San Francisco — week of Thursday, October 8, 2026

Columbus Avenue turns into a parade route Sunday: the Italian Heritage Parade steps off at 12:30 from Fisherman's Wharf and ends at Washington Square, free. Below that, everything on in the city through the 18th.

Everything happening 14

Thursday, Oct 8

Valencia LIVE! Night Market on Valencia Street her thing ✓ Thu Oct 8, 5–10 PM · Free Select blocks of Valencia between 16th and 21st close to cars, with a main stage at 18th.via Valencia Street merchants (organizer); Funcheap
Mission Community Market, 22nd St at Bartlett her thing ✓ Thursdays Oct 8 and 15, 3–7 PM · Free entry Weekly Thursday farmers' and food market on 22nd Street at Bartlett, a block off Mission St.via Foodwise (organizer)
RM x SFMOMA, SFMOMA, 151 3rd St her thing ✓ Open now, through Feb 7, 2027 · Museum admission The museum's RM x SFMOMA exhibition opened Oct 3 and runs through Feb 7; included with admission.via SFMOMA

Friday, Oct 9

Fleet Week Parade of Ships on the bay her thing ✓ Fri Oct 9, 11 AM–noon · Free The ships' parade into the bay, an hour before Friday's air show; watch free from the northern waterfront.via Fleet Week SF (organizer); KTVU
Fleet Week air show with the Blue Angels her thing ✓ Fri Oct 9–Sun Oct 11, noon–4 PM · Free from the shoreline Flown over the bay between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, Blue Angels headlining. Check Fleet Week's calendar the morning you go.via Fleet Week SF (organizer); KTVU
Fleet Week free concerts: Patricia's Green and the SkyStar Wheel her thing ✓ Fri Oct 9, noon (Patricia's Green, Hayes Valley); Sun Oct 11, 2 PM (SkyStar Wheel, Fisherman's Wharf) · Free The 1st Marine Division Brass Band plays Patricia's Green, 50 Fell St, on Friday; the Army Big Band plays by the SkyStar Wheel on Sunday.via Fleet Week SF (organizer); KTVU; Funcheap
Smuin Contemporary Ballet: French Kiss, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason her thing ✓ Oct 9–18: Fri Oct 9, Sat Oct 10, Thu Oct 15, Fri Oct 16 at 7:30 PM; Sat Oct 17 and Sun Oct 18 at 2 PM · $25–100 Season opener: Amy Seiwert's French Kiss to Pink Martini, a My'Kal Stromile premiere, and Michael Smuin's Stabat Mater.via Smuin Contemporary Ballet (organizer); BroadwayWorld; Funcheap

Saturday, Oct 10

Fleet Fest and ship tours at Pier 27 her thing ✓ Fleet Fest Sat–Sun Oct 10–11, 9 AM–5 PM; ship tours through the weekend · Free Fleet Week's waterfront festival at Pier 27 on the Embarcadero, with ship tours at Piers 27, 30-32 and 35.via Fleet Week SF (organizer)
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, free weekend shows her thing ✓ Sat Oct 10 and Sun Oct 11, afternoons · Free On the Great Lawn, Mission St between 3rd and 4th. Afternoon programs: Oakland Rising on Saturday, YBG Dance Day on Sunday.via Golden Gate Bridge District events calendar
SF Open Studios, District 3: Dogpatch, Potrero, SoMa her thing ✓ Sat Oct 10–Sun Oct 11, 11 AM–5 PM · Free Artists across Dogpatch, Potrero Hill, SoMa and Mission Bay open their studios. SOMArts, 934 Brannan, runs a preview show through Oct 25.via SOMArts

Sunday, Oct 11

Italian Heritage Parade down Columbus Avenue her thing ✓ Sun Oct 11, 12:30 PM · Free Steps off at Jefferson and Powell, runs down Columbus to Washington Square. Rolling street closures from about noon; take transit.via SF Italian Heritage (organizer); SFMTA; Golden Gate Bridge District

Thursday, Oct 15

The San Francisco Fall Show, Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason her thing ✓ Thu Oct 15–Sun Oct 18 · Ticketed The annual art, antiques and design show, formerly the Fall Art & Antiques Show; this year's theme is Métallique Chic.via San Francisco Fall Show (organizer)

