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San Francisco Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Free things to do in the Bay Area: Summer festivals, music and art events
Looking for summertime fun but feeling strapped for cash? As luck would have it, there's no need to bust the budget, as regular city-sponsored street festivals, live music series and artistic events — free to enjoy — can be found around the Bay Area all season long. Take the mystery out of the hunt for enriching things to do on the cheap. Check out the Chronicle's guide to the best free Bay Area events happening through August. Slip out of the office for an al fresco lunch date with live weekly music curated by Jazz in the Neighborhood. The scheduled lineup includes heavy-hitting artists Destiny Muhammad (June 11), the Sticklerphonics (July 2), Joe Warner (July 16), Erik Jekabson (July 23), guitarist Roni Ben Hur (Aug. 27) and others every Wednesday in the elevated urban garden. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Through August. Free. Main Plaza, Salesforce Park, 425 Mission St., S.F. 415-597-5000. Circus Bella: 'Hoopla' Now in its 16th season, the cirque ensemble, directed by Abigail Munn, features some of the brightest circus talent from the Bay Area and beyond. The current production is an energetic exploration of curiosity and imagination, offering a modern twist on a one-ring circus with acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and clowns performing to live music written by Rob Reich and performed by the Circus Bella All-Star Band. Bring a picnic blanket or small folding chairs, as audience seating is not provided. Performances run approximately 60 minutes. UC Berkeley Astro Nights A free stargazing and lecture event open to the public is held on the first Thursday of each month, and members of the public are invited to take part in guided viewings using provided telescopes, located on a rooftop observatory. In addition to the viewing, participants are invited to attend an astronomy lecture followed by a Q&A session. 8 p.m. Thursday, June 5, July 10 and Aug. 7. Free. Campbell Hall, University Drive, UC Berkeley, Berkeley. 510-643-6456. June Friday Nights at the Oakland Museum of California The weekly after-hours event at the museum is scheduled to include live music from Puerto Rican bomba ensemble Aguacero and a drag storytime (June 6), West Coast cumbia with the Discos Resaca Collective (June 13), Juneteenth-focused programming with vocalist Astu (June 20) and Pride Night with a performance from King Isis (June 27). The programming includes live DJ sets, vending from local creators, special museum programming, Off the Grid food trucks and more. 5-9 p.m. Friday, June 6, 13, 20 and 27. Free. Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. 510-318-8427. Novato Concerts on the Green Enjoy live sets from the Anthony Arya Band, King Dream, Papa Joe and the New Deal, Wolf Jett, and Sol Horizon as part of the free outdoor concert series set on the Civic Green in downtown Novato. 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 6 and 20, July 18, and Aug. 1 and 15. Free. Novato Civic Green, 901 Sherman Ave., Novato. 415-899-8900. Bouquets to Art: Family Art Making Hang out on the museum's front lawn and create a clay flower inspired by the floral designs on view as part of its annual June 'Bouquets to Art' botanical art exhibition. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 7. Free. De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., S.F. 415-750-3600. San Leandro Parade and Cherry Festival Come to historic Downtown San Leandro for the annual Cherry Parade and festival. It's set to include live music from Dee Coco & Mixx Company, Orquesta Borinquen and blues guitarist Shane Dwight, cherry pie contests, a vending marketplace, food and drinks, a car show, fun zone, and lots of fresh cherries. Creative costumes are encouraged. Parade at 10-11 a.m.; festival at 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 7. Free admission. 384 W. Estudillo Ave., San Leandro. 510-281-0703. Live outdoor concerts are held on the second Friday of the month. Upcoming performances include Chris James and Maurice Tani (June 13), Mbira dzaSoko and Extra Large (July 11), Burrows & Dilbeck and Big Blue Soul Revue (Aug. 8), Wolf Jett and the Lemonhammer (Sept. 12). 