Cancel

Open app

Search

FAN EXPO

4.5 (11 reviews)

FAN EXPO Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - FAN EXPO

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Molly R.

This was our first year attending fan expo and it did not disappoint. The venue is huge! So many vendors, photo ops, panels, and tons of stars to get autographs or selfies with. The food court was awful. Highly recommend going across the street to the metreon for more plentiful and edible food options. The atmosphere was really fun the panels with cast members were super interesting. Lots to keep you busy for the day!

Food court
Annabelle R.

Attended this convention at Moscone West this past Saturday to spend time with my bro who's a much bigger fan of the pop culture scene than I am. It was cool having access to the various vendors, activities, and exhibits, like classic video games for play, a photo park, cosplay showcase, and a tabletop games section... lots of anime! Of course, there were numerous celebrities such as Hayden Christensen and Danny Trejo, voice actors like Veronica Taylor (Pokemon) and Jodi Benson (Little Mermaid), and fictional characters including the Star Wars variety, on site too. We came specifically for Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch (aka Superman & Lois), who had a panel discussion, Man of Steel and Women in Strength, inside the main theater on the third level in the afternoon, followed by photo ops. We lined up in advance but there was no need as the main theater had an abundant amount of seating and no doors, it just opened up to the hall, so technically you could stand in the back to view this presentation if it were to fill up. We were lucky enough to get some seats up close (third row, as the first two rows were reserved for VIPs), and enjoyed listening to the engaging talk about their roles on the show, their views on different topics outside of the series, their work with other actors and characters, and a Q&A session with the audience. The two actors also played the "heads up" game (guessing a word through clues given by the other player). The crowd could see the words (ie. kryptonite) on the large screen as they did their thing on stage, and it was definitely entertaining. Who knew Superman was so hilarious?! We also grabbed some bites from the food court, a turkey sandwich, a hot breakfast sandwich, and a breakfast burrito, all of which were small in size with the quality seemingly like prepackaged microwavable meals. But there was also a crepe station in the food court, which would have been better to get freshly made hot food without having to go off site. The event overall didn't feel too crowded as the venue is so spacious, and took place on three different floors, with a multitude of exhibits and offerings to explore. The schedule of workshops and interactive entertainment, along with access to your favorite celebrities, are worth the cost if you're a superfan. But tickets are on the expensive side for what you get, considering guests need to pay extra for special experiences, and celebrity autographs and photos, the costs can really add up depending on your various interests. And on top of that, you may still need to spend money on parking, food, drinks, and merchandise. Luckily, we had our eyes on just one specific panel, which we were able to take advantage of, making it worth our while. We certainly had a good time, and left the event with a cool horror-themed blanket from one of the vendors as well as a free shirt we got directly from Superman & Lois! (one of the freebies thrown out to the crowd, lol)

Brody says that the "office" is...Maxed!
Denise C.

Really fun way to spend a weekend...browsing animated gifts and toys...comics..old times 1980s 1990s..it's simple to me..I don't know if it's a community..it's a gathering space in a city..downtown...pay for the festival ticket...go browse and meet vendors and people with projects presenting topics --- Ridley Scott---Star Trek groups--costumes---trading cards---coffin coffee--unique different projects and productions that you make not have seen...reporters...it's newer expo..worth it...I saw 100 different vendors with presentations and things to sell..I called it "sample sale"...spent 2 hours..there's a food court with pizza sandwiches...

Paul M.

Fun filled full weekend event. However I did just the Saturday event. The vibe is definitely fun, so many people some are in cosplay mode. So many events to do, and it's in San Francisco!

Tony Todd (voice of Venom and Candyman actor) and Nadji Jeter (voice of Miles Morales)
Mari R.

