May - Leave Your Hat On @ the Bay to Breakers 

May flowers with events in San Francisco

The Exploratorium will be hosting a show called 2nd Skin from now into September. It's about imaginative design in analog and digital clothing.

Local radio station KFOG throws their annual KaBoom, a musical concert capped by a massive fireworks show choreographed to a synchronized radio broadcast. A tad crowded but a great show if the weather is clear!

The Bay to Breakers was first run in 1912 as the Cross City Race. It's always the third Sunday in May. It's a footrace, it's a costume contest, it's a rolling freak show. Yes, they really throw tortillas down in the Fun Runners area right before the race starts. Corn is stiffer and frisbees a bit better but is also really sharp when it comes crashing down on you. Flour needs to be fresh and if you warm them ever so slightly, they are moister and fly better.

Running throught the second half of May is the San Francisco Internation Art Festival. This vast events spans dance, film, visual arts, theater, circus performances and music. The host venues are scattered throughout the city, so be sure to get the schedule as early as you can as there are a LOT of choices from which to pick.

If you don't have BBQ plans with friends for Memorial Day weekend, you might want to round a few of them up and samba down to the Mission District to celebrate Carnaval.

If you'd rather get out of town for Memorial Day, consider driving down Highway 1 and checking out the Boulder Creek Art, Wine & Music Festival. Admission to this three day festival is free, and approximately a dozen Santa Cruz mountain wineries offer tastings.

Staring at the end of this month and running into the fall are Grey Whale Watching Tours, run by the Oceanic Society. Boats take watchers out to the waters off the Farallon Islands, 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco.

The month closes with the San Francisco Symphony's annual Black and White Ball and this year if you go you're in for a real treat: Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Seal is headlining.

See the City by the Bay 

the sights and streets of San Francisco

San Francisco Night Shot

Milano o San Francisco?

San Francisco Houses

San Francisco Downtown

Site of the First Photo MOB(ilization)

Transamerica Building

Fog as seen from Market Street

sea lions at pier 39

San Francisco Coit Tower

Hotel Vintage Court

June - Wear a Rainbow, It's Gay Pride! 

In SF, *everyone* celebrates LGBT Pride

It starts on June 1st and doesn't quit until the last drag queen falls off her cha cha heels the Monday after the last Sunday. I'm talking about Gay Pride in San Francisco. Officially, it's known as the LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration and the big event takes place on the last Sunday in June.

Parade watching tips: get to Market St early and bring a lawn chair if your legs aren't up for a few hours of standing. Go with friends so you can command/control the space where you hang out. Early birds get good spots right along the barricades, well away from garbage cans and MUNI entrances (those become nightmares once the crowd gets thick). If you pick a spot on the north side of the street and make sure the building behind you is tall, you'll get the most shade the longest while watching the parade.

Related events include Frameline's annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. Running for two weeks leading up to the parade weekend, this event showcases the best of queer films.

Other great June events include Mill Valley's Djangofest, celebrating French/Belgian Gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt.

The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival showcases and highlights dance from all over the world, revealing universalities of world cultures through dance.

The Union Street Festival is one of the city's largest, drawing visitors and artists from all over the country. Also in June is the North Beach Festival highlighting this unique neighborhood and Italian culture in SF. Don't miss the pizza toss contest!

Guidebooks About San Francisco 

There are two free alternative weekly papers in San Francisco, which are a good way to get a head's up as to what's happening when you are in town. You have your choice of the SF Bay Guardian or the SF Weekly.

For those of you planning ahead, a more conventional travel guide works better until you get to town. Combining recommendations from guide books and local papers is a good way to get variety and fun in your visit.

Frommer's San Francisco 2...

Lonely Planet San Francis...

Afoot & Afield San Franci...

San Francisco (EYEWITNESS...

Not for Tourists Guide 20...

July - Are You Sure It's Summer? 

Welcome to the land of microclimates and thermal inversion

You can always spot the tourists right away during the summer in San Francisco. They are the folks who are walking around in shorts and t-shirts, freezing their whatevers off, while the locals seem to spend most of July in leather jackets. No wonder Fisherman's Wharf does such a brisk biz in sweatshirts and pants....