5:30-7:45 p.m. Friday, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, and Sept. 12. Free. Park Place and Washington Ave., Point Richmond. Drag Story Hour at the de Young with Per Sia The glamorous drag artist will read books for a children's storytime, sparking imagination and offering a positive queer role model. In addition, the museum's permanent collections are free to enjoy as part of its Free Saturdays programming. 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Free. Kimball Education Gallery, de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., S.F. 415-750-3600. Sweetwater Sunday Residency: Josh Zee and Friends Listen in as local guitar shredder Josh Zee (Protein, the Mother Truckers) performs with a band featuring local all-stars. 6 p.m. Sunday, June 15. Free. Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. 415-388-3850. Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: Lunchtime Thursdays Invigorate your workday with free live lunchtime music set in peaceful Yerba Buena Gardens. The weekday series' inspiring and diverse curation includes jazz organist Sundra Manning, Persian vocalists Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat, Los Angeles-based Native American singer-songwriter Raye Zaragozaon, Japanese koto music from Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto, Indo jazz with the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, Oakland-based Dani Offline, the Del Sol Quartet, R&B vocalist-pianist Lady Bianca, Toninho Horta's Brazilian jazz quartet, WAM Local Sirens B. DeVeaux, and Mare and Trío Guadalevín. 12:30-1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19 and 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31; Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Free. Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. between Third and Fourth streets, S.F. 415-543-1718. Summer Music at Bon Air Bread and Roses presents a family-friendly series offering local craft brews and live music. Performers scheduled include Matt Jaffe in June and Jeffrey Halford and the Healers in July. 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 19; Sunday, July 20. Free. Bon Air Center, 50 Bon Air Center, Greenbrae. 415-461-0200. Redwood City Music in the Park Free outdoor concerts are presented on Wednesdays through late summer. Upcoming shows include San Benito County Line (July 18), Tempest (June 25), Top Shelf Classics (July 2), Jimbo Scott & Yesterday's Biscuits (July 9), Andre Thierry (July 16), and others. Food and drinks available. 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Through Aug. 20. Free. Stafford Park, King Street and Hopkins Avenue, Redwood City. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley: Cymbeline Glenn Havlan and Gaby Schneider direct Shakespeare's dark, romantic tale, featuring interwoven storylines that converge in a final scene of forgiveness and hope. 4 p.m. Friday July 4; 4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays, July 5-20. John Hinkel Park Amphitheater, 41 Somerset Place, Berkeley. San Francisco Symphony at the Stern Grove Festival The free, outdoor summer concert series set in an ethereal eucalyptus grove near the beach offers a program with Edwin Outwater conducting the Symphony in a performance featuring ukulele virtuoso-vocalist Taimane. 2 p.m. Sunday, July 6. Free, reservations required. Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, S.F. 415-252-6252. City Center Summer Smooth Jazz Series The Renzo Piano-designed open-air mall offers a weekly live music series, with guitarist Jonathan Butler (July 7), piano-saxophone duo Brian Simpson and Jackiem Joyner (July 19), and trumpeter Rick Braun (July 26). 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 7, 19 and 26. Free. City Center Bishop Ranch, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon. 925-815-1902. Cheryl E. Leonard: On Thin Ice From Antarctic icebergs to Europe's largest glacier and frozen lakes in Yosemite National Park, the sounds of ice are showcased in a performance by Cheryl E. Leonard. Field recordings combine with live sounds in compositions about our transforming polar and alpine regions. Part of the S.F. Public Library's 'Everybody's Climate 2025' July event series. 