like a music lover’s daydream that somehow wandered into reality. Every Sunday in the summer, people flock to this lush outdoor amphitheater with their picnic baskets, camp chairs, and an undeniable haze of “relaxation” wafting through the air. Honestly, if you’re not a little high on something — be it the music, the crowd, or what that guy over there just lit up — are you even doing it right?
Under the canopy of eucalyptus trees, the tunes feel extra soulful, and everyone’s got that blissed-out look that says, “Yes, I definitely remembered my gummies.” The crowd is a mix of families pretending they can’t smell the weed, music aficionados deep in their vibe, and barefoot dancers who clearly didn’t get the memo about splinters.
Outside Lands — Because who needs clean shoes?
When: August 8–10, 2025
Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
More details and Read all our our 2024 coverage
A three-day celebration of music, food, and questionable fashion choices, Outside Lands is the ultimate summer festival. While the lineup is still a mystery, you can count on big names, delicious bites, and the occasional glitter explosion.
Folsom Street Fair — Leather, lace, and lots of skin
When: September 28, 2025
Where: Folsom Street, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
If you think you know what to expect at Folsom Street Fair, you don’t. This legendary celebration of kink, leather, and unapologetic self-expression takes over SoMa for a day of bold fashion, live demos, and eye-popping surprises that’ll leave even the most seasoned San Franciscan blushing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s definitely for the curious.
Vendors line the streets with everything from handcrafted harnesses to artfully designed floggers, while live stages pump out music that keeps the party atmosphere electric. Around every corner, you’ll find people redefining bold — whether they’re in full latex bodysuits, little more than body paint, or something that’s less “outfit” and more “engineering marvel.”
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass — Free music, zero strictness
When: October 3–5, 2025
Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
A San Francisco staple, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass offers a genre-defying lineup of free performances in a stunning park setting. Bring snacks, friends, and an open mind — it’s a guaranteed highlight of October.
Castro Street Fair — The last hurrah of SF summer
When: October 5, 2025
Where: Castro District, San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
The Castro Street Fair isn’t just an event; it’s a whole mood. Founded by Harvey Milk in 1974, this annual extravaganza turns the neighborhood into a Technicolor playground of music, dancing, and endless rainbow everything. Expect artisan vendors selling everything from quirky pins to handmade leather harnesses, along with performances that’ll have you wondering if you accidentally stumbled into a music video.
It’s the kind of place where you can shop for art while sipping a neon cocktail and somehow end up in a spontaneous line dance with strangers. There’s always a surprise around every corner — a drag queen on roller skates, a band playing retro hits, or someone’s dog dressed as a unicorn. Come for the community vibes, stay for the Instagram moments, and leave with glitter in places you didn’t know glitter could reach.
SantaCon — The Claus chaos you didn’t know you needed
When: December 2025 (exact date is TBA)
Where: Various bars and streets across San Francisco
More details and Read our 2024 review
SantaCon: where the line between jolly and drunk gets blurrier with every shot of peppermint schnapps. Picture this — thousands of people dressed as Santa, elves, and the occasional reindeer, stumbling from bar to bar in a festive frenzy. It’s part holiday cheer, part street party, and entirely ridiculous. Whether you join the shenanigans or watch from a safe distance, it’s a spectacle that could only happen in San Francisco. Just remember: not all Santas are nice.
This year, I’ll take the loud, messy, beautiful moments and hold onto them tight in San Francisco. Whether I’m losing myself in the music at Stern Grove, dodging centipedes at Bay to Breakers, or clinking glasses in City Hall’s rotunda, I’ll be soaking up every last bit of what makes this place magic.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
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