Official site of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Free outdoor performing arts in downtown San Francisco

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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:
    • SAVOR within Moscone Convention Center
    • Joyride Pizza
    • B Restaurant + Bar
    • Restaurants on Yerba Buena Lane
    • Restaurants within Metreon, Marriott Marquis, The St. Regis San Francisco, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

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

    • Bright Event Rentals
      Bright Rentals
      Bay Area Showroom
      145 Park Lane.
      Brisbane, CA 94005
      Tel: (415) 570-0470
      www.brightrentals.com
    • Logo of Special Events company
      Special Events
      295 S. Vasco Rd.
      Livermore, CA 94551
      Toll Free: (800) 540-0657
      Tel: (925) 243-8979
      Fax: (925) 243-8799
      www.bayareatents.com
    • Top Productions
      Top Productions
      209 Parr Blvd.
      Richmond, CA 94801
      Toll Free: (888)-571-2836
      Tel: (415) 332-3005
      Fax: (415) 332-3008
      www.top-productions.com
    • logo of Abbey Party Rents SF
      Abbey Party Rents
      411 Allan St.
      Daly City, CA 94014
      Tel: (415) 715-6900
      Fax: (415) 715-6914
      www.abbeyrentssf.com
    • Hensley Party Rentals
      845 Stanton Rd.
      Burlingame, CA 94010
      Tel: (650) 692-7007
      Fax: (650) 692-7008
      www.mshpartyrentals.com
    • logo of A-ABCO Rents & Sells, Inc.
      A-Abco Rents
      1050 Charter St.
      Redwood City, CA 94063
      Tel: (415) 731-6336 (SF)
      www.abcorents.com
  • Stuart Event Rentals
    Stuart Event Rentals
    454 S. Abbott Ave.
    Milpitas, CA 95035
    Tel: 1-800-400-0543
    www.stuartrental.com
  • Standard Event Rentals Square logo
    Standard Event Rentals
    30955 San Antonio St.
    Hayward, CA 94544
    Tel: (510) 232-5030
    www.standardeventrentals.com
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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

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