What a fun experience! This was my first year attending Fan Expo and there was so much to do. I only bought a 1 day ticket because I took my 13 and 5yr old and 3 days would've been a lot for them. We bought Saturday tix and drove into the city at 9am and parked at the mission st parking garage. There was plenty of parking at that time and we got to park on the 2nd floor. Moscone West is behind the parking structure, across the AMC theater. It was a very short walk and there were signs for the event everywhere. Since I bought my tix a week before, I had to pick up my families badges on the Howard street side. Kids under 5 and under are free! As we walked back out, there was a line forming for entry and we got to see R2D2 just hanging out! The line to get in thru badge entry was pretty long and they had to split us into to 3 groups for safety reasons. I appreciated this so much because of my 5 year old and his little legs. I do wish there was a separate entry for families with strollers to enter so we could avoid running into people or running over their feet. But other than that, entry was fast. We got in within 10min. Badge scanning was fast too! Upon entry we geared towards the guest booth to get the bag we purchased online (highly recommend to carry all your goodies). It was a little confusing because there were two sides, the one facing the entry was for Fan Expo merch but it was just a guy talking about the goodies they had, you couldn't purchase on that side. The side facing the show room was the space to purchase Fan Expo stuff and to pick up pre-ordered items. The show room was lively and there were great items being sold. We usually get Lego pieces online or at the flea markets, but buying them here was wayyyy cheaper. They had great deals on toys and comics as well. I do recommend walking around the whole show room before buying so you see which booths have better deals. Bathrooms: super clean! Could not believe this busy place had cleaning staff taking care of the whole event. Amazing! 2nd floor is where the artist alley is and some panel rooms as well. I bought a lot of art for people for Xmas. Definitely do your walk around here too when buying art. A lot of artists have real good B1G1 deals. This is also a great time to support smaller/indie comic writers/artists! Most of their comic books ranged from $10-$25 but came with free things like stickers and bookmarks. I wish I could've spent more on the Indies but alas, the children took over my budget for the day. 3rd floor was photo ops and more panel rooms. We got to take a pic with Carl Weathers but for safety reasons, I prefer not posting that pic. FYI he is super nice and super tall! The man was towering over my 5'4 self haha. We also joined Holly And rose for a Panel interview. 2 of the sweetest people you'll meet. I'm a "charmed" fan and my 13 yr old daughter is a PLL fan, so it was something we both got to enjoy. Another panel session we did was meeting the voices of Venom and Miles Morales of the video games. Tony Todd played candy man wayyy back in the day and he is a theatrical genius. My son had no clue who he was until he did "I am venom" in venoms voice. The whole crowed went wild for that. Nadji Jeter is super nice and he asked if the last 3 kids in line could go ahead of the adults to ask questions because they were closing in on time. What a guy! We also joined Jason Lees panel discussion and this was one my kids enjoyed too because for them he's Dave from Alvin and the chipmunks. Also, this was Jasons 2nd comic book convention ever attended and he's hoping to come back for more so hopefully we get him back for 2024! There was only one panel session I was sad about not showing up and that was Rikishi's anime hip hop one. We left Jason Lees panel in order to see the WWE legend but he was a no-show. Seems he was at another event in Colorado. Fan expo does have a small food court on the first floor but we opted to enjoy food across the street at the AMC food court. There's plenty of in and out privilege at the convention so you're free to enjoy food outside or just go back to your car for a nap. We went back to our car chilled for a bit and then went back midday. I think next year we'll pack a lunch because we spent $80 on food One thing I hope they do next year is have music playing in the background at the show rooms. Just to get a little pump of energy. All in all it was a great experience and I would say this is a family friendly experience as well.

Rosalie Chiang (voice of Turning Red's Mei) showed up as a humble fan at Ming-Na Wen (voice of Mulan)'s Q&A and had an impromptu selfie
Gillian A.

