Go to Main Calendar Page for additional San Francisco events.
San Francisco Festivals - By Month
january festivals | february festivals | march festivals | april festivals | may festivals | june festivals | july festivals | august festivals | september festivals | october festivals | november festivals | december festivals
San Francisco Festivals - October 2008
Dates and details are subject to change. Always check with the organization or venue for updates.
Mill Valley Film Festival
Oct 2 to 12 - Mill Valley - Multiple Venues
Offers a high-profile, prestigious and non-competitive environment perfect for celebrating the best in independent and world cinema
Oktoberfest by the Bay
Oct 2 to 5 - Fort Mason
Music, dancing, singing with German food and drink
3rd Annual ATA Film Festival
Oct 3 - Opening Night
Artists' Television Access festival showcases and celebrates the original, independent and underground film that ATA shows year-round - emphasis on experimental work - includes shorts and video installations by local, national and international video artists
Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass
Oct 3 to 5 - Golden Gate Park
FREE - Huge music lineup, see full list of artists at website
Litquake '07
Oct 3 to 11 - Multiple venues in San Francisco
Features events and authors in various venues including theaters, bars, galleries, retail outlets, libraries and bookstores - Opening night at the Herbst
San Francisco Jazz Festival
Oct 3 to Nov 9 - Multiple Venues
Internationally acclaimed jazz festival featuring jazz greats in both the classic and avant-garde
Wildlife Conservation Network Expo
Oct 4 to 5 - Mission Bay Conference Center
$50/$25 students - Open to the public - learn about the successes, challenges and unforgettable personal stories of wildlife entrepreneurs from around the globe
San Francisco Lovefest
Oct 4 /starts at 12p
Parade Route from 2nd and Market / Civic Center Plaza
Celebration of love, peace and music
Castro Street Fair
Oct 5 - 11a to 6p
Vendors, entertainment and dancing pavilions at the annual celebration in the Castro
October 5, 2008 - 10a to 5p
Food, vendors, live bands, parade, pumpkin patch, children's activities and costume contest, gardening presentations
McCormick & Kuleto Shuck Swallow
Oct 7 - McCormick & Kuleto's at Ghirardelli Square - 5p to 8p ($25)
Free viewing/$30 wine/oyster pairing benefitting the Marine Mammal Center
16th Annual Celebrity Pool Toss
Oct 7 - 6p to 10p
Poolside at the Phoenix Hotel/Bambuddha Lounge (601 Eddy Street)
San Francisco party where people gather to bid against each other for the privilege of throwing their favorite San Francisco VIPs into the Hotel Phoenix pool
Fleet Week
Oct 9 to 12
At Pier 39: Visitors will see ships dock-side while the Blue Angels and other aircrafts fly above San Francisco Bay - includes musical entertainment in the Pier 39 Entrance Plaza
San Francisco waterfront: Viewings of Fleet Week Air Show
Shock It To Me: Classic Horror Film Festival
Oct 17 & 18 - Castro Theatre
A horror event, with hosts, celebrity guests, and a dealer's area--part horror film fest/part horror convention
San Francisco Magazine's Fallfest 2007
Oct 11 - Noon to 4p - Justin Herman Plaza
Benefit for Meals on Wheels - local restauranteurs, winemakers, food and wine tasting, demonstrations, live music
Grand National Bike Show
Oct 11 to 12 - Cow Palace
Vendors, manufacturers and bikes - featuring new products, demos and giveaways
18th Annual San Carlos Art & Wine Faire
Oct 11 & 12, 2008
Peninsula fall festival featuring artists, Italian street painting, wine, microbrews, food, live music, children's activities
Italian Heritage Parade
Oct 12 - Columbus Day Parade - Fisherman's Wharf to North Beach
Grand Marshall Tommy Lasorda
Arab Film Festival
Oct 16 to 28 - Various venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose
Screens films from and about the Arab World that provide realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics
SF DocFest
Oct 17 to Oct 30 - Roxie Cinema
Oct 30 to Nov 7 - Shattuck Cinema, Berkeley
Documentary films are featured at the 7th DocFest
38th Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
October 18 & 19, 2008 - 9a to 5p
Huge autumn festival with popular world championship pumpkin "weigh-off," food vendors, arts and crafts, live entertainment, children's activities and haunted house, pumpkin patches
North Berkeley Spice of Life Festival
Oct 19 - Shattuck Avenue (Virginia to Rose) - 10a to 6p
Food vendors, children's activities, entertainment, cooking demos and more at the annual street fair
10th Annual United Nations Film Festival
Oct 19 to 26 - Stanford University
Celebrates the power of films dealing with human rights, environmental survival, women’s issues, protection of refugees, homelessness, racism, disease control, universal education, war and peace
CCOF's 3rd Annual Organic Beer and Wine Tasting
Oct 24 - Ferry Building Marketplace
Third annual tasting event - Ferry Building food artisans will pair with visiting California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certified vintners and brewers to offer sample snacks
Exotic Erotic Ball
Oct 25 - Cow Palace - 8p to 2a
Part Mardi Gras, part burlesque, and part rock concert - a celebration of human sexuality and freedom of expression
Danville Fall Crafts Festival
Oct 25 & 26 - Hartz Avenue in Downtown Danville - 10a to 5p
Traditional arts and crafts as well as fine art - With entertainment, food and beverages
5th Annual Fall Harvest Festival
Oct 26 to 28 - Ferry Building Marketplace
Organic wine and beer tasting, olive oil tasting, demonstrations, live music, Barnyard by the Bay
Pumpkin Pandemonium
Oct 26 - Pier 39 - 12p to 4p
Children 12 and under are welcome to visit the shops, restaurants and attractions to gather their sweets - Includes pumpkin carving demonstrations, and face painting, pumpkin patch and one free pumpkin
Dia de Los Muertos Festival
Oct 26 - Oakland/Fruitvale
Vendors and exhibitors, arts and crafts displays including memorial altars, food and more