Saturday, Oct 17

Smuin After Hours, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason her thing ✓ Sat Oct 17, 7–10 PM · $55 A Smuin performance followed by a DJ after-party in the theater.via Smuin Contemporary Ballet (organizer)
Potrero Hill Rhythm & Blues Festival on 20th Street her thing ✓ Sat Oct 17, 10 AM–4 PM · Free The 51st annual, on 20th St between Wisconsin and Missouri: two stages, food vendors, and a 21+ beer and wine garden.via Mission Local calendar; Funcheap

Planned dates

The Move of the Week

Sunday the 11th: the Italian Heritage Parade down Columbus Avenue, then pizza on Washington Square

A free parade down Columbus Avenue, then a late lunch at the pizzeria on Washington Square

Cost: Free parade; lunch extra

her kind of night ✓ Marina & North Beach

Before 12:30 PM Columbus Avenue in North Beach, by transit — Sunday Oct 11. Staging closes parts of Beach, Powell and Stockton from 7:30 AM, and the route runs under a rolling closure from about noon to 5, with Muni rerouted. Come by transit, not car, and pick a spot along Columbus.
12:30 PM The Italian Heritage Parade steps off at Jefferson and Powell and heads down Columbus to Washington Square — Sunday Oct 11 only. Steps off at 12:30 at the foot of Jefferson and Powell in Fisherman's Wharf, runs down Columbus through North Beach, and ends in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church. Free, including the Concorso Italiano car show. Joe Mantegna is listed as Grand Marshal.
After the parade Washington Square Park, Columbus and Union — The festivities continue in the park where the parade ends, with food vendors. The route stays closed until the last unit passes.
3:00 PM Late lunch at Tony's Pizza Napoletana, 1570 Stockton St at Union — On the Washington Square corner. Expect a wait on parade day; call ahead, (415) 835-9888.

Weather backup: The air show runs noon–4 the same afternoon and Fleet Fest fills Pier 27 from 9 to 5 (both in the radar), so the parade means skipping most of the Blue Angels. Can't do Sunday? Smuin also plays Saturday at 7:30 (the Friday play below).

Friday the 9th: dinner at Greens, then Smuin's season opener at Fort Mason

A vegetarian dinner at a Fort Mason institution, then a ballet set to Pink Martini across the campus

Cost: $50–200 for two in ballet tickets, plus dinner at Greens

her kind of night ✓ Marina & North Beach

5:30 PM Dinner at Greens, 2 Marina Blvd, Building A, Fort Mason — Friday dinner 5–9 PM per Fort Mason's listing. Vegetarian; book on OpenTable before Friday. Sunset is about 6:41, so a 5:30 table eats through it. Ask for the check by 7:05.
7:30 PM Smuin Contemporary Ballet, French Kiss, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason — Friday Oct 9 is opening night of the San Francisco run (through Oct 18). Three works: Amy Seiwert's French Kiss to Pink Martini, a world premiere by My'Kal Stromile, and Michael Smuin's Stabat Mater. Tickets $25–100 on Smuin's site. Greens to the Cowell is a few minutes' walk on the same campus.

Weather backup: Same show Sat Oct 10 and Thu–Fri Oct 15–16 at 7:30, Sat–Sun Oct 17–18 at 2 PM. Greens serves dinner from 5 Friday through Sunday.

Saturday the 17th: Dogpatch galleries, then the Potrero Hill R&B Festival on 20th Street

A free morning in a building full of galleries, then an afternoon of blues on a closed-off Potrero Hill street

Cost: Free galleries; festival food and the 21+ beer garden are the spend

her kind of night ✓ SoMa & Dogpatch

11:00 AM Minnesota Street Project, 1275 Minnesota St, Dogpatch — The galleries are free, each on its own hours; check before you go. Give it 90 minutes.
12:30 PM Walk west to 20th St and Missouri — The festival's east end is at Missouri.
1:00 PM 51st Potrero Hill Rhythm & Blues Festival, 20th St, Wisconsin to Missouri — Saturday Oct 17 only; the festival runs 10 AM–4 PM. Two stages: Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s, the JC Smith Blues Band, Josh Klipp & The Klipptones and the Curtis Family among them. Food vendors and a 21+ beer and wine garden. Proceeds go to two local public elementary schools and Potrero Hill Neighborhood House.

Weather backup: The galleries are open Tue–Sat; the festival is Saturday only. A weekend earlier, Sat–Sun Oct 10–11, SF Open Studios opens artists' studios across the same neighborhoods, 11 to 5 (see the radar).

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