Decided to create the listing since it's the first year Fan Expo was in SF and there are already dates announced for next year here (November 24-26, 2023). Will use this review space primarily as a guide for those who have general interest on attending next year (though particular thoughts as a seasoned con-goer will be at the very end)! I'd say that this convention is fantastic for those who have never been to a comic book (ish) convention and have been wanting to attend one! Went on a Saturday and the crowds never seemed to be too overwhelming (think of somewhat busy mall but not mall on a Black Friday). Vendor/artist shop room wasn't too huge to get lost. The whole convention was easy to navigate in general (no convoluted pathways and everything was centralized in one building). The biggest attendee draw of Fan Expo (at least I think) is the celebrity presence (photo/autograph opportunities and Q&A panels) and each Fan Expo event has a different batch of celebrities. I wanted to go to this particular Fan Expo mainly for Ming-Na Wen (she was really sweet when I talked to her at the meet & greet and her Q&A panel was super casual with lots of laughter!!). So, yes, if you're a newcomer to the comic book (ish) convention scene then I recommend going to this convention *especially* if there is a celebrity on the roster that you want to see/meet. Parking garages all around the area and Powell Street BART train station is about an 8 min walk from the venue. ---------- *Ahem* Now, for those who want my own personal take.....as someone who's been to many conventions similar to this one, I found the admission price, $65 on a Saturday, to be a bit high based on what was offered as I've paid around that much for conventions that were much bigger than this one lol. I leisurely went through both the vendor hall/artist alley sections in under an hour. Not many cosplayers compared to what I'm used to seeing (though the cosplays were still top-notch). I really appreciated that staff kept the meet & greet lines really organized (not chaotic at all). Clean and spacious venue! Overall I enjoyed my stay, but it'll take more than one celebrity that I really want to see to encourage me to return to this convention.

See all

5 months ago

Helpful 10
Thanks 6
Love this 5
Oh no 3

6 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 2
Love this 5
Oh no 0
Photo of Denise C.
1617
3278
9296

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 24
Thanks 0
Love this 30
Oh no 0
Photo of Mel B.
588
1018
13579

3 years ago

Helpful 9
Thanks 1
Love this 9
Oh no 0
Photo of Keit K.
5
612
7

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - FAN EXPO

Review Highlights - FAN EXPO

It was a good convention, some celebs charged too much as usual for their autographs while some were affordable.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Festivals 5,078 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Folsom Street Fair - Circle around the

Folsom Street Fair

3.9(156 reviews)
0.8 miSoMa

I'm not sure how we got on the topic of the Folsom Street Fair, but he said he'd always wanted to…read morego, and I said I'd always wanted to go, too. I checked my phone, and said, "Hey, it's this weekend!" Next thing you know, my date is wearing a leather collar. He joked, "Are you going to write about this on Yelp?" And I said, "Yes, actually, I am." For anyone who does not know, Folsom Street Fair is the world's largest annual outdoor BDSM fair. Five city blocks are closed off and filled with merchants selling every leather accessory one could possibly imagine. Numerous contraptions are set up in the streets to demonstrate the how-to's of spanking, bondage, suspension, etc. Drinking and smoking are allowed within the fair grounds, and clothing is entirely optional. (Smoking being allowed everywhere, rather than in designated areas only, was my main reason for rating this event 4 stars instead of 5.) We originally arrived at opening, excited to see absolutely everything, and afraid that we would not have time to see it all. We had to wear masks to get in, but once we showed our vaccination cards and paid the suggested donation, it was a free for all. We were directed to where we could check our clothing, should we decide to go without. After walking around the grounds a few times without seeing much, we realized we were too early. We ordered a couple of White Claws from a booth in the fair for $8 each. We considered hanging out in one of the numerous bars which were open on the edges of the fair until more people showed up, but we were hungry, and none of the food looked appealing to us. We decided to leave to go have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and come back afterwards. When we came back, it was lit. At one point, we had worried that no one would show up because of the pandemic, but that worry turned out to be completely unfounded. This time around, we had to wait in line for five to ten minutes before getting back in. Multiple food trucks had shown up, but of course now we were full. As I mentioned, clothing was optional, and most people opted to wear none, or very little. I wish I could write about all of the things we saw, but most of them are not appropriate for a Yelp review. I would note that the photos on Yelp are extremely mild compared to what I saw in real life. Let's just say that I saw things in person that I had never even seen on the internet prior to attending this event. This was really and truly a day that I will not, and can not, ever forget. Again, I have pics and videos, but most of them are simply not appropriate for Yelp. For those who are curious, you'll have to turn to Google for a more complete idea of what you might see at the fair.

It looks like people are having a great time. If this is…read moreyour type of thing go for it! Leather little clothing techno house music and lots of vendors and music for blocks! I believe they section off 8th to 12th street on Folsom. I took some pics from an apartment above in 2022. (Sunday September 25, 2022) I believe it just ended so next year be sure to be outside at 10 am or so and it seems to end at 6pm.