1-2 p.m. Sunday, July 13. Free. Main branch, S.F. Public Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F. 415-557-4400. Festival Napa Valley: Forrest Eimold The young, award-winning pianist-composer will perform a program focused on piano works by Gordon Getty. 11 a.m. Monday, July 14. Free, reservations recommended. CIA at Copia Ecolab Theatre, 500 First St., Napa. Pleasant Hill Blues and Brews Festival Enjoy a family-friendly weekend with live music, food, drinks and craft vendors, a kids zone and craft-brew tastings. Performers scheduled include the King Tritones, Mighty Mike Schermer and Top Shelf Classics. 6-9 p.m. Friday, July 18; 4-9 p.m. Saturday, July 19. Free admission; beer tasting tickets are $45-$49.87. Pleasant Hill Park, 147 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Free Shakespeare in the Park: 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' Ely Sonny Orquiza directs the 43rd season of 'free Shakes,' which features a modern adaptation of the classic comedy, considered to be Shakespeare's first play. 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 19-20, 26-27 and Aug. 2-3. Memorial Park, Cupertino • 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24. Red Morton Park, Redwood City • 2 p.m. Saturday-Monday, Aug. 30-Sept. 1 and 6-7. McLaren Park, S.F. • 2 p.m. Sept. 13-14 and 20-21. Sue Bierman Park, S.F. Free. Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire Take in the summer sun and island breezes at a street festival with more than 200 vendors, foods, local wine and beer, live music on three stages and a children's zone with carnival rides. Performers scheduled include the Spazmatics, Dan Durkin, Drew Harrison, Zebop, the Sun Kings, Life in the Fastlane and others. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 26-27. Free admission. Park Street, between Central and Clement avenues, Alameda. 510- 523-1392. Up Your Alley Fair: Leather and Kink Block Party Show up in your favorite leather or rubber for a kink/alt/leather kick-off to 'leather Pride' season that culminates with the more well-known Folsom Street Fair. Live onstage entertainment is set to include DJ sets, go-go dancers, bondage and kink performers, plus the infamous Steamworks twister stage. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, July 27. Free admission. Dore Alley, Ninth and Folsom streets, S.F. Vine Street Block Party The family-friendly street festival in downtown Berkeley is set to include wine-pouring stations, food and retail vendors, live music, and more. Noon-6 p.m. Sunday, July 27. Free. Vine Street, between Shattuck Avenue and Walnut Street, Berkeley. 510-540-6444. 'The Jingwei Bird: Music & Poetry' Explore the complexity of climate change and our relationship to the planet with a multidisciplinary performance featuring the Del Sol Quartet and San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim. The program includes newly composed music by Asian American composers and bilingual poetry. Part of the San Francisco Public Library's Everybody's Climate 2025 July event series. 6-7 p.m. Thursday, July 31. Free. Main branch, S.F. Public Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F. 415-557-4400. Nihonmachi Street Fair: The Art & Soul of Jtown The 51st annual street fair will include two stages with a robust daily live entertainment lineup, children's zone, beer fest, an Asian artisans area, Doggie World, a Sounds of Thunder car show, food, drinks and more. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 2-3. Free admission. Peace Plaza, 1581 Webster St., S.F. 415-771-9861. 32nd annual Pistahan Parade and Festival A parade marks the start of the largest Filipino fair on the West Coast. It's set to offer live arts, culinary, dance, health, heritage, innovation, sports and tavern pavilions. Each will host different hands-on and authentic cultural experiences, including folk dance and live entertainment from emerging as well as established artists, food and local artisan vendors. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 9-10. Free. Esplanade, Yerba Buena Gardens Great Lawn, Mission Street between Third and Fourth streets, S.F. 415-625-3976. The large fest brings together around 15,000 people annually to Oakland's Laurel District. It includes a robust lineup of live music, craft activities, a vending marketplace, international food and drinks and more.