If you're looking for hot and sunny, San Francisco is NOT the place to be during the summer months. If you like cool and foggy, the City by the Bay is happy to oblige. Average summer temps in the city itself can often hover in the lows 60s, and that's the daytime high. The placement of the city right at the neck of the San Francsico Bay, so that there's water on both sides of the city, keeps this microclimate much cooler and if the inland areas get warm, the cool sea air is sucked right over, an effect often called "nature's air conditioning." There are rarely more than three hot summer days in a row before this effect kicks in, sometimes inducing a 20+ temperature drop in just a few hours.

Shown here at right, is a somewhat rare summery view down on the city from Twin Peaks. Be sure to check weather conditions before making the drive up the hill.

You'll want to make sure you have an extra layer when you head down to the Maritime Museum to check out LaborFest, a historical remembrance of the 1934 "Blood Thursday" strike and riot that wound up shutting down the city. This event helped in the birth of the labor movement and trade unions and is now commemorated annually with the July-long cultural film and arts festival.

If you're too cold outside, you can head inside for the annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Held at the historic Castro Street Theater, this showcases wonderful movies from the birth of the entertainment era.

And for those of you who brought your leather jackets with you, the Up Your Alley Street Fair caps the month, with about 20,000 leathermen (and some women too) holding festivities South of Market along what was one of the 1970s most notorious "cruising" locations, the infamous Dore Alley.

August - In and Out of the City 

Explore summer all around the Bay

If culture is your thing, check out free Shakespeare in the Park. If cult movies is your thing, check out the Midnight Movies series hosted by Peaches Christ.

The Blue & Gold Fleet can ferry you to Alcatraz, Marine World in Vallejo or maybe just over to Sausalito for a great waterside lunch.

If you've got a car and want to get out of the city, this is a fantastic time of year to head north to Marin County and Wine Country. Both Napa Valley and Sonoma are laden with wineries and picturesque real estate. If you get together a group of friends, you can often arrange a group wine tasting tour where no one has to drive.

Just over Golden Gate Bridge is Muir Woods, a fantastic national monument and a great place for a summer's day hike. Named after conservationist John Muir, this is a wonderfully rich coastal redwood forest with intact old growth.

At the end of the month, you can travel back to Renaissance England just by heading down to Speedway Meadow in GGP and checking out the Golden Gate Renaissance Festival. For two days, the city will play host to kights, ladies, minstrals and various British historical figures. Entertainment includes belly dancers, jugglers, minstrals and medieval jousts.

Pictured here, the San Francisco Bay.

Typical SF Tourist Stuff 

Exploratorium: the museum of science, art and human perception

The Exploratorium: a hands-on museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco. Our site provides interactive online exhibits and exhibitions, activities, Webcasts, and more.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Welcome to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the only museum in the western United States devoted to collecting and exhibiting the full scope of modern and contemporary art.

Fisherman's Wharf

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Fisherman's Wharf. This waterfront area offers San Francisco history, fresh seafood, sea lions, Alcatraz tours and fun for the whole family.

California Academy of Sciences

While the California Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium rebuild in Golden Gate Park, they are open every day of the year at 875 HOWARD STREET in downtown San Francisco (between 4th and 5th Streets).

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - de Young - Legion of Honor

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) is the city's largest public arts institution. Comprising the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, FAMSF is also the city's most successful public/private partnership. Although a designated city department, most of the Museums' operational funding and all funding for art acquisitions and exhibitions are raised privately.

San Francisco Cable Cars

San Francisco Cable Car Website, the online home of the web's first interactive Cable Car. Features include: interactive demos on how cable cars work, route maps with popular destinations, and the location and hours of the San Francisco Cable Cars.

Alcatraz Official Web Page

Tour Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison, military fortification, lighthouse, and site of a 1969-1972 Native American Occupation.

