Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
21
kids ar e the thousands of par ticipants
donned in the wackiest outfits imagin-
able. Call
&
415/359-2800
or visit
www.ingbaytobreakers.com.
J
UNE
Union Street Art Festival,
usually held
around the end of May or beginning of
June, includes special childr en's ar t
activities among all the food, wine, and
crafts booths and music stages. This is a
particularly cr owded str eet fair and
parking is next to impossible, so come
by public transpor tation and foot. Call
&
800/310-6563
or visit www .union
streetfestival.com.
The
Haight-Ashbury S treet F air
fea-
tures tie-dy e galor e, food, enter tain-
ment, and the color ful pr esence of
neighborhood characters. A dmission is
free. Call
&
415/863-3489
or visit
www.haightashburystreetfair.org.
The
Ethnic D ance F estival
is usually
held the last 3 w eekends in J une and
takes place at the P alace of F ine Ar ts
behind the E xploratorium. M usic and
dance gr oups fr om all o ver the world
entertain. Tickets are $22 to $44. Call
&
415/474-3914
or visit www .ethnic
dancefestival.org.
Stern Grove Midsummer Music Festi-
val
is one of the great free events of the
summer. All sor ts of per formances—
opera, Latin music, jazz—are held Sun-
day afternoons at 2pm in S igmund
Stern Grove at 19th A venue and S loat
Boulevard. The venue is easily r eached
on M-Oceanview or K-I ngleside Muni
streetcars or the 27-Monterey bus. Bring
a picnic and a blanket. Call
&
415/
252-6252
or visit www.sterngrove.org.
J
ULY
As the largest fr ee jazz festiv al on the
west coast, stretching over 8 blocks, the
Fillmore S treet J azz F estival
draws
more than 90,000 visitors o ver the July
4 w eekend. You can listen to music
performed on sev eral stages, vie w ar t
and crafts on display, and taste from all
over the world. Call
&
800/731-0003
or visit www .fillmorestreetjazzfestival.
com.
On the
Fourth of July
itself, the Water-
front Festival takes place ar ound PIER
39 and at Ghirardelli Square and culmi-
nates in a fir eworks show beginning at
9pm. Call
&
415/705-5500
or visit
www.pier39.com.
A
UGUST
Nihonmachi Street Fair,
a celebration
of the B ay Ar ea's div erse Asian and
Pacific American communities, occurs
on 1 Saturday and Sunday each August
in J apantown, on P ost S treet betw een
Laguna and F illmore str eets. Asian-
American artisans show their creations,
and the “F ood Fest” features the cook-
ing of Asia and the P acific I slands. A
children's ar ea includes games and the
opportunity to learn traditional ar ts
and crafts. Call
&
415/771-9861
or
visit www.nihonmachistreetfair.org.
S
EPTEMBER
Ghirardelli S quare Chocolate F estival
is an annual benefit for O pen H and, a
worthy local charity that delivers food to
homebound AIDS patients. Chocohol-
ics wander fr om one tasting to another ,
provided by local shops and r estaurants.
Serious eaters can enter the sundae-eat-
ing contest. The priz e is the winner 's
weight in chocolate! Call
&
415/775-
5500
or visit www.ghirardellisq.com.
San Francisco B lues Festival
is a fun
weekend at Fort Mason. The festival is
complete with food and a fe w booths
with T-shirts and CDs, but the draw is
the excellent roster of local and national
blues musicians and the setting. F or
information and tickets call
&
415/
979-5588
or visit www.sfblues.com.
Sandcastle Classic,
an annual fundraiser
for Leap , an ar tists-in-residence pr o-
gram, turns Ocean Beach into a fantasti-
cal canv as for sand castles, pyramids,
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