Photos
Folsom Street Fair - Folsom Street Fair on Folsom from my friends 5th story apartment Sunday September 25, 2022

Folsom Street Fair on Folsom from my friends 5th story apartment Sunday September 25, 2022

Folsom Street Fair - People at Folsom Street Fair

People at Folsom Street Fair

Folsom Street Fair - More people at Folsom Street fair

See all

More people at Folsom Street fair

How Weird Street Faire - Food vendors

How Weird Street Faire

4.3(50 reviews)
0.8 miSoMa

Attended the 2024 event, Autumn Equinox, this past Saturday, celebrating How Weird's 25th…read moreanniversary. There were several stages of music, but definitely not 8 as advertised (unless they added some in the later hours of the event). Colorful, creative, and quirky costumes galore, but plain clothed attendees not turned away (non-clothed attendees not turned away either). Four different entrances to the event made entry quick and convenient. I went during the opening hours before the crowds filled the event area, but it seemed to be this way throughout the day. Drinks stands were readily available and there were several food options on site (I counted 6 food trucks/stands total), plus bars inside the event area were open for business and some served food too. We had lunch at North India Restaurant, and our curry dishes were tasty and filling. We also picked up some apparel from one of the merchandise vendors selling shirts and sweaters with awesome designs (Engraft). One of my favorite parts of the event was checking out Art Alley, which had many mesmerizing artworks on display. Note that seating is pretty much nonexistent which makes sense since they encourage dancing, but just know that eating may be tough if you need two hands unless you sit on the curb. Though many of the DJs were great, nonstop electronic music at an extraordinarily high volume for hours is not really my scene. I came for the unique experience, the awesome art, decor, and costumes, and carefree crowd of people, and that's exactly what I got. I don't think the value's that great based on $40 per ticket, but we still had a fun time.

I went back and looked at a 2014 youtube of How Weird and it is truly amazing how much…read moreclub/burner/candy kid fashion has changed in 5 short years. 2019 was my first year at How Weird, and I absolutely did not know what to expect. But what did I find? My mecca! I love burner fashion, I'm a spoonie and unfortunately don't have the health to go to Burning Man, but I love me some sequins, fur, pastels, rainbow colors, unicorn horns, and captains hats. How Weird was literally what I always wish Pride was, and it was here the whole time! I loved the vending at at How Weird and wished I'd been in a more party mood so I could've gotten more out of it, but my first visit definitely convinced me to go next year, or to the version that may be coming in Santa Cruz at the end of the year. 5 stars the whole way.

Photos
How Weird Street Faire - Entrance

Entrance

How Weird Street Faire - 2024 event (art alley)

2024 event (art alley)

How Weird Street Faire - Do it for the Gram

See all

Do it for the Gram

San Francisco Street Food Night Market - Jazz band with their back to 19th Ave.

San Francisco Street Food Night Market

4.7(3 reviews)
3.3 miBernal Heights

The SF Night Markets move locations, and this month's was in the Inner Sunset... specifically on…read moreIrving going West from 19th Avenue. I was happy about this one. Big turnout, which felt refreshing even this long after the start of COVID. Good live bands, good selection of food (Gets more reasonable as you go West), and I'm sure the businesses loved the lively volume of foot traffic. The only trick was finding parking... this was the worst it's been for anything I've tried to do in years! But it wasn't hard once I got to MLK in the park.

