Official site of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Free outdoor performing arts in downtown San Francisco

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Weekend Sessions

KOKOROKO performing on the YBG Festival stage outdoors in front of a large, vibrant audience

From May to October, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival hosts the finest artists to entertain, engage and astound in the lovely Yerba Buena Gardens.

Jump to Weekend Sessions Calendar

The Weekend Sessions is the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival’s premier program series, highlighting touring and regional artists performing to delighted audiences. Each weekend program features a diversity of world-class artists giving thrilling performances not to be missed. Crowds of arts-lovers, Bay Area locals and out-of-towners flock to Yerba Buena Gardens for outstanding entertainment in music, dance, poetry, circus, theater or large-scale cultural festivals.

Free of admission and open to the public, all are welcome to enjoy the fresh air and the truly memorable cultural experiences. Located in the cultural heart of San Francisco, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival’s Weekend Sessions make for a refreshing and inspiring weekend outing in the City.

Past Weekend Sessions artists include:

  • AfroSolo
  • Brazil in the Gardens
  • Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest
  • Circus Bella
  • Gamelan Sekar Jaya
  • Native Contemporary Arts Festival
  • San Francisco Mime Troupe
  • San Francisco Uke Jam Summer Uke-splosion
  • Tom Rigney & Flambeau
Credit: Amal Bisharat Photography

What people are saying about the Weekend Sessions…

  • Love that you are making the arts free & accessible to all!
  • All the weekend and Thursday programs are fantastic!
  • This is an impressively well curated festival. A rich gift to the city!
Credit: www.kelseyogdenfilmandphoto.com

Check out all of the incredible artists performing at upcoming Weekend Sessions listed below.

Mark your calendars and make your weekend FREE, OUTDOORS, and FRESH!

What to expect at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival…

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. Yerba Buena Gardens Festival features open-air lawn seating. Please be dressed for San Francisco weather – chair seating is limited, but picnics and low-lawn chairs are welcome. For Park Rules and Regulations, please refer to Yerba Buena Gardens Management’s website.

Weekend Session performances begin at 2pm (unless noted otherwise), so plan ahead and arrive early! Performances are approximately 90 minutes long, located at Yerba Buena Gardens on Mission Street between Third and Fourth Streets, San Francisco. Yerba Buena Gardens is 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.

Weekend Sessions Calendar…

29 programs found.

Programs

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  • Month
Today
  • May 2026

  • Sat 9
    Hermán Olivera wearing glasses and a white shirt, holding a microphone on a stand in one hand as he turns out to the left.
    Sat, May 9, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Season Opener: Hermán Olivera y Orquesta Taíno

    Sat 16
    Hailu Mergia playing the accordion with a guitarist and drummer playing behind him against a brick wall.
    Sat, May 16, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Hailu Mergia

    Sat 23
    Members of Las Cafeteras, wearing black, white and pink outfits, front-facing, standing under a white tent.
    Sat, May 23, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Las Cafeteras

  • June 2026

  • Sat 6
    A group of 5 women dancers dressed in Balinese dance clothing, performing on stage
    Sat, Jun 6, 2:00pm – 3:30pm

    Gamelan Sekar Jaya

    Sun 7
    Per Sia wearing a colorful, tropical pink flower crown, standing behind a green bouquet of plants and flowers, a dimly lit green orchard behind them.
    Sun, Jun 7, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

    Pride in Yerba Buena!

    Fri 12
    Fri, Jun 12, 6:30pm – 9:30pm

    Good Medicine

    Sat 20
    A Native dancer dressed in colorful traditional regalia, demonstrating a dance outdoors, a line of other dancers and the YBG Festival stage behing them.
    Sat, Jun 20, 12:00pm – 3:00pm

    Native Contemporary Arts Festival

    Fri 26
    Performers of Circus Bella standing across an outdoor stage, wearing colorful costumes, smiling and taking a bow in front of a large audience seated on the grass
    Fri, Jun 26, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

    Circus Bella’s AH HA! (World Premiere – All-Ages Show)

    Sat 27
    Performers of Circus Bella standing across an outdoor stage, wearing colorful costumes, smiling and taking a bow in front of a large audience seated on the grass
    Sat, Jun 27, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

    Circus Bella’s AH HA! (World Premiere – All-Ages Show)

    Sat 27
    Performers of Circus Bella standing across an outdoor stage, wearing colorful costumes, smiling and taking a bow in front of a large audience seated on the grass
    Sat, Jun 27, 2:15pm – 3:15pm

    Circus Bella’s AH HA! (World Premiere – All-Ages Show)

  • July 2026

  • Sat 4
    Ukulenny, Cynthia Lin and Steven Espaniola all wearing hats, playing ukuleles and singing into microphones on an outdoor stage.
    Sat, Jul 4, 12:00pm – 4:00pm

    SF Uke Jam’s Summer Uke-splosion: Peace, Love and Ukulele

    Sun 5
    Two actors smiling and holding hands, arms stretched out on a sunny outdoor stage.
    Sun, Jul 5, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

    San Francisco Mime Troupe

    Sat 11
    Lady Wray with bright yellow hair, wide diamond necklace and ruffled red and black top in front of a black background
    Sat, Jul 11, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Lady Wray

    Sun 12
    Sun, Jul 12, 12:00pm – 5:00pm

    Honoring Our Relatives: A Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Gathering

    Sat 25
    Two dancers in satin red and green costume, dancing outdoors on a brick path on a lawn, a brick building behind them
    Sat, Jul 25, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

    Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest (Day One)

  • August 2026

  • Sat 1
    Two dancers in satin red and green costume, dancing outdoors on a brick path on a lawn, a brick building behind them
    Sat, Aug 1, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

    Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest (Day Two)

    Sun 2
    Collage photo of Sruti Sarathy, Siddique Ahmed, Suhail Yusuf Khan
    Sun, Aug 2, 12:00pm – 5:00pm

    Color Your Mind

    Sat 8
    4 people on a stage taking a selfie photo with a large crowd of audiences behind them off-stage
    Sat, Aug 8, 11:00am – 5:00pm

    Pistahan

    Sun 9
    4 people on a stage taking a selfie photo with a large crowd of audiences behind them off-stage
    Sun, Aug 9, 11:00am – 5:00pm

    Pistahan

    Sat 15
    Collage of photos of Helado Negro wearing a purple and green shirt, front-facing, leaning forward and leaning his face on 1 hand, and of Reyna Tropical wearing a straw hat and white tank top, smiling, looking down with fog and bright yellow light glowing behind her
    Sat, Aug 15, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Helado Negro + Reyna Tropical

  • September 2026

  • Sat 5
    A large audience seated on an outdoor lawn in the dark evening light, watching a movie projected on a large screen, a brightly lit cityscape behind the screen and a line of trees.
    Sat, Sep 5, 7:00pm – 9:30pm

    Yerba Buena Movie Night

  • October 2026

  • Sat 3
    Drummers in colorful African regalia, smiling and performing on an outdoor stage
    Sat, Oct 3, 11:00am – 4:00pm

    African Arts Festival

    Sun 4
    Litquake logo with illustration of a female figure, laying down on a blanket reading next to a stack of books
    Sun, Oct 4, 11:00am – 4:00pm

    Litquake Out Loud + Book Fair

    Sat 10
    Members of Oakland Rising performing on dark stage under magenta colored lights.
    Sat, Oct 10, 2:00pm – 4:00pm

    Follow the Music

    Sun 11
    An instructor leading a dance class behind them in an outdoor court
    Sun, Oct 11, 10:00am – 3:00pm

    YBG Dance Day

    Mon 12
    A large group of people dancing in a friendship circle in the middle of the Yerba Buena Gardens esplanade lawn.
    Mon, Oct 12, 12:00pm – 4:00pm

    San Francisco Indigenous Peoples Day with special performance by Jeremy Dutcher

    Sat 17
    Joe Bataan wearing a black hat and white shirt, smiling
    Sat, Oct 17, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

    Joe Bataan

    Sat 24
    Collage of headshot photos from members of the Afro-Filipino Jazz Project
    Sat, Oct 24, 2:00pm – 3:30pm

    Afro-Filipino Jazz Project

    Sat 31
    Top view of a large crowd of kids and families dressed in costumes walking outside across the Children's Garden with tents and pumpkins and other Halloween decoration set up
    Sat, Oct 31, 12:00pm – 3:00pm

    Halloween Hoopla

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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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