Ghirardelli Square on San Francisco Bay

Coated in tradition and history, Ghirardelli Square is one of San Francisco's most treasured landmarks. The story of the city is played out in the Square's history and we're proud to share that with you. Welcome to Ghirardelli Square - home to some of the finest views, galleries, boutiques, culinary treats and special events that San Francisco has to offer.

September - San Francisco Days, San Francisco Nights 

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

Although the above quote is often quoted and attributed to Mark Twain, it turns out he never actually said it. However, that doesn't mean it isn't an accurate description of an SF summer. By September, all that begins to change.

The City by the Bay often seems a tad quiet over Labor Day weekend, but that's because the Burning Man Project was born here and thousands of folks leave at the end of August to spend a week or two at Black Rock City, NV. Once that's over, everyone comes back and starts hitting the many city festivals while the weather is rocking. The San Francisco Blues Festival has been a city staple since 1973, whereas the SF Lovefest caters to more recent musical stylings.

If film is your favorite, the Arab Film Festival will showcase movie offerings exploring all aspects of the Arab world and experience. If live theater is more to your tastes, the SF Fringe Festival presents experimental and uncensored performances for your enjoyment.

The SF Dragon Boat Festival features more than 100 international teams, from novice to expert, celebrating the history of these colorful boats and competing fiercely. Bring binoculars and your camera.

For those looking for a one-of-a-kind SF experience, the Folsom St Fair is the largest leather pride event in the world, with several hundred thousand attendees dressing up, kinking out and showing off the last Sunday of September. Leave the kids at home for this one, and bring an open mind.

Pictured in this module, the Keith Haring sculpture at Yerba Buena Gardens.

October - Beautiful Weather and A Bounty of Events! 

October is one of the best-weathered months in San Francisco and both locals and visitors find there's often too much to do in just 31 days!

The first Sunday in October is the famous Castro Street Fair, celebrating the eclectic neighborhood. The crafts show features all sorts of wonderful items, but it can be crowded so go early to have room to move and look around.

Check out local artists during the SF Open Studios weekend. Over 800 artists participate in this annual event. For a touch of European flavor, check out the Oktoberfest by the Bay.

The San Francisco Film Society hosts the International Animation Showcase, a new film festival devoted to visual and special effects, art-house films and children's cartoons. If your love of film is a bit more hardcore, you'll want to head just north of SF to the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Just down the coast from SF is Half Moon Bay, home of the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, featuring the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The winner gets $5/lb for their pumpkin and past winners have topped 1,000 pounds. A bit further south, in Felton, the Roaring Camp Railroad offers a Harvest Festival and their annual Ghost Train.

October 17th marks the date of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

The holiday of Halloween brings every kind of strange out of the City By the Bay's woodwork, so plan ahead as you may find a few weekends overbooked! There's the Exotic Erotic Ball for the adults, the Reclaiming Collective's wonderful Spiral Dance for the Pagans, the Discovery Museum's Goblin Jamboree for the kids, and Halloween in the Castro for those brave enough to face and withstand rowdy crowds.

Suggestions for Getting Around SF 

San Francisco Cable Cars

The cable cars of SF are a fun way to see some of the major tourist spots like Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf. You get a better deal with the "passport" travel option as it will let you get on and off the cars all day.

Watch out on summer weekends, as the wait for these cars can grow to several hours! Best bet: weekdays during non-commute hours (yes, the locals use them too)

Blazing Saddles - Bike Rentals

You can rent bikes for a day, and go across the Golden Gate Bridge, or take a bike tour. Multiple city locations make this a good option no matter what part of the city you want to see.

GoCar Rentals

Rent one of these little, yellow, 3-wheele, open-topped, two-person cars and you get GPS to guide and inform you on your adventures. Novel, fun and available in five languages.

Eaglerider - Harley Davidson Reservations

Wanna tour SF and the surrounding area on a Harley? These folks offer rentals and guided tours. Non-motorcycle drivers can get tours with a driver and just kick back and enjoy as the passenger.

San Francisco Shuttle Tours

This company offers a five hour itinerary that will shuttle you to the majority of the city's big sights.

San Francisco's Best Walking Tours

The weather can be pretty mild year round and with a good pair of shoes and a jacket to guard against sudden temperature shifts, walking is a fantastic way to see the city up-close and personal.