I elected to come to the Night Market fundraiser on Friday night(8/17/12) at the Alemany Farmers…read moreMarket instead of the Saturday daytime event. Although they ask $25(plus ticket fees) for attendees to attend the Night Market, I was generally happy to donate to La Cocina just for the convenience of not waiting in super big lines on Saturday. I got there a little bit before 6pm, the event's official start time. I had originally treked over to 25th and Fulsom to find a booth where I can redeem my voucher for a passport. Upon getting there, a La Cocina worker told me that the booth was located at the site....uggghhh. Note to self: go straight to the event for future reference. I arrived at the Alemany Farmers Market with parking pass in hand(bought online for around $9) thinking I was early...ummmm nope. The place was already packed full of people! The people who took the shuttles already arrived and they already had a lengthy head start! The food options were aplenty, lots and lots of businesses were there offering everything from sandwiches, soups, tacos, and other tasty treats. My favorite was the Boss Hog provided by the Bone & Gristle Boys and 4505 Meats. This sandwich initially looked like a huge McGriddle but it was way better than that! Between two griddled English Muffins, nestled a serving of corn meal crusted deep-fried pork and slow roasted chili rubbed pork with a jalapeno ranch dressing. Add vermont cheddar, market greens, smoked red onions, and chicharrones for crunch, and it was AMAZING! It literally was a mess to eat with plenty of stuff falling out and juice getting on your hand, but I'll gladly wipe my hands clean as long as I can have another! Other food booths that I tried included the Jim 'N' Nicks whole hog pork with adobo sauce, The Whole Beast's merengez lamb sausage on a bun with peppers as well as their kefta lamb meatballs on a stick with yogurt dipping sauce, Huarache Loco's lamb taco and lamb soup both of which packed a wallop in spicy punch, and lastly, a serving of Locandoa Osteria's grilled short ribs. Hot and spicy soup does wonders for warming up in the chilly conditions! I can't forget about the alcohol...Whole Foods was there with eight selections of beers ranging from IPA and pale ales to cider too. Ryed from the Road were also there doing cocktails like old-fashions too. Note to future attendees: Wristbands are needed to purchase alcohol although this fact may not be conveyed to you when you arrive. I didn't learn of this until I got to the front of the beer line. Also, alcoholic drinks require you to exchange for tokens as well. Each token is $4(1 token for beer, 2 tokens for mixed drinks). Wristbands and token exchange were located near the entrance of the event. Overall, it was a fun event that had a good turnout and lots of communal seating and many portable heaters for warmth. It was super windy and cold on the night we went so bring your hat, scarves, and jackets when attending. I'll likely come back again for the good food and drinks and to support La Cocina and their charitable endeavors. One thing that I absolutely wish I had tried: Endless Summer's Bacon Maple Kettlecorn!

Photos
San Francisco Street Food Night Market - Sword kata demo.

Sword kata demo.

San Francisco Street Food Night Market - The band called the Leafs, doing a lot of Tom Petty covers.

The band called the Leafs, doing a lot of Tom Petty covers.

San Francisco Street Food Night Market - Shrimp Po Boy at the Cajun stand... $17 and pretty tasty.   High end of prices.

See all

Shrimp Po Boy at the Cajun stand... $17 and pretty tasty. High end of prices.

San Francisco International Beer Festival - SBC at the Beerfest 2008

San Francisco International Beer Festival

4.3(55 reviews)
2.3 miMarina/Cow Hollow

Beerfest was awesome!!!!!…read more $60 is a bit pricey. But tons of reasons making it worthwhile. 1. ~200 breweries. (Let's do the math. If you intend to try every one of them, given 3 hours, that's one brewery per minute!) 2. Unlimited noshings! Noshings = snack foods. Which turned out better than expected since there were some bomb foods! (stuff i ate: chili, corn dogs, popcorn, pretzels, pasta, calamari, hot wings, pizza, salad, bread w/pate. Omg...I'm such a pig.) 3. Crowd roars. Where everyone cheers and lifts their mugs up every couple minutes throughout the whole night. 4. Freebies. I don't know how half of the stuff ended up in my purse, or so I will claim. *mental note: bigger purse next year =P 5. No lines. Never had to wait long for anything. Well except for the bathrooms. The guys line was actually longer than the girls! haha. 6. Well stocked booths. Brews were still flowing towards the end of the night. Food...well good supply for the most of the night... ...except Pizza Orgasmica who lasted til the very end, but not without a riot occurring. They had ran out of pizzas before 9pm, and had a sign saying more will come at 9:45pm. Around 9:35pm, a crowd gathered at the booth, fist pumping, bottle-beating, and chanting "We want pizza! *dun dun dun dun dun* We want pizza! *dun dun dun dun dun*" Paper plates were thrown around as frisbees. Some guy would randomly yell out "I looove pizza!!!!" People cheered as the pizzas arrived. And the pushing and mobbing began. Some tried to get the pizzas themselves and the workers had to fend them off. I'm not sure how many pizzas there were exactly, 15-20? But they were all gone in less than 5 minutes. Good times!!! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=fn63ISiFQ2F50VsCfqismA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=7dM03CGTNJR-71Yp62sU9A http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=Uww4I_a07_oR1_Nyg-gT9w http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=vKbMMn97BODHDpemH2nyXQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=Xkzl4ozuPu6wgkIEtQTs_w http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=Erz-dKTOL50kpau0y2DZpQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/iPe7afvSSXpuWUY3csT8Zw?select=1X_T0TtV4HRwsCCUti0geg

