February 2016
More than 20,000 people come together to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year at the Tet Festival in United Nations Plaza. There are dragon and lion dances, a firecracker show, and a karaoke contest.

February 16, 2016
Named one of the top 10 parades in the world, San Francisco's Chinese New Year celebration has been ongoing since the 1860s. There is a 268-foot-long golden dragon as a highlight. The surrounding festival goes all weekend, with more than 80 booths.

February 9, 2016
San Francisco does Mardi Gras with a free concert in Fillmore Plaza followed by a New Orleans-style parade down Fillmore Street. The celebration ends with a masquerade ball.

March 2016
The West Coast's largest celebration of Irish culture brings in upwards of 100,000 revelers each year. More than 100 floats, dance troupes, and performers travel from Market and Second Street to Civic Center.

March 2016
Food is the focal point of this Bayview-based festival, which has booths selling all kinds of cuisine, a marketplace, and a cooking contest. There is also live music, and the whole day is family friendly.

March 27, 2016
Cow Hollow celebrates Easter with a major parade that includes an Easter bunny, a petting zoo, and flowers everywhere. More than 30,000 people attend the celebration.

April 2016
This festival has popped up every spring since 1997 in the center of Glen Park Village. It raises money for children's programs based in Glen Park with entertainment, dancing, music, and food.

April 2, 2016
After a parade that winds through the Mission from Dolores Park to 24th Street, a festival along 24th celebrates the life of labor leader Cesar Chavez. There are Aztec dancers, classic cars, and sidewalk sales.

April 2016
In addition to standard street fair booths and food, the Cherry Blossom festival in Japantown brings martial arts performances, origami, a traditional tea ceremony, and Japanese doll making.

May 16, 2015
The street fair celebrates the Asian community of the Bay Area with a cultural procession, tai chi, a blessing from Thai monks, and a fashion show highlighting modern takes on traditional Asian dress. There are also arts and crafts, food, and a pavilion for healthy living.

May 17, 2015
The world's oldest consecutively run annual footrace travels 12 kilometers across the city from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach. Although some runners are serious, the race becomes a huge celebration with costumes and revelry.

May 23 and 24, 2015
This two-day block party in the Mission is a celebration of music and culture from Latin America and the Caribbean. There is a grand parade, lots of music, and plenty of food.

May through October, 2015
Live entertainment throughout the summer and fall will include music, acrobatics, poetry, and more, as well as arts and crafts and food. Events happen at a variety of dates and times from May through October.

June 13, 2015
One of San Francisco's oldest festivals is also the largest gathering of African Americans in northern California. It includes a parade, a health fair, a classic car and motorcycle show, and three-on-three basketball.

June 13 and 14, 2015
At 61 years and counting, San Francisco's oldest street fair is also one of the oldest in the country. Unique features include the animal blessing at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi and live Italian street painting.

Sundays, June 14 through August 16, 2015
Every summer, the Stern Grove amphitheater at 19th and Sloat avenues turns into a free outdoor music venue. Highlights of the 78th season include the Doobie Brothers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the San Francisco Symphony.

June 27 and 28, 2015
The highlight of the city's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Festival is the parade held on Sunday morning. The festival, however, goes all weekend with dance stages, booths, and vendors.

July 4 and 5, 2015
The largest free jazz festival on the West Coast draws in more than 100,000 visitors each year. It stretches over 12 blocks and goes from sunup until sundown each day.

August 15 and 16, 2016
The Street Food Festival's future was in jeopardy after it outgrew its home in the Mission, but this year it will relocate to Pier 70 and grow to a two-day celebration of local food.

September 12 and 13, 2015
The chocolate festival features local chefs making chocolate creations and live music. The "Earthquake" ice cream sundae eating competition is one of the main events of the weekend.

September 19 and 20, 2015
The Moon Festival is Chinatown's largest celebration, with dancers, drummers, and performers taking over Grant Avenue for two days. Food includes bubble tea, moon cakes, tea samplings, and dim sum.

September 2015
Featuring a pizza toss and Italian music, the festival is hosted by the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. The fair takes place on Stockton Street, but the interior of the club also takes part by transforming into a traditional Italian piazza complete with a fountain.

September 19 and 20, 2015
More than 130 dragon boat teams compete in Treasure Island's Clipper Cove. There is an accompanying festival with entertainment, activities for children, and a marketplace.

September 27, 2015
Featuring local art, jewelry, a display of historical Cole Valley photographs, and an entire block of vintage automobiles, this fair is as quaint as Cole Valley itself. Events for children include a bounce house and an obstacle course.

October 2015
Bernal Heights' annual fall festival has all of the expected entertainment elements, from pumpkin painting to a petting zoo to "dancing in the streets." This will be its 27th year.

October 2015
In one of San Francisco's most kid-friendly neighborhoods, the Noe Valley Harvest Festival is all about autumn. There are hayrides and costume contests for both dogs and children.

October 2 through 4, 2015
This huge free festival in Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow is one of San Francisco's major events every year. It draws huge crowds for headliners like Emmylou Harris and the Lumineers.

October 6 through 12, 2015
Fleet Week celebrations take place on the waterfront and include a parade of navy ships and ship tours. The highlight is, of course, the Blue Angels airshow.

October 2015
The Outer Noriega Street Fair is one of the newest festivals in the city. It is held when the Sunset actually gets sunny and includes music and booths from local merchants.

October 17, 2015
Potrero's celebrations bring together local artists, food vendors, musicians, historians, and entertainers. It kicks off with a brunch created by the California Culinary Academy.

November 1, 2015
The traditional Day of the Dead held in the Mission every year includes a Festival of Altars and a procession through the neighborhood. It commemorates the Meso-American holiday to honor ancestors. There are no vendors or booths.