November - Explore the Diversity of San Francisco 

charitiable events and crafts shows highlight autumn

You can get a jump on the holiday season and your gift shopping the first weekend of November with the Harvest Festival Original Art & Craft Show, held at Concourse Exhibition Center.

Theater affcinados can see ACT's production of the Rainmaker at the Zeum Theater through Thanksgiving weekend.

Jazz fans should be sure to review the SF Jazz Festival schedule. The festival welcomes dozens of artists with performances all month.

Animation lovers might want to check out the Second San Francisco International Animation Festival, which runs from the 8th thru the 11th of the month.

Want a fancy Thanksgiving dinner out? Be sure to book early with these restaurants. After taking part in the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot down at Ocean Beach, you'll want a big dinner that you don't have to cook!

For those of you who like to make social activism part of their Thanksgiving holiday, San Francisco is a big supporter of Buy Nothing Day. Or you can help out at the annual Glide Memorial Thanksgiving event where more than 4000 people are fed.

Shown here, a bicycle rack outside the DeYoung Museum.

December - Holidays by the Bay 

getting into the holiday swing of things!

San Francisco gets a brisk and windy winter with smatterings of rain, so be sure to put a nice long, warm and waterproof coat on your Christmas list if you don't already have one.

Macy's puts on a huge display with a lit tree in Union Square and the walk from there down Powell to the San Francisco Shopping Center can be quite festive. During all the nights of Channukah, the Bill Graham Menorah will be lit in Union Square too!

The last weekend in November and first weekend in December, Mason hosts the annual Celebration of Craftswomen, where wonderful art and crafts abound. If you're looking for quality, this is THE place!

If that didn't take care of everything, try zipping over to Ghirardelli Square. They've got tons of shops too, and their chocolate should take care of just about any hard-to-gift folks.

If you like a bit of a Victorian holiday, head on over to the Cow Palace for the Dickens Fair. Merchants and performers bring Victorian-era London at Christmas time to life.

Offering something for everyone, no matter how unique your family might be, is the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus annual show, Home For The Holidays. Staged at the lovely Castro Theater, these shows celebrate mainstream and alternative holidays. Insider Tip: For adults without kids, the 11pm show on Christmas Eve is THE wildest, and you'll want to sit in the balcony section for this too. Trust me...

Build Your SF Travel Package! 

pick your own combo of flight - hotel - car

January - Kick Off Your New Year In The City By The Bay! 

If you're a Mac user, you may be flocking to SF's Moscone Center already as January brings the annual the Macworld Conference at Moscone Center Jan 15th - 18th. This is one of the biggest Apple computer enthusiast gatherings in the world and it's an awesome place to get your geek on!

This year's Sketchfest, the SF Comedy Festival features special guests Gene Wilder (Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein)and The Kids In The Hall, plus LIVE MST3K Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Footloose & Shotwell Studios will play host to the Women on the Way Festival from January 10-27th.

On January 12th get in out of the cold and check out this month's installment of Writers with Drinks at the Make Out Room.

January 19th Pier 39 will be commemorating the 18th anniversary of the arrival of a group of sea lions! The herds especially grow in January as the marine mammals come to eat the Bay's plentiful herring this time of year.

Forget the bleepin' Merlot... Zinfandel-lovers usually make ZAP's Annual Zinfandel Festival a total sell-out. About 300 wineries serve 10,000 attendees over four days.

If you're into ecological causes, you might want to catch the 2008 Ecological Farming Conference, taking place in Pacific Grove (near Monterey) on January 23-26. Drive down Highway 1 and get a great bed and breakfast for the weekend.

Starting January 25th and running until February 3rd at the famous Castro Theater is Noir City, the 6th annual San Francisco noir film festival.

February - Leave Your Heart In San Francisco! 

high on a hill, it calls to thee...

The San Francisco Ocean Film Festival is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization dedicated to using film to improve public understanding of the environmental, social, and cultural importance of marine ecosystems. It's also the only film festival of its kind in the world and it takes place the first weekend in February 2008.

