The best things to do in San Francisco this weekend: July 10-12

The Ferry Building doesn't need much help drawing a crowd, but its birthday is a good excuse to linger even longer. Ferry Fest celebrates 128 years of one of San Francisco's most recognizable landmarks with a waterfront block party filled with live music, local food, art, vintage vendors, family activities, and plenty of reasons to wander. The festival spills out from the marketplace onto the Embarcadero, where Bay Area makers, musicians, and neighborhood favorites turn an ordinary Saturday into something that feels distinctly San Francisco. You can come for lunch, stay for a band you weren't expecting to hear, then leave with a bag of local finds you never planned to buy. That's the beauty of Ferry Fest. The best moments are usually the ones you didn't arrive expecting.

Olivia Dean brings her genre-blurring sound to San Francisco, weaving R&B, pop, and jazz into a set that feels both intimate and expansive. Her voice, at once smooth and raw, carries lyrics that linger long after the last note—stories of love, identity, and the messiness in between. Dean’s live shows are known for their emotional honesty, with stripped-back arrangements that let her vocals take center stage. The atmosphere shifts from hushed vulnerability to bursts of energy as she moves through her catalog, inviting the audience into her world without pretense. Each song feels like a conversation, shaped by her knack for melody and her willingness to sit with uncertainty. For those drawn to music that balances polish with genuine feeling, Olivia Dean’s performance promises a night of connection and discovery.

Vintage shopping is a lot more fun when someone else has already done the digging. The Pickwick Vintage Show brings more than 40 carefully curated vendors to the Ferry Building, filling the historic waterfront landmark with clothing, jewelry, accessories, and one-of-a-kind finds that span decades of style. Instead of sifting through endless racks, you'll wander from booth to booth discovering everything from perfectly broken-in denim and designer labels to statement jewelry and pieces you weren't expecting to fall in love with. The setting only adds to the experience, making it easy to turn a morning of treasure hunting into lunch by the bay or an afternoon exploring the Ferry Building Marketplace. Whether you're hunting for a specific era or simply chasing that thrill of finding something no one else will have, this is one of the Bay Area's best vintage shopping days of the summer.

The San Francisco Free Folk Festival transforms Golden Gate Park into a lively crossroads of music, dance, and community, all powered by volunteers. Acoustic melodies drift from open-air stages while spontaneous jam sessions spring up under the trees, blurring the line between performer and audience. Workshops invite both newcomers and seasoned musicians to pick up an instrument, try a new dance step, or swap stories with strangers. The festival’s offbeat charm comes from its grassroots ethos: everyone, from the mainstage acts to the workshop leaders, is there for the love of folk traditions rather than a paycheck. Wandering the festival grounds, you might stumble into a shape-note singing circle or catch a group of dancers weaving through a contra line. It’s a day where the city’s creative spirit feels especially tangible, stitched together by shared songs and collective effort.

The best shopping trips are the ones where you leave with something you never knew you were looking for. HEAD WEST Marketplace brings that feeling to the Ferry Building's Back Plaza on the first Sunday of every month from 11am to 5pm, gathering a curated mix of local artists, vintage collectors, designers, makers, and small businesses from across the Bay Area. Every booth has its own point of view, from handcrafted ceramics and original artwork to small-batch goods and perfectly worn-in vintage pieces. Live local music and the Ferry Building's food vendors make it easy to turn a quick browse into a slow afternoon by the bay. It is a monthly market with a very San Francisco sense of style, independent, creative, and full of finds you probably will not see twice.

Few DJs have shaped house music as profoundly as Louie Vega, and decades into his career he's still filling dance floors around the world. The Grammy-winning producer, DJ, and one-half of Masters at Work brings his signature blend of house, soul, Latin, jazz, gospel, and Afro-Caribbean influences to Public Works for a night that celebrates the genre's roots as much as its future. David Harness joins the lineup, while the Texture Summit crew keeps the Loft moving with its own soundtrack throughout the night. Public Works has long been one of San Francisco's essential homes for underground dance music, making it a fitting setting for an artist whose influence stretches across generations of club culture. Some DJs play records. Louie Vega has spent a lifetime helping define the sound they all play next.

The San Francisco Symphony's annual Stern Grove concert is one of the city's great summer traditions, but this year's performance comes with an unexpected twist. Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck joins the orchestra for an afternoon that pairs one of the world's most celebrated symphonies with one of music's most inventive musicians, blurring the lines between classical, bluegrass, jazz, and folk. Set beneath the eucalyptus trees of Stern Grove, the concert offers the kind of atmosphere few concert halls can match, with picnic blankets spread across the hillside and thousands gathering for live music in the open air. It's a combination you won't find anywhere else, and a reminder that Stern Grove has always been at its best when it brings together artists who aren't afraid to surprise you.

Some movies are better with a crowd, especially when that crowd is spread across a blanket in one of San Francisco's parks. Sundown Cinema is a free summer movie series that turns some of the city's most scenic green spaces into outdoor theaters, pairing beloved films with food, music, and a laid-back atmosphere before the sun goes down. Each screening takes place in a different park, giving every stop its own personality, whether you're watching a family favorite by the waterfront or a cult classic beneath towering trees. People arrive early with picnic dinners, low-back chairs, and extra layers for the evening chill, then settle in as daylight fades and the opening credits roll. It is one of those distinctly San Francisco traditions that feels equal parts neighborhood gathering and movie night.

The Outer Sunset has quietly become one of San Francisco's best food neighborhoods, and every Sunday morning it puts that reputation on full display. The Outer Sunset Farmers Market & Mercantile stretches along 37th Avenue from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., bringing together local farmers, food vendors, artists, makers, musicians, and community groups in a lively neighborhood gathering that happens rain or shine. Come hungry, because the prepared food is every bit as much of a draw as the farm stands, with everything from fresh pastries and bao buns to gumbo, burritos, and seasonal produce worth carrying home. Live music, family activities, and local artists give the market the feel of a weekly block party rather than a typical farmers market. It's the kind of Sunday ritual that reminds you why people who live in the Sunset rarely feel the need to leave their neighborhood.

Young Franco’s sets are a kinetic collision of genres, where shimmering disco grooves slide into crisp hip-hop rhythms and indie melodies pulse beneath layers of electronic flair. The Australian producer and DJ has built a reputation for turning dance floors into communal celebrations, thanks to his knack for weaving unexpected samples and playful hooks into every track. At The Independent, he’ll be working the crowd with the same infectious energy that’s packed out clubs from Sydney to London. The night promises a seamless flow of sound, with Young Franco’s signature style keeping the tempo high and the mood buoyant. For those who crave a party that refuses to settle into one groove, his live show is a chance to catch a boundary-blurring artist at the top of his game. This event is strictly 21 and up.