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Yerba Buena Gardens Festival 2022
by Jill Loeffler •
Updated: May 7, 2022
Discover free music, artistic performances, and other cultural programs at the 2022 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. This annual event offers free programming every week from April to October.
Enjoy classical, jazz, and world music, learn more about traditional and contemporary dance, watch local theater companies perform their craft, and uncover a variety of programs specifically for children and families.
During these months, you will find several performances each week around the Buena Vista Gardens. Many are on the weekends, although some are also scheduled during the week. They also feature special Thursday lunchtime shows for those working nearby.
This is a fun event every year. It's relaxing to sit in the gardens around Yerba Buena Park catching free, live performances of both up-and-coming local artists as well as some who are recognized around the world.
Here are some additional details on what you can expect to find during this festival.
Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.
Schedule
Here are some of the top performances this year.
May 2022
- 5/7: Jesus Diaz Y Su Habana Afro-Curban Ensemble from 1 pm to 2:30 pm
- 5/10: Poetic Tuesdays with MOAD from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 5/11: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11 am to 12 pm
- 5/12: New Voices Bay Area Tigq Chorus from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 5/14: Ismail Lumanovski & Inspector Gadje Ft. Frank London from 1 pm to 2:30 pm
- 5/18: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11 am to 12 pm
- 5/19: Songs for Ukraine: Kitka & Mariana Sadovska from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 5/19: Carlitos Medrano & Sabor De Mi Cuba from 6 pm to 7:30 pm
- 5/21: CAAMFEST40 Directions in Sound: Pinays on the Rise from 1 pm to 2:30 pm
- 5/25: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11 am to 12 pm
- 5/25: Lunch Breaks & Beats from 12 pm to 3 pm
- 5/26: Tiffany Austin from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 5/28: Gamelan Skar Jaya: Sudamala - World Premiere from 1 pm to 2:30 pm
June 2022
- 6/1: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11 am to 12 pm
- 6/2: Mads Tolling Quartet from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 6/3: Chelle! & Friends (Kids Show) from 11 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 6/4: Diana Gameros from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 6/8: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 6/9: Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 6/10: Tito Ramon’s Pop-Up Puppet Show (Kids’ Show) from 11am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 6/11: Alice Coltrane Tribute – Brooklyn Raga Massive ft. Reggie Workman from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 6/14: Poetic Tuesdays with Litquake from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 6/15: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 6/16: Rojai & The Pocket from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 6/16: La Mixta Criolla from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
- 6/17: RhythmALLogy (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45pm
- 6/18: Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu: I OLA! from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 6/19: Native Contemporary Arts Festival from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 6/22: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 6/22: Lunch Breaks & Beats from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 6/23: Jenny Lind Concert from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 6/24: René y Familia (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 6/25: Circus Bella’s Flip * Flop * Fly from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm and 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm
- 6/29: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 6/30: Queer Taiko from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
July 2022
- 7/1: Ka-Hon (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 7/6: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 7/7: Eva Salina & Peter Stan from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 7/8: Coventry & Kaluza (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:1 5pm to 12:45 pm
- 7/9: SF Uke Jam: Summer Ukesplosion! from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 7/12: Poetic Tuesdays with MoAD from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 7/13: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 7/14: The Alaya Project from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 7/15: Calvin Kai Ku (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 7/16: San Francisco Mime Troupe from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- 7/20: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 7/21: Nomad Session from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 7/21: Edgardo Cambón: Un tributo a los 70’s from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
- 7/22: Unique Derique (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 7/23: Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest (Day One) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 7/27: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 7/27: Lunch Breaks & Beats from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 7/28: María José Montijo from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 7/29: Circus of Smiles (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am to 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 7/30: Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest (Day Two) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
August 2022
- 8/3: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 8/4: Tom Rigney & Flambeau from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 8/5: Red Panda Acrobats (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm
- 8/6: Paula West – Presented with AfroSolo Arts Festival from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 8/9: Poetic Tuesdays with Litquake from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 8/10: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 8/11: Orchestra Gold from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 8/12: Caterpillar Puppets (Kids’ Show) from 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 12:30 pm
- 8/13: Pistahan from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
- 8/14: Pistahan from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
- 8/17: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 8/18: Romero Lubambo & Chico Pinheiro from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 8/18: Javier Navarrette’s Socially Distant Friends from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
- 8/24: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 8/24: Lunch Breaks & Beats from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 8/25: Lalin St. Juste from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 8/31: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
September 2022
- 9/3: Marcus Shelby New Orchestra: Blues in the City – World Premiere from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 9/7: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 9/8: Cascada de Flores from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 9/10: Joti Singh: Ghadar Geet – World Premiere from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 9/13: Poetic Tuesdays with MoAD from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
- 9/14: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 9/15: Fito Reinoso y su Ritmo y Armonía from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
- 9/21: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 9/28: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 9/28: Lunch Breaks & Beats from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- 9/29: Ahkeel Mestayer Quintet from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
October 2022
- 10/1: Alleluia Panis: Nursing These Wounds – World Premiere from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- 10/5: Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 10/8: Yerba Buena Night from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
- 10/10: San Francisco’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Places to Stay Nearby
If you plan on spending quite a bit of time in or near Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, then I recommend looking at hotels in the Union Square District.
This area is centrally located and the most convenient place to stay in San Francisco for those exploring this area (or the entire city!). It's just a few blocks away from the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and an easy bus ride to other popular attractions in SF.
Click here for my top recommendations in Union Square.
You can also find great deals on TripAdvisor.com. Click here to find the perfect hotel for your stay in SF.
How to Get to the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival performances are all in and around the Yerba Buena Gardens at 750 Howard Street. You can also enter the gardens from Mission or 3rd Streets.
The great thing about the location of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is that it is easy to reach from everywhere in SF and the Bay Area.
BART: If you are coming from the south or east bay, you can take BART to the Powell Street Station. Head south on 4th Street one block and make a left onto Mission. You will find the gardens about one block down on your right.
Muni Buses: All of these buses drop within a block or two of the festival: 5, 6, 8, 14, 21 30, 38, 41, 45, 54, 72, 91, 92, 93. You can also take the light rail trains to the Powell Street Station and walk two blocks to the festival.
Caltrain: If you take Caltrain from the south bay, you can either walk to the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival or take the 30 or 45 bus from the corner of Townsend and 4th Streets.
Golden Gate Transit: If you are coming from the north bay, it's an easy bus ride on Golden Gate Transit. Take the 70, 80 or 101 bus to the stop at Mission and 4th Streets.
Other Popular Annual Festivals & Events
Wine Tasting Festivals: Some of my favorite events are SF's wine tasting festivals. The largest is the Chronicle Wine Tasting Event every February. You will also find other annual tastings such as Pinot Noir Days, the TAPAS Wine Tasting Event, and the Rhone Rangers Festival. Learn more here.
Street Fairs: Almost every weekend in the summer in SF, you will find a fun street fair or festival. They range from the two-day Pride Festival & Parade to the popular Haight Street Fair. Find the full list of this year's festivals.
Sunday Streets: Another free monthly event every year in SF is Sunday Streets. One Sunday a month from March to October, a specified district shuts down a number of streets to car traffic to allow pedestrians to run and play in the streets. You will also often find live music, free health screenings, and more. Click here for this month's schedule.
