
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival transforms Jessie Square into an open-air dance party with live bands playing the bustling sounds of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mozambique, New York and beyond!
Salsa at Jessie Calendar
The outdoor, monthly salsa event takes place at Jessie Square, near the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the historic St. Patrick’s Church. From May to October, folks are invited to dance into dusk to amazing live salsa bands. Many musical acts hail from the Bay Area and some from out of town, all bringing electrifying salsa sounds to Jessie Square.
Starting just before sunset, Salsa at Jessie is a casual, outdoor event to get your body moving under San Francisco skies. Fun for first-time and seasoned salseras/salseros, or music lovers enjoying rhythms of the syncopated top-notch performers. Salsa at Jessie is a unique dance experience, just one of many cultural activities the Yerba Buena neighborhood has to offer. And it’s FREE! Friends, families and conga-lines welcome.
Past Salsa at Jessie artists include:
- Carlitos Medrano & Sabor De Mi Cuba
- Manny Martinez y la Rebeldia
- Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca

What people are saying about Salsa at Jessie…
- Third Thursdays are rad! Thank you for your work organizing them! This kind of public space + community is the SF I want to live in.
- Thank you for bringing us together. My life is richer for it!
- I don’t miss any of the events. Thank you!

Check out all of the incredible artists performing at upcoming events listed below.
Mark your calendars and make Salsa at Jessie FUN, OUTDOORS and FRESH!
What to expect at Salsa at Jessie…
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival occurs each year from May through October in Downtown San Francisco. As always, these excellent performances are FREE, outdoors, and ADA-accessible to be enjoyed by all. Jessie Square features limited, open-air bench seating. Please be dressed for San Francisco weather. For Park Rules and Regulations, please refer to Yerba Buena Gardens Management’s website.
Salsa at Jessie performances begin promptly at 6pm (unless noted otherwise), so plan ahead and arrive early! Performances are approximately 90 minutes long at Jessie Square is located on Mission Street between Third and Fourth Streets, San Francisco. Jessie Square and Yerba Buena Gardens are conveniently located near Montgomery & Powell BART stations, and several MUNI lines. See detailed information on the Visitor Map.
Looking for a yummy place to eat or a museum to explore? Find out more on the Visitor Information page.