SF This Week
May 21 – Jun 8, 2026 · Curated by Amika
Weekend Picks
The best things to do this weekend and beyond — start here.
Outdoor Festival
Carnaval San Francisco Top Pick
Harrison Street, Mission District · Sat–Sun May 23–24 · 10 AM
The 48th annual Carnaval takes over 17 blocks of the Mission with samba, salsa, Caribbean music, 400+ vendors, and the iconic Grand Parade featuring 3,000+ performers from 20 countries. This year's theme is "La Copa del Pueblo." It's free, it's massive, and it's the best street party in SF. Go early.
Music Festival
BottleRock Napa Valley Top Pick
Napa Valley Expo · Fri–Sun May 22–24 · 11 AM
Foo Fighters, Lorde, LCD Soundsystem, Backstreet Boys, Teddy Swims, Lil Wayne, and 75+ more acts across five stages, plus Napa's best food and wine. It's sold out but resale tickets are floating around. The culinary crossovers (musicians cooking with chefs) are worth the trip alone.
Concert
American Football Weekend Pick
The Regency Ballroom · Fri May 22 · 8 PM
The godfathers of Midwest emo return with their shimmering, melancholy guitar work that basically invented a genre. Mei Semones opens, which is a brilliant pairing. If you've ever felt feelings while staring at a cornfield, this is your show.
Sports
SF Giants vs Chicago White Sox Weekend Pick
Oracle Park · Fri–Sun May 22–24 · Fri 7:15 PM, Sat 1:05 PM, Sun 1:05 PM
Three-game homestand against the rebuilding White Sox — meaning cheap tickets and a good chance to see the Giants offense actually produce. The Saturday afternoon game is the move: grab garlic fries, McCovey Cove views, and $37 tickets.
Concert
The Paper Kites Weekend Pick
The Chapel · Sat May 23 · 8 PM
Australia's dreamy folk-pop outfit The Paper Kites are at their best in small rooms, and The Chapel is exactly that kind of magic. Josiah Flores opens. Their sound is intimate by design — hushed vocals, fingerpicked guitars, the kind of show where you hold your breath.
Concert
Benny Benassi Weekend Pick
The Midway · Sat May 23 · 10 PM
The Italian house legend behind "Satisfaction" brings his thumping electro-house to The Midway's massive warehouse space. If you want to dance until 3 AM on a Saturday, this is the spot. The Midway's sound system was built for exactly this kind of night.
Concerts & Live Music
Kevin Morby
The Fillmore · Thu May 21 · 8 PM
Kevin Morby is one of the most consistent songwriters in indie rock right now — his rambling, Dylanesque folk-rock feels like it was made for The Fillmore's storied walls. Liam Kazar opens.
Makaya McCraven
SFJAZZ Center · Thu May 21 · 7:30 PM
The Chicago drummer-producer who's been quietly redefining jazz for a decade. McCraven's live sets are part composition, part improvisation, part head-nodding groove — somewhere between J Dilla and Art Blakey. SFJAZZ's acoustics will do this justice.
Mt. Joy
The Fillmore · Fri May 22 · 8 PM
Mt. Joy's blend of heartland indie rock and psychedelic edges has made them one of the best live draws on the circuit. Their Fillmore shows tend to sell fast for good reason — the energy in that room with this band is special.
Wild Nothing
Great American Music Hall · Fri May 22 · 8 PM
Jack Tatum's dreampop project remains one of the purest distillations of shimmery, reverb-drenched indie. Lunar Vacation opens. GAMH is the ideal room for this — intimate enough that the atmosphere wraps around you.
The Adicts
The Fillmore · Sat May 23 · 8 PM
British punk legends bring their theatrical, Clockwork Orange-inspired mayhem to The Fillmore. Dog Party opens. If you want a Saturday night that's loud, weird, and unforgettable, this is the move. Expect face paint.
Yellowcard + New Found Glory + Plain White T's
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium · Wed May 27 · 7 PM
The ultimate mid-2000s pop-punk triple bill. Yellowcard's violin-laced anthems, NFG's bounce, and Plain White T's doing "Hey There Delilah" live — this is weaponized nostalgia and it's going to be incredible. If you were alive during the Warped Tour era, you owe yourself this show.