Kicking off at the beginning of February is the "mustard season" or rather the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, a series of food, wine, art, entertainment, and cultural activities that will run in the Napa area through the end of March.

The San Francisco Zoo is having their annual Valentine's Day Woo at the Zoo! where you get a zoo tour unlike any other, learning about the sex lives of all the animals as well as enjoying champagne, sushi and chocolate-covered strawberries. These tours are 21+ only and extremely limited, and insanely popular... BOOK EARLY!

Music lovers can cozy up at the 2008 SF Bluegrass & Old Time Festival. This year features thirty shows and fifty-eight performers taking place at seventeen different venues around the city!

Looking to celebrate Carnaval? Join the Friends of Brazil as they throw their annual Carnaval Ball on February 2nd! You can samba 'til you drop! Need a Mardi Gras fix? Check Citysearch's Mardi Gras roundup, where you can find restaurants and events having special features for Fat Tuesday and throughout the month.

SF Indiefest hosts their 10th Annual Independent Film Festival. The event is held at a variety of city venues, so be sure to check the schedule to see which films are playing at what locations!

If slightly exotic libations are your thing and you're over in the Haight-Ashbury, you might pause to mark the 6th Annual Strong Ale Month at Toronado's, featuring beers from the 21st
Amendment Brewery and Magnolia Pub and Brewery.

February brings the Chinese New Year, and a two-week festival which begins in mid-month and runs into early March. The SF Chinatown celebration is the largest of it's kind outside of Asia. The big parade is February 10th.

Sunday February 24th, you can get your celebrity fix and support AIDS research at the Academy of Friends Gala. There is a silent auction and award show telecast as part of evening.

Shown here, the SF MOMA, located downtown adjacent Moscone Center and the Yerba Buena Gardens.

News and Information from the SF Chronicle 

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March - Plenty To Do If You Blow Into Town 

come in like a lion dance and go out like a black-n-white dressed lamb

The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is ongoing through the end of the month, so take a chance to get out of town and head north.

Or kick off the St Patrick's Day celebrations early with the San Francisco Irish Film Festival hosted by the Roxie Theater March 5th-8th!

Celebrate International Women's Day with Loco Bloco at the Women's Building in the Mission and "take a walk in her shoes."

Film buffs may want to drop by the Asian American Film Festival. Be sure to check the schedule ahead of time on this one, as showings take place in SF, Berkeley and San Jose over the span of the event.

If "sick and twisted" animation is your thing, Spike & Mike have brought their traveling, animated roadshow to the Victoria Theater.

Did you know that March 14th is Pi Day? Join the Exploratorium for their 20th annual celebration of the never-ending number with special events, fun and exhibits.

If you find yourself in San Francisco on St. Patrick's Day, be sure to check out the 156th Annual St Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday March 15th. But don't drink too much if you plan on doing the 2008 Emerald Across the Bay 12K the next morning! The run across the Golden Gate Bridge won't be so fun with a hangover.

On Sunday March 23rd, you can attend the free 16th Annual Easter Parade on Union Street, running from Gough to Fillmore. If you'd like an original SF way to spend Easter, try the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and their Easter Indulgence in the Park. There are contests for Best Easter Bonnet, Hunky Jesus and more.

April - A stupid parade, an Easter indulgence and the Int'l Film Fest 

April showers include a wide array of things to do

On April 1st, The First Church of the Last Laugh invites all to celebrate the fastest-growing snack religion in the world, and mark their one religious holiday, St. Stupid's Day.

If brand strategies and digital marketing are your thing, check out ad:tech San Francisco April 15-17.

April 18th is the 101st anniversary of the Great Quake, which happened on April 18, 1906. People gather at Lotta's Fountain in downtown SF at 5:13am to mark the exact moment.

Or you might want to wander over to the San Francisco Art Institute and check out what's in their gallery this month.

April rounds out with the San Francisco International Film Festival. The City by the Bay is big for film and this festival runs for two weeks, into early May. You can always expect some really good selections and appearances by big name directors and actors.

What's Your Favorite Thing To Do In San Francisco?