22 events in San Francisco and the Bay Area you don't want to miss this week (September 7–13)

Okay, San Francisco summer is officially here :) September is already looking VERY busy, and this weekend especially feels packed. We've got street parties, night markets, art festivals, outdoor movies, live storytelling, opera in the park, DJs by the Bay, Flower Piano, and even pie + poetry. Honestly, this is one of those weeks where I would need to clone myself to do everything. My personal picks this week: Crushing Flower Piano DJs By The Bay Summer Feels Opera in the Park Pie and Poetry Golden Gate Pop-Up with Zusebi Valencia Live Monthly Street Party•More info📍Valencia St between 18th and 21st, Valencia Street turns into a big outdoor party with music, food, local businesses, and people everywhere. Crushing•Tickets📍The Strand Theater, a live show where writers tell true stories about their love lives. This sounds intriguing to me - especially because real dating stories are usually much better than fictional ones :) Flower Piano 2026•More info📍Botanical Garden at Golden Gate Park, 12 hidden pianos throughout the park with live performances happening around them. Definitely one of those very SF events that makes you want to spend an entire afternoon wandering around the park. Moonlight Night Market•RSVP📍Temescal Brewing, Oakland, local makers, vintage finds, drinks, and music until 9pm. Chinatown Night Market•More info📍Grant Ave between California and Pacific, food, performances, local vendors, and Chinatown full of people at night. Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid•More info📍Oakland Museum of California, food trucks, DJs, drinks, and the museum all in one place. If you're in Oakland on Friday, this is always a solid option. Annual SF Richmond Autumn Moon Festival•More info📍Richmond District, a neighborhood celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival with food, performances, vendors, and community. Live on Larkin: Free Street Fest•More info📍Larkin St, a free street festival with music, food, and plenty happening outside. DJs By The Bay: Waterfront Electronic Music Festival•More info📍Sausalito, DJs + waterfront + hopefully some beautiful September weather sounds like a pretty perfect combination to me. Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema: Under The Stars•More info📍Precita Park, an outdoor movie night feels exactly right for SF's real summer. Bring a blanket and make a whole evening out of it. Annual Kite By The Bay•Tickets📍400 Hunters Point Expressway, colorful kites flying over the Bay sounds like one of the more photogenic ways to spend your Saturday. SUMMER FEELS•RSVP📍YAX, 1950 Mission St, a group art exhibition about nostalgia, longing, and the pursuit of summer. Very appropriate timing considering summer is basically just starting in San Francisco :) Annual Hayward Metalfest•More info📍24176 Mission Blvd, Hayward, seven bands in one day. Definitely one for the metal people on this list. Orinda Classic Car Show•More info📍Orinda, classic cars and a little East Bay day trip. Could be fun if you want something completely different from the usual SF weekend plans. Annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival•More info📍Downtown Mountain View, art, wine, food, music, and a huge street festival. Feels like a classic Bay Area weekend event. Golden Gate Pop-Up with Zusebi•More info📍Golden Gate Bridge Plaza, an open-air sunset house set overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Okay, this one looks VERY cool to me. Inner Sunset Flea Market: A Taste of Comedy Day•More info📍9th Ave & Irving St, vintage finds, local makers, food, and apparently comedy too. The Inner Sunset Flea always feels like an easy Sunday activity. Art Over AI Market•More info📍San Jose, a market focused on human-made art. The concept alone definitely caught my attention. Noe Valley Art Festival•More info📍24th St & Sanchez St, art taking over the neighborhood sounds like a cute Sunday plan. SF Opera in the Park•More info📍Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park, free opera in the park is one of those events that reminds me how much cool stuff happens in SF without needing to buy a ticket. Free Mission Repair Cafe•More info📍Kaleidoscope, 3410 19th St, bring something broken, get help fixing it, have some sweet treats, and hopefully leave with one less thing headed to the trash. Pie and Poetry•RSVP📍Duboce Park, pie + poetry in the park. Honestly, I don't need much more explanation than that :) And yes, you're supposed to bring some pie! SF Girl Chronicle is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.