Kes the Band
The Fillmore · Wed Jun 3 · 8 PM
Trinidad's soca royalty brings the Caribbean heat to The Fillmore. Kes is basically a one-man Carnival — infectious rhythms, crowd participation that borders on mandatory, and the kind of energy that makes you forget it's a Wednesday.
Sports
SF Giants vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Oracle Park · Mon–Wed May 25–27 · Mon 2:05 PM, Tue 6:45 PM, Wed 12:45 PM
The homestand continues with a tougher opponent. Monday Memorial Day matinee at 2:05 PM, Tuesday evening at 6:45 PM (cheapest tickets at $19), Wednesday getaway day at 12:45 PM. The Tuesday night game is a bargain — under $20 to sit in one of baseball's best parks.
Outdoor & Festivals
Free Concerts at Golden Gate Park Bandshell
Golden Gate Park · Wed/Fri/Sun weekly · Various times
Illuminate Live presents free concerts at the 120-year-old Bandshell with a brand-new sound system. Wednesdays 4–7 PM (Midweek Melodies), Fridays 4:30–7:30 PM (Happy Hour), Sundays 4:30–7:30 PM (Reggae). Bring a blanket, bring a picnic, bring everyone.
Civic Center Soundtrack Concert Series
Fulton Plaza · Tue & Thu 12–3 PM · Through October
Free live music from local artists every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch in Fulton Plaza, plus rotating food trucks. The perfect midday work break if you're anywhere near downtown.
Downtown First Thursdays with Janelle Monae DJ Set
2nd Street between Market & Howard · Thu Jun 4 · 5–10 PM
The monthly SoMa block party goes massive for June with a free Janelle Monae DJ set. 175+ vendors, performers, food trucks, and thousands of people taking over 2nd Street. This is the best free party in SF right now and Janelle spinning for Pride month kicks it into another gear entirely.
Union Street Festival
Union Street, Marina District · Sat–Sun Jun 6–7 · 11 AM–7 PM
One of SF's classic neighborhood street fairs returns to the Marina with live music, local artisan vendors, food stalls, and a beer garden stretching along Union Street. Free admission, family-friendly, and the kind of lazy weekend stroll that makes you remember why you live here.
Art & Culture
Ferry Flicks: Bend It Like Beckham
Ferry Building Beer Garden · Fri May 22 · 7:30 PM
Fort Point Beer Co.'s outdoor movie series continues with a certified crowd-pleaser. Grab a KSA or Villager, settle into the waterfront beer garden, and watch Keira Knightley bend it. It's $9 and you're on the Embarcadero — hard to beat that.
SFMOMA: Kara Walker — Fortuna and the Immortality Garden
SFMOMA · Closes Sat May 31
Kara Walker's automaton garden installation at SFMOMA closes May 31 and it's one of the most talked-about exhibitions of 2026. Walker's unflinching exploration of race, power, and history through mechanical sculptures is haunting and essential. Don't miss this — once it closes, it's gone.
Dear San Francisco
Club Fugazi · Ongoing · 7:30 PM
The resident acrobatics show at Club Fugazi is a genuine SF treasure — 90 minutes of jaw-dropping circus arts woven into a love letter to the city's booms and busts. If you haven't seen it, fix that. If you've seen it, bring someone who hasn't. Ages 5–105.
Exploratorium After Dark
Pier 15 · Every Thursday · 6–10 PM
The best date-night move in SF that nobody talks about enough. Adults-only (18+) access to 700+ interactive exhibits, cocktails, Bay Bridge views, and a different theme every week. It's $40 and infinitely more interesting than dinner and a movie.
Lucy Darling: Simply Darling
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre · Sat May 23 · 5 PM & 8 PM
A variety show blending magic, comedy, and vintage charm at one of SF's most beautiful venues. Lucy Darling's signature wit and sleight-of-hand have earned her a devoted following — think vaudeville meets modern comedy magic.
Tech
Apple WWDC 2026 Keynote
Apple Park, Cupertino · Mon Jun 8 · 10 AM PT
Apple's annual developer conference kicks off with the keynote — expect iOS 20, macOS 27, and whatever AI features John Ternus has cooking. Livestreamed globally but the energy in the Bay during WWDC week is its own kind of event. Watch parties will pop up everywhere.