I thought Oktoberfest only came to San Francisco once a year... and then, for the first time in…read morethree years, I managed to get a ticket to "Beerfest" before they sold out (in about 3 hours!). I love SF's Oktoberfest but Beerfest might be, gasp, even better! Reasons why Beerfest Beats Oktoberfest: - Once you buy the ticket, beer samples from 300 breweries are free!!! - Food is also free!!! - Proceeds go to charity! (the Telegraph Hill Preschool - this preschool must have a lot of money now because I'm guessing 5000 guests at $60 per ticket!) - The beer variety is fabulous and you are bound to discover so many new beers that you'll LOVE! Why settle on one or two types of beer when you can enjoy 500?! - You don't have to coordinate with your friends to choose the "morning shift" or the "afternoon shift" like Oktoberfest Ways Beerfest could be improved: - I missed important beer-drinking time by waiting in the bathroom line for 20 plus minutes; please put some porto-potties outside like Oktoberfest! - Add a costume element :) - Raise the volume of the music a bit and possibly add a dance floor - More food options! - More swag Can I buy my ticket for 2011 now please?!

Photos
San Francisco International Beer Festival - Eric, Walter P, RJR, and Ranz N  (North meets South at Beerfest)

Eric, Walter P, RJR, and Ranz N (North meets South at Beerfest)

San Francisco International Beer Festival - Oddly enough, the one I was most looking forward to was the Singha booth

Oddly enough, the one I was most looking forward to was the Singha booth

San Francisco International Beer Festival - Beerfest 04-16-2011

See all

Beerfest 04-16-2011

San Francisco Street Food Festival - Caricature artist

San Francisco Street Food Festival

3.2(279 reviews)
1.0 miMission Bay

It was my first time attending La Cocina's SF Street Food Festival which I understand has just…read morereturned after a 5-year hiatus. It took place at China Basin Park this past weekend and featured live music, activities such as caricature portraits, several merchandise vendors, multiple bar tents, and plenty of good eats... though lots of menu items were sold out around 5pm (three hours before closing time on Saturday), and I'm not sure if it's perhaps different earlier in the day. Diverse food offerings included Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indonesian, Nepali, and Jamaican bites, a variety of Latin American cuisine (Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Venezuelan, Mexican, etc.), along with French and Taiwanese pastries. Dessert booths were selling cookies and other sweet treats in unique flavors, too. I enjoyed a crispy beef empanada from Camucha's Kitchen and a yummy skirt steak arepa from Pacifico's food stand. Noise Pop's live entertainment schedule was equally and possibly even more exciting than the food lineup. Hip-hop, jazz, rnb, latin fusion, garage rock, and more, presented by the bands on stage. I particularly enjoyed the sounds of Orchestra Gold (Afro-psych) in the afternoon. There was not much light in the grassy meadow after dark, but the stage was definitely lit, and so was Oracle Park stadium across the way which kept the area illuminated to some extent. To me, it felt like the cost of admission was expensive for the food selection available, especially with vendors running out of items halfway through the event and the price of menu options being sky high compared to the portions given. But the food I did end up getting was tasty. And the waterfront views were gorgeous, especially at sunset, creating an ideal setting to go along with lovely weather in SF (a somewhat warm evening in November). I appreciated my time here.