Business Journals
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Visit Oakland celebrates $779M economic impact from tourism in 2024
Visit Oakland, the destination marketing organization for the city of Oakland, hosted IMPACT 510: The Town Tourism Day on May 7 at the Oakland Museum of California. The sold-out event welcomed 250 attendees including community partners, city officials, and business leaders to celebrate the 2024 results. Last year, the total tourism economic impact was $779 million, and visitors supported a total of $583 million in spending in Oakland. Of the $583 million spent in Oakland in 2024 by visitors, lodging accounted for $174 million, or 30% of the total visitor spending. Food and beverage spending resulted in $160 million, representing 27% of the total spend. Transportation, including both air and ground transportation within the destination, as well as retail, captured $97 million of total visitor spending. In 2024, visitors spent $56 million on recreation and entertainment. Oakland saw a 4% increase in day trips to the city. The team at Visit Oakland is focused on converting day trips into overnight stays to increase the economic impact. This commitment comes at a critical time as the travel landscape continues to face unprecedented challenges. 'This is an extremely important time in the travel and tourism industry,' said Peter Gamez, president and CEO for Visit Oakland. 'We are experiencing change on a national level that directly impacts Oakland locally. Our results show the significance that tourism brings to The Town. It is crucial that Oakland leadership work closely with Visit Oakland and continues to recognize and support the value of marketing our city to further the growth of our tourism economy.' In true Oakland style, IMPACT 510 - The Town Tourism Day was about more than just the successful numbers. Visit Oakland presented an event that shared the value of tourism and uplifted the community. The name Impact 510 pays tribute to Oakland's 510 area code. The date of the event was selected in support of California Tourism Month, and to align with National Travel and Tourism Week. expand Visit Oakland 'Oakland is a city that proudly celebrates its diverse arts and culture, amazing attractions, and award-winning culinary scene' said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, the state's nonprofit tourism marketing organization. 'Visit Oakland does a wonderful job highlighting these assets to attract visitors to Oakland, produce vibrancy in The Town, and directly impact the city's economic success.' The energy in the room was powerful and showed the unity of Oakland. Program elements included an engaging presentation by Gamez and an Oakland's Bright Future panel discussion featuring Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder and chief marketing officer, Oakland Roots SC and Oakland Soul SC; Joe Ernst, principal, srmErnst Development Partners and Prescott Market; Mieko Hatano, CEO, Oakland Symphony; and Kymberly Miller, CEO, Children's Fairyland. Honorable Mayor Barbara Lee was a guest speaker addressing the Oakland community at one of her first public events since winning the election. The master of ceremonies was Autumn King, host of Trail Chats. Live entertainment brought an inspiring performance by the Oakland Symphony and DJ Lady Ryan played music that matched The Town's vibrancy. A call to action closed the event — Gamez recognized individuals from the restaurant and hospitality communities to remind everyone support local businesses. It was powerful moment honoring the people of Oakland, who remain the true heart and soul of The Town. 'We challenged everyone to make this a summer to remember and share their love of Oakland by telling their family, friends and colleagues to plan a day in Oakland visiting our attractions, dining in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, and staying the night in our hotels' Gamez said. 'I know the power of the people in our community, and they can help make a positive impact on our local businesses, our attractions, and our economy.' expand Visit Oakland Visitor spending impact In 2024, 3.4 million visitors spent $583 million across the Oakland economy. The Oakland visitor economy experienced a 0.2% decline in visitor spending from 2023. Total economic impact Direct visitor spending of $583 million generated a total economic impact of $779 million in Oakland in 2024, including indirect and induced impacts. This total economic impact sustained 5,548 jobs and generated $85 million in state and local tax revenues in 2024. Visit Oakland is the official destination marketing organization for Oakland. Their mission is to increase tourism's economic impact to the city of Oakland through destination development. The team at Visit Oakland elevates, celebrates, and illuminates Oakland in all its vibrancy. They do this by promoting Oakland on a regional, national, and international level to increase positive awareness and attract visitors and group business to The Town. Visit Oakland also does this by supporting and promoting programs and events in Oakland that are open to the public and interesting to visitors. Visit Oakland is a nonprofit organization funded by hotel occupancy tax and Measure C along with other community partners. This means that every time someone stays in an Oakland Tourism Business Improvement District hotel, 2% of the room rate per night goes towards funding Visit Oakland's marketing efforts. Tourism is essential to the success of a city. When people visit for leisure or corporate travel, they utilize the Oakland airport and transportation systems. Those visitors also stay in Oakland's hotels, shop at the local stores, dine in the restaurants, and visit local attractions. This generates revenue for Oakland businesses and creates positive energy throughout The Town's community.
