THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA | SEPTEMBER 10–13

<p>Three operas this weekend, and two of them are free. Mike's 10 for the Weekend has the San Francisco Opera opening its season for the price of a movie ticket, arias on a lawn in Novato, lucha libre in San Leandro, a hundred thousand people on one mile of Solano Avenue — and a full orchestra playing Star Wars live, tonight.</p> <p>“The big events are easy to find. We're looking for the ones that aren't.”</p> <p>Mike MacPherson — SFBayWeekend Mike's 10 for the Weekend</p> <p>1 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — Film with Live Orchestra Where Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco When Tonight & Saturday, 7:30 PM Anthony Parnther conducts the San Francisco Symphony playing John Williams's score live while the film runs above them. Most people assume the Symphony's season doesn't start until the gala on the 24th — it does, but these two nights come first, and they are the kind of thing that sells out quietly. Two chances only: tonight and Saturday.</p> <p>2 Simon Boccanegra Where War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco When Saturday, 8 PM Cost From $30 This is opening night of the San Francisco Opera's 2026–27 season, and tickets start at thirty dollars. Verdi's political tragedy — a Genoese doge, a poisoned cup, twenty-five years of grudges. If you have never been to the Opera House, an opening night at $30 is the cheapest excuse you will get. Note the 8 PM curtain; the following Saturday's performance is a 2 PM matinee, so the two weekends are not interchangeable.</p> <p>3 Opera in the Park Where Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco When Sunday, 1:30 PM Cost Free The day after opening night, the company brings the orchestra to the park. Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts, with stars of the coming season singing arias and duets. About two hours. No tickets, no reservations, no catch — first come, first served on the grass. Bring a blanket or a low chair; tarps are not allowed.</p> <p>4 4th Annual Opera in the Amphitheater Where Hamilton Amphitheater, Novato When Saturday, 4–6 PM Cost Free And the third one. Full-voice arias outdoors in Novato at no cost — rare free opera north of the Golden Gate. Children's activities run 3–4 PM before the singing starts. A $20 donation ticket is offered if you want to support it, but the event itself is free. Worth knowing: at least one printed listing has this on Sunday. The organiser says Saturday.</p> <p>5 Solano Avenue Stroll Where Solano Avenue, Albany & Berkeley When Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM Cost Free One mile of Solano Avenue closes across two cities. Four hundred vendors, performers, community groups and something close to a hundred thousand people. The micro-parade steps off at 10 AM at Colusa in Berkeley and finishes at the BART track in Albany, with Grand Marshal Sunny Hahn. There is a pet zone at 1120 Solano at Kains. This is the largest thing happening anywhere in the East Bay this weekend — go early or park far.</p> <p>6 Latin Heritage Fest Where Downtown San Leandro — 1446 Washington Avenue When Friday, 4–9 PM Cost Free A free salsa lesson at 5, lucha libre with WFC Wrestling at 5:30, and Mariachi Tapatío closing it out from 7 to 9. DJ Manches opens at 4. It's on Washington Avenue at 1446, it costs nothing, and it is exactly the kind of night that never makes the big listings sites because it happens in San Leandro.</p> <p>7 Point Richmond Music Where Park Place at Washington Ave, Point Richmond When Friday, 5:30 PM Cost Free Twenty-fifth anniversary season of a free street concert series in historic downtown Point Richmond. Los Nadies open at 5:30; the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra featuring Willy Jordan takes over at 6:45. The restaurants stay open and people dance in the road. Twenty-five years and most of the Bay Area still hasn't heard of it.</p> <p>8 54th Mountain View Art & Wine Festival Where Castro Street, Mountain View When Saturday 11–7, Sunday 10–6 Cost Free More than four hundred artists along a closed Castro Street, two days, no admission charge. It is the largest free arts festival in the region this weekend and downtown Mountain View is built for it — the whole thing is walkable from the Caltrain station.</p> <p>9 Bay Area Theatre Week Where Region-wide When September 10–20 Cost Discounted — code BATW2026 Theatre Bay Area is running its annual week from tonight through the 20th, with 35 participating companies and discounted tickets bought direct from each theatre using the code BATW2026. One honest caveat: almost none of the companies mention it on their own websites, so ask at the box office rather than assuming the code will be recognised. Worth trying if you have been meaning to see something — the discounts are real when they work.</p> <p>10 Friday Nights at OMCA Where Oakland Museum of California When Friday, 5–9 PM Cost Free outdoors Duniya Dance and Drum Company and a nine-piece West African ensemble, Bongo Sidibe & The TonTons, in the garden above Lake Merritt with Off the Grid food trucks. The outdoor block party is free. The galleries are not — those need a $25 museum ticket, and the museum's own listing words this confusingly. Parking is $10 flat in the garage until 10 PM.</p> <p>Hidden Gem</p> <p>Flower Piano Where San Francisco Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park When September 10–20 · pianos out 10 AM–6 PM daily Cost Free for SF residents & others below — garden admission for everyone else Twelve pianos scattered through the garden, playable by anyone who sits down, roughly 130 performances across eleven days. Pianos are out 10 AM to 6 PM daily. It is one of the loveliest things this city does.</p> <p>And here is the part everybody gets wrong. Flower Piano is free only for San Francisco residents with proof of address, US military and veterans, Museums For All and EBT cardholders, and Garden members. Everyone else buys garden admission. If you are coming from Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose or Marin, you are paying at the gate.</p> <p>Two more things worth knowing: the garden's universal free window is 7:30–9:00 AM, and the pianos don't come out until 10 — so the free hour won't get you in. And opening day is already showing fully booked, so aim for Friday through Sunday.</p> <p>Family Pick</p> <p>Free Telescope Viewings Where Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland When Friday & Saturday, 7:30–10:30 PM Cost Free Chabot's historic refractors on the Observatory Deck, open to the public, weather permitting. No museum admission required — this really is free, and Chabot says so plainly. It runs every Friday and Saturday night, which makes it the most reliably good free family evening in the East Bay, and almost nobody outside Oakland knows it exists. Dress warmly; it's up on Skyline.</p> <p>The big events are easy to find. We're looking for the ones that aren't.</p> <p>Events. Venues. Cities. One place to figure out your weekend.</p> <p>Explore SFBayWeekend.com</p> <p>Find the Magic.</p> <p><a href="sfbayweekend.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Learn more →</a></p>