As San Francisco continues its strong start to the year, events are popping up all over the Bay Area, like flowers pushing their heads up as Spring arrives, or something like that. This month we have a well rounded list of the best things to do in SF in March, including sporting events, St Patrick’s Day shindigs, stargazing, a chocolate and gold tour and a total lunar eclipse watch party! We do this so that you can get some inspiration, make the most of your time and make the most of living in a city like San Francisco. Which of these activities or events will you be doing next month?

Read on to find out.

Events & Activities in San Francisco This Month

1. THE GIANTS (VARIOUS DATES)

Watch the San Francisco Giants warm up for the coming season at their first Spring Training sessions, right on San Francisco’s picturesque waterfront at magnificent Oracle Park (the stadium has one of the most scenic locations in the the world). It might be a while since they won the World Series, but the Giants have been hugely successful and it’s a good opportunity to see their new batting line-up.

There are warm up games March 23 and 24, and then the season starts, with the visit of the Yankees to San Francisco, March 25.

More information here.

NBA team the Golden Gate Warriors are also playing at the Chase Center nearby. Go see Stephen Curry while you can, he’s pretty good.

More information here.

2. CATCH A SHOW AT THE SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE (VARIOUS DATES)

The San Francisco Playhouse is based at a 750 seat historic theater, in the Union Square neighborhood, staging Broadway shows, plays and other performances throughout the year. These are often regional and world premieres.

In March the company’s staging M. Butterfly, the award-winning play.

David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is a captivating drama that subverts Puccini’s Madame Butterfly through the true story of a French diplomat’s 20-year affair with a Chinese opera singer. As cultural and personal identities blur, the play challenges our assumptions about love, power, and deception. With its clever twists and poignant humor, M. Butterfly is a thought-provoking exploration of desire, illusion, and the complexities of human connection.

1988 TONY AWARD FOR BEST PLAY

San Francisco Playhouse

More information here.

3. CELEBRATE SAINT PATRICK’S DAY (MARCH 14-17)

Believe it or not, but the San Francisco celebration of the patron Saint of Ireland is one of the largest in the U.S. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade features Irish dance companies, big bands and bag-pipes. In addition to the over 100,000 people who usually show up to watch the event, there are a lot of San Francisco officials, politicians, police and firefighters taking part.

The 175th annual parade starts at 2nd and Market Street, around 11:30 am, then makes its way down Market Street to Civic Center Plaza, the location of the festival. The parade itself lasts about two and a half hours, taking place on Saturday, March 14, this year. Following that is a UniteSF multi-cultural celebration at Civic Center Plaza, from 2:30-6 pm, with live music, food and, of course, drinks.

Saint Pat’s Day is March 17, but if you can remember, it definitely wasn’t one of the best things to do in SF in March!

4. FREE MUSEUM DAYS (VARIOUS DATES)

For several days a month – and sometimes every day of the month for certain special people – our museums are free. We have some great museums. You should make the most of it these opportunities.

Exploratorium: free admission for EBT cardholders and San Francisco Medi-Cal or CalFresh recipients. Also free for California public school teachers.

SF Botanical Gardens: free admission second Tuesday of every month.

Japanese Tea Gardens: free Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9-10 am.

De Young Museum: free first Tuesday of every month. Also free every Saturday for Bay Area residents.

SFMOMA: free first Thursday for Bay Area residents.

Legion of Honor: free Saturdays for Bay Area residents and free Tuesday’s for all.

Cable Car Museum: free every day, and one of the most interesting museums in all of San Francisco.

Other museums well worth visiting:

The Walt Disney Family Museum

California Academy of Sciences

Museum of the African Diaspora

5. FISHERMAN’S WHARF CHOCOLATE & GOLD TOUR (EVERY SUNDAY)

Chocolate and gold have to be two of the most popular things known to man. And if you combine them on a tour, that is surely an experience that will appeal to most. 

There’s a surprising amount of history in the buildings and streets of Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as an actual fishing fleet. Locals may think of it mainly as a tourist attraction, but that would be to underestimate the neighborhood to a large degree. 

The tour starts near Aquatic Park, with some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, before snaking through the wharves, back alleys and some fascinating local museums, to Boudin’s, a San Francisco landmark. 

Over the course of an entertaining two hours you’ll learn some fascinating history, going back to the Gold Rush and the infamous Barbary Coast, see some friendly seal lions and cable cars, and try some delicious local chocolate.

The tour ends in the perfect place to grab some treats, or head into North Beach (Little Italy), to continue the San Francisco exploration.

More information here.

6. GO TO A CONCERT (VARIOUS DATES)

There are always some great concerts happening in San Francisco, almost all popular artists, musicians and comedians will play here at some point in their career, but if you’re looking for ideas on things to do this month Nine Inch Nails are playing the Chase Center and Sam Smith continues his residency at the Castro Theatre. Patti Lupone is also taking to the stage at the Golden Gate Theatre.

More information here.

7. EXPLORE A SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOOD: THE EAST BAY (ALL MONTH)

The East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda are well worth an exploration. Any one of them would take more than a day to properly get to know, so take them one at a time.

Berkeley is famous for its university, but it’s got a lot of attractions and things to do. Oakland has several significant museums and institutions, as well as major sports teams. And Alameda has a lovely bay-side vibe, as well as an aircraft carrier and lovely downtown neighborhood.

Read our guide to the East Bay before your visit, so you don’t miss anything.

8. TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE WATCH PARTY (MARCH 3)

Talking of the East Bay, here’s an idea for you. The Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland organizes some great events. In March there’s a watch party for a lunar eclipse AND some sci-fi movie screenings (Alien no less). It’s definitely one of the best things to do in SF in March.

Join Chabot astronomers for a live watch party of the magnificent Total Lunar Eclipse from Chabot’s Observation Deck. Bring your friends & family and a lawn chair to enjoy Eclipse-themed crafts and demonstrations, then get bundled up with a cup of hot cocoa to watch this stunning celestial show. During the peak of the Eclipse, The Moon will become totally engulfed in Earth’s dark umbral shadow, turning stunning shades of orange and red as the twilight glow of sunlight slips around the edges of Earth’s atmosphere and shines onto the Moon’s face.  

Chabot Space and Science Center

More information here.

As Oscar Wilde famously said: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”. Keep looking up!

9. GO TO A CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT OR THE BALLET (VARIOUS DATES)

The San Francisco Symphony are good, as these things go. Why not enjoy a concert with them at the Davies Symphony Hall? More information here.

The San Francisco Ballet are performing Don Quixote and The Blake Works at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, in the Civic Center. More information here.

10. WATCH A MOVIE SET IN SAN FRANCISCO (ALL MONTH)

There have been a ton of films made in the Bay Area, and many of them are pretty good. Perhaps you saw one or two a long time ago. Maybe you’ve never seen any. Set that right this month, on one of those rainy days or nights, and watch a film set in San Francisco.

If you like Film Noir, and to some extent the genre was born in San Francisco in the 1920’s and 30’s, then we’ve got a list of classