San Francisco Summer of Free Events

 

6^th Annual San Francisco Juneteenth Festival

The Juneteenth Festival will be held on June 18-19^th on Fillmore Street.  A parade will begin at the Civic Center at 11:00 AM and end up on Fillmore (historical jazz district) at about Geary and Fillmore. The festival will consist of a health fair, classic car and motorcycle show, petting zoo, pony rides, food, music, arts / crafts, 3 on 3 basketball, a youth triathlon and comedy show as well as other activities.

June 19, 1865 is considered the date when slavery ended in America, which is 2 ½ years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is now considered a holiday in many states.

57th Annual North Beach Street Festival Admission is free.There will be vendors with food and arts / crafts. Music will permeate the air, while children enjoy activities and blessing of the animals take place. The festival will be held June 18th-19th (Saturday and Sunday) on Columbus Avenue and various streets in North Beach. Parking will be available at 735 Vallejo and 250 Clay Street. Both are fee parking and there is a shuttle available from the Clay street parking site.  The festival is usually congested; taking public transportation would be a good idea.

35^th Annual San Francisco Folk Festival

The Folk Festival will be held at Presidio Middle School at 450 30^th Avenue from June 25 -26 (12:00 noon – 10: PM). It will include music, dance parties, dance workshops and other events. This event is put on by the SF Folk Music Club and co-sponsored by SF City College. The SF Folk Music Club also sponsors Friday Night Jams every other Friday at 885 Clayton Street. It is free of charge and features song swaps and instrumental presentations. The SF Folk Music Club is a non-profit organization of singers and musicians interested in the presentation of folk music.

Stern Grove Festival

 Admission free concerts will be held June 19 – August 21 (Sundays at 2:00   PM) at the beautiful outdoor Stern Grove Festival. It will open its 74th Season with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings with their R/B and Soul sounds. For a sample of their music click on the following:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThcfKtRjcQ

The concerts are at Stern Grove located at 19^th Avenue and Sloat Blvd. For additional information, go to http://www.sterngrove.org/season2011.html . Parking gets very difficult during these concerts. It is much better to take public transportation or bicycle. The bike valet service will open at 10:00 AM and close one hour after the concert ends. No bikes are allowed on the concert meadow. There will be handicap permit parking and a designated drop off area. Reserved picnic table seating is available by lottery for Friends of Stern Grove members. Otherwise, come prepared with blankets and food to sit picnic style on the grass. It is a good idea to come early, dress in layers and it is a good idea to come prepared to make a small voluntary donation (if you can) to keep the free concerts coming.

Note: Stern Grove was a gift from Rosalie M. Stern in 1931 in memory of her husband. She requested that the park be preserved as a space in which the public could enjoy free music, theatre and dance performances. Her descendants are actively involved in the Festival.  

Golden Gate Park Band

A pril 10 – October 9, 2011 (1:00 PM – 2:45 PM), the Golden Gate Park Band will perform free concerts at the completely restored Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. The Music Concourse was originally built for the California Midwinter Exhibit of 1894. The Golden Gate Park Band was founded in 1882 with twelve members. This is their 129^th season of performing opera, Broadway tunes, marches, folk music, big band swing, with featured soloist and more. Michael L. Wirgler is the music director and conductor.

http://www.goldengateparkband.org/Upcoming_Concerts.html

San Francisco City Guides

San Francisco City Guides offers free walking tours throughout San   Francisco. View their website at http://www.sfcityguides.org/ for additional information of their extensive June – September 2011 tour schedule and meeting places. The Telegraph Hill Hike is given every Saturday at 1:00 PM and the 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays of the month at 5:30 PM. The Golden Gate Bridge walk is every Sunday and Thursday at 11:00 AM. Bring a jacket and dress in layers as the weather is unpredictable. There are so many other walking tours like the Mt. Davidson Hike and Japanese Tea Garden tour and walk.

*Groups of eight or more are not allowed and should be pre-scheduled in advance as a private group tour. Otherwise, no reservation is needed.*    Watch Doug McConnell on the Open Road television program interview a tour guide from  San Francisco City Guides to give you more information about this remarkable program.  http://openroad.tv/video.php?vid=313

       

Museum of African Diaspora (MOAD)

Sunday, June 19^th the MOAD features the Marcus Shelby Trio as well as other free activities including storyteller - Kirk Waller, oral historian – Leah McGarrigle, a film screening, poetry and other family activities in the honor of Juneteenth and Father’s Day. At this time, the MOAD is showcasing the wonderful graphic works of Romare Beardon, which includes lithographs, etchings, engravings and much more.

Most of the museums in the city have free admission days every month. All of the city museums will be featured in next week’s weblog.  

                                                 

Free Movie Cornucopia

San Francisco Maritime National Park Association features Floating Film Cinema at Hyde Street Pier (Hyde / Jefferson Streets). For a $5.00 suggested donation, you can watch maritime films on the water aboard a historic ship. June 16^th (Thursday) they featured Across the Pacific with Humphrey Bogart. On July 14^th they will show It Came From Beneath the Sea (a giant octopus attacks San Francisco). Open seating begins at 7:30 PM and the film begins at 8:00 PM.  http://www.maritime.org/calendar.htm

Film Night in the Park 2011 will highlight many free movies (donations accepted) in the Bay Area including, Caddyshack at Dolores Park on June 18^th; When Harry Met Sally on July 16^th at Union Square and Jaws at Dolores Park on August 18^th. All movies begin at dusk (about 8:00 PM). You can obtain the movie schedule at http://www.filmnight.org/ .

CineArts at the Empire at 85 West Portal, SF, CA 94127 is hosting the Summer Movie Clubhouse featuring $1.00 movies at 10:00 AM throughout the summer. They can be reached at (415) 661-2539.

Stonestown Galleria at 3251 20^th Avenue, SF, CA 94132 is offering free movies for children every Tuesday at 7:00 PM until August 16^th. There is also family entertainment that begins the same night at 6:00 PM. Wonderful YMCA volunteers serve free popcorn during this event.

Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema offer a selection of free independent films, documentaries, fiction, narratives, animation, art/experimental and music videos by Bernal Height residents and other local talent. Films are appropriate for general audiences including children and families. See the website for additional information on the outdoor cinema as well as movie submission dates.

http://www.bhoutdoorcine.org/OutdoorCinema.html

The Presidio Theatre, located at 2340 Chestnut Street, SF, CA 94123 offers monthly free movies for mothers and babies on the second Thursday of each month. Movies begin at 12:45 PM. Call (415) 776-2388 for more information.

KQED celebrates LGBT month with a double feature which includes the screening of Stonewall Uprising and Screaming Queens which will be shown at the Castro Theatre at 429 Castro, SF, CA 94114. Call (415) 621-6120 for more details.