Summer events celebrate the cultural, culinary and crafty.
9/1-30
Discover how cultural diversity and connectivity inspire and inform San Francisco’s built environment at the 16th annual Architecture + the City Festival. Price upon request, archandcity.org
9/4 & 12-15
The SF Symphony opens a new season with an elegant Opening Gala Night (Sept. 4) and the performance MTT & Mahler 6 (Sept. 12-15). Price upon request, sfsymphony.org
9/5-14
San Francisco Fringe Festival features unique performances by local theater groups ranging from storytelling to stand-up comedy. Tickets vary, theexit.org/fringe
9/6-10/1
Romeo and Juliet—sung in French with English supertitles—opens the SF Opera’s 2019-20 season. Tickets from $26, sfopera.com
9/7
California Rum Festival’s Tiki Bazaar offers premium rum tastings from large, micro and boutique distilleries; brand seminars; and more in the SOMA District. Tickets from $5, californiarumfestival.com
Enjoy an array of Italian food, wine tastings, a pizza toss, specialty Italian crafts, music, stage performances and more at Festa Coloniale Italiana in North Beach. sfiacfesta.com
9/7-8
Enjoy two full days of live music, dragon parades, lion dancers, arts and crafts, and food and shopping on Grant Avenue from California to Broadway during the San Francisco Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival. moonfestival.org
9/8
The San Francisco Giant Race includes a half-marathon, 10K, 5K, kids’ race and a family relay that all start and finish at Oracle Park. Tickets from $30, race-sfgiants.com/san-francisco
9/9
Avocado Con features creative dishes containing avocados sold from food trucks and unlimited craft beer in the SOMA District. Tickets $7, somastreatfoodpark.com/events
9/13-15
The all-male string quartet Well-Strung performs The Movie Show with a pop-classical spin on some of the biggest songs from the silver screen at Feinstein’s at the Nikko. Tickets $50-$90, feinsteinssf.com
9/13-30
Discover films by emerging and established filmmakers from the United States, Latin America, Spain and Portugal during the multivenue Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival. Price upon request, sflatinofilmfestival.org
9/14
Enjoy creative bloody marys from 12 Bay Area bars and restaurants, craft spirits, artisan food samples and live music during The Bloody Mary Festival in the SOMA District. Tickets $45-$55, thebloodymaryfest.com
9/14-15
The 5th Annual SF Cheese Fest returns with samples of craft cheeses from more than 20 California cheesemakers; local wines, beers and ciders; seminars; and live music at the Social Hall SF. Price upon request, sfcheesefest.com
Find a furry friend at the Alameda County Fairgrounds during the Bay Area Pet Fair, featuring 2,000 adoptable animals, live music, food vendors, classes and workshops, a family zone and pet supply vendors. bayareapetfair.org
9/15
Rockridge Out & About features live music; art; carnival rides and children’s activities; and gourmet food, wine and beer on College Avenue from Claremont to Lawton in Oakland. Free, rockridgedistrict.com
9/18-22
The Big Book Sale, hosted by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, features 500,000 books, DVDs and CDs with a member preview Sept. 17. friendssfpl.org/bigbooksale
9/20-22
San Francisco’s Only Greek Food Festival features homemade Greek foods, wine, live music and dancing. festival.annunciation.org
The 9th Annual Legacy Film Festival on Aging brings thought-provoking, entertaining and inspiring films about living a full life to the New People Cinema in Japantown. Tickets from $12, legacyfilmfestivalonaging.org
Celebrate all things German during Pier 35’s three-day Oktoberfest by the Bay, featuring music, singing, dancing, and German food and drink. Tickets $5-$85, oktoberfestbythebay.com
The Roadworks Steamroller Printing Festival in Potrero Hill features free hands-on printmaking, plus book arts activities, demonstrations and vendors. sfcb.org
9/21
The fourth annual California Vegetarian Food Festival moves from L.A. to San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts this year, offering speakers, organic cooking demos, fitness activities, live music, food samples and more. Tickets from $15, cavegfoodfest.com
Take a spin up to Santa Rosa for the 44th Annual San Francisco Comedy Competition Semifinals, one of the most prestigious comedy contests in North America. Tickets $46, lutherburbankcenter.org
9/21-22
Take part in the annual celebration of artisanal food, street food, craft beers, local wines and cocktails—all featuring sustainable local ingredients—plus music, and cooking and tasting classes, at Oakland’s Eat Real Festival. eatrealfest.com
Craft spirits take center stage at the ninth annual San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival, featuring some of the best whiskey, bourbon, vodka, tequila, grappa and more from more than 100 boutique family-owned and independent craft producers. Tickets $50-$150, craftspiritscarnival.com
9/22
Watch swimmers take on of the most thrilling open water, world-class competitions during the 3K Golden Gate Bridge Swim that begins near Ft. Point Beach and finishes at Finger Point Rock. waterworldswim.com
9/24
The Australian Pink Floyd Show is a critically acclaimed tribute to the music of Pink Floyd, featuring a stunning light and laser show, video animations, filmed sequences and other special effects in Santa Rosa. Tickets $39–$199, lutherburbankcenter.org
9/24-29
The San Francisco Green Film Festival screens more than 50 innovative films to inspire environmental justice. Tickets $15 per screening or $200 for festival pass, greenfilmfest.org/festival
9/27-28
Join in a 24-hour adventure race that begins with a check-in party and includes challenges assigned by a smartphone app during Questival. cotopaxi.com
9/29
Join 250,000 fetish enthusiasts during Folsom Street Fair, featuring a music stage, dance floors, erotic artists’ area and a parade on Folsom Street (from eighth to 13th streets). Donation of $10 requested, folsomstreetevents.org
THROUGH 1/ 19
The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents Izidora Leber LETHE: Peristyle, the first solo museum exhibition for the Croatian-Swiss Oakland-based artist. Tickets $16, thecjm.org
Photography by: BLOODY MARY FESTIVAL