I'm glad that they brought back the food festival.i liked the location.it had great views…read more The food was good,not anything that stood out as special. I would have liked to see a wider variety of vendors, there were mostly Hispanic vendors. I gladly tried as many as I could. My main concern was the lack of enforcement of people just walking in without paying. I saw plenty of people just coming in from the trail along the coast. I wasn't the only one who noticed this happening. I don't mind paying for a event. But either everyone pays or nobody has to pay. If you looked carefully most people in the food lines didn't have a stamp. I may not attend next year unless this issue is addressed

Photos
San Francisco Street Food Festival - 2025 event

2025 event

San Francisco Street Food Festival - Food stands

Food stands

San Francisco Street Food Festival - Food stands

See all

Food stands

Fillmore Jazz Festival - Love the nail polish

Fillmore Jazz Festival

4.3(162 reviews)
1.7 miLower Pacific Heights

Only passed by the 2024 Fillmore Jazz festival this year because it coincided with the pug meet…read morenearby. We love this summer festival though and happy it's back and thriving. Can't wait to attend again in 2025!

We recently attended the Fillmore Jazz festival this past weekend and we had a lot of fun! Whenever…read morethere's an opportunity to walk in the middle of streets, while listening to good music and enjoy delicious food, it's hard not to have fun. For the festival, they close up 5-6 blocks on Fillmore. The streets are lined with different vendors. A lot of the same repeat ones we've seen at the other street festivals we've been to this year, but still fun nonetheless. We picked up some new spices from a vendor from Tracy, which we are excited to cook with. The food selection was a lot more diverse, which was great. We got hibachi soul food, delicious wings, and of course the garlic crab fries. All the food was priced normally for fairs, so most things were around $20. What's also cool is that a lot of the bars along Fillmore participated by offering drinks specials. Harry's was a good time, with delicious espresso martinis and jell-o shots! They had a couple of live music stages, with a bunch of jazz bands which was cool and unique. I think the one thing that could make it better is to have more of a variety of alcohol options and there was a lot of empty space which could've been filled with more vendors. Other than that, still a great time, especially with the beautiful weather.

Photos
Fillmore Jazz Festival - Great crowd

Great crowd

Fillmore Jazz Festival - Another beautiful day

Another beautiful day

Fillmore Jazz Festival - Lots of smiles today

See all

Lots of smiles today

North Beach Festival

North Beach Festival

3.4(47 reviews)
1.3 miNorth Beach/Telegraph Hill

We had a great time at the North Beach Festival's 70th anniversary celebration this past weekend…read more Endless vendors selling food, drinks, and unique merchandise such as stereos made out of vintage tin lunch boxes, or purses created out of aluminum can tabs. Lots of good eats on site, from pies to gyros... the grilled pork belly plate from GIM Belly's food stand was especially tasty. Multiple stages at different corners of the event entertaining crowds with amazing live music. My fave was the Good Bad band, playing awesome bluegrass tunes on various string instruments including the mandolin and banjo. Parking wasn't easy, but we got lucky finding a spot on the street a block away after circling a couple times. Overall, a positive experience.

In terms of street festivals in San Francisco, the North Beach festival has been the best one we've…read morebeen to in 2024, it's also one of the biggest ones in regards to sheer size and street closures. They block maybe 6-7 blocks for food, vendors, shopping, etc, plus it's dog friendly. We never miss a chance to stroll in the middle of the streets and soak up a sunny day in the city. We got there around 12ish and it was already starting to get packed. They had a good selection of food, and we ended up eating some sweet chili chicken tenders and crab fries. Forget the $28 we spent, it was well worth it. We also did some shopping and picked up some unique pieces for an upcoming trip. If you've been to other street festivals, you'll notice to see a lot of repeat vendors from the other festivals, but North Beach's size allows for more. The smaller beer gardens were kinda lackluster though. 3 different areas for live music more than made up for it and kept things interesting. Being there for a day and experiencing the festival is proof once again that the city has fallen off and is still a great place to visit and explore Definitely will be back next year for this festival!

Photos
North Beach Festival
North Beach Festival - Clean and safe

Clean and safe

North Beach Festival

See all

FAN EXPO - festivals - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...