Official site of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Free outdoor performing arts in downtown San Francisco

Catering, Tenting & More

  1. The Venues
  2. Fees & Permits
  3. Application Form
  4. Rental Documents
  5. Catering & Tenting
  6. Nearby Indoor Facilities

Questions? Email rentals@ybgfestival.org.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival does not provide tenting, catering or furnishings. The following companies are experienced in planning and hosting events of all sizes and types in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Below is an excerpt from the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy’s Event Guidelines. The full catering policy can be referenced here.

Catering & Preferred Caterer Requirement

All catering setups require ground covering such as plywood, Masonite, or AstroTurf to be placed under food preparation areas to protect the Gardens from food and oil damage. Other ground cover materials are welcomed and will be permitted on a case-by-case basis. All ground covering must be ADA compliant.
As part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy’s commitment to supporting our area’s economic recovery, event clients are encouraged to utilize caterers/restaurants located within the Yerba Buena neighborhood, as defined in the attached Yerba Buena boundaries map.
Yerba Buena neighborhood corresponds with the following:
  • Yerba Buena Boundaries:
    • 2nd Street to 5th Street
    • Market Street to Harrison Street
  • Restaurants/caterers:

Event clients that use caterers/restaurants outside these boundaries will be assessed a Catering Impact Fee, equal to 10% of the event’s gross food and beverage catering sales. The Catering Impact Permit Fee will be assessed against the gross total of food and beverage sales only, and that total should not include any state or local taxes imposed to Event Client. Event client must submit a FINAL catering gross sales report to YBGC within 30 days of the event. YBGC will send an invoice to the event client payable within 30 days of the invoice.

There are several exceptions to the Catering Impact Fee:

  • Nonprofit programming partner events with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Children’s Creativity Museum, South of Market Child Care Center, Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center. Additional community partner events will be exempt, and these exceptions will be reviewed by YBGC on a case-by-case basis.
  • Restaurants and caterers that provide sharply discounted or low-cost catering to cultural events. Examples include: Pistahan, Indigenous Peoples Day, Chinese Progressive Association.
  • Food truck vendors may provide event catering at the set Impact Permit Fee of $250/day, per truck.
  • When an event is primarily within a building site and merely the event’s catering service/set-up is outside of the building site.

Picnics

Picnicking in the Gardens is encouraged.

  • Picnics or gatherings of 25 or more people require a permit.
  • A cleaning and/or damage deposit may be required.
  • Lightweight folding tables and chairs are welcomed.

Cooking

Cooking will be permitted on a case-by-case basis.

Event Client must provide proof of all required health and fire department permits.

Event Client must provide and use YBGC-approved groundcover under all cooking, food booths, tents, and preparation areas to protect the property from food and oil damage.

Tenting & Party Rental Services

A guest on traditional, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Land.
VENUE: Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. between 3rd and 4th Sts., San Francisco
OFFICE: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, 760 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103
PHONE: (415) 543-1718