It's a holiday weekend, so if you're staying local and ready to explore the city, there's plenty of festivals, parades and art to enjoy before you even get to the Memorial Day ceremonies and parties on Monday.
Here are our top picks for getting out and about over the next few days in San Francisco.
Carnaval
What better way to kick off the holiday weekend than with a free, two-day festival of music, dance, art and cuisine? Now in its 41st year, Carnaval San Francisco celebrates cultural contributions from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
There's plenty of live music on Saturday — from the Bay Area Cuban All-Stars to the Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Los Tigres del Norte — before the festival's feature parade on Sunday, spotlighting low-riders, dancers in colorful outfits and appearances from current SF Giants players.
Need to know how to navigate the festival and parade? Check out our full guide to the transit changes and traffic closures in the Mission.
When: Saturday, May 25 - Sunday, May 26th, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets, Mission District
Price: Free, donations are encouraged.
TreasureFest Birthday Bash
This monthly flea market-meets-festival is celebrating its eight-year anniversary this month, with an online raffle, via its Facebook event page, for a chance to win a $100 shopping spree. Drop by for deals on clothing, art, and antiques from local collectors and designers, in addition to plenty of food, drinks, music, interactive games and treasure hunts for the kids. The event is also pet-friendly, and general admission gets you free parking, too.
When: Saturday, May 25 - Sunday, May 26th, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: 500 Ave. N., Treasure Island
Price: $4 online / $7 at the gate / Kids under 12 are free
CatVideoFest
Celebrate Caturday while giving back: purchase a ticket to CatVideoFest, a nationwide effort to raise awareness for cat care through a 72-minute highlight reel of hilarious cat videos, animations and music videos.
The event rolls into town on Saturday at the Roxie, and, in addition to deals on food and drink and the chance to meet local cat fans, a portion of the proceeds will go to Give Me Shelter Cat Rescue.
When: Saturday, May 25, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street
Price: $13
"The Chronicles of San Francisco" Opening Weekend
Inspired in part by Diego Rivera's San Francisco murals, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will unveil a new digital mural this weekend by French artist JR, titled "The Chronicles of San Francisco."
JR set up a mobile studio last year in 22 locations around the city, interviewing almost 1,200 locals, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Warriors forward Draymond Green. The result is this new interactive mural, which will be available to view for free in the Roberts Family Gallery on floor 1.
When: Sunday, May 26, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Where: SFMOMA, 151 3rd St.
Price: Free to view, exhibition tickets are available online
Memorial Day 2019 Events
With a bright, sunny holiday on tap for Monday, here are a few ways you can spend the day outside:
- The Presidio Officers' Club will host its annual Memorial Day Commemoration and Parade starting at 10:30 a.m. The event begins with a flag-raising ceremony, moves into a veterans' parade and 21-gun salute and ends with a community picnic on the main parade ground.
- The Exploratorium is free on Monday, starting at 10 a.m. It's a perfect time to check out its latest exhibition — "Self, Made: Exploring You in a World of We," which opened on May 23.
- Squeeze in some DJ-driven beach yoga at 11 a.m. on Baker Beach (tickets are $28).
- Win a raffle and a chance at free Warriors playoff tickets by attending the Ingleside Crawfish Cookout at noon at The Ave Bar (1607 Ocean Ave.)
- El Rio's annual Memorial Day party — complete with rock and country music, drink specials and a whole lot of barbecue — starts at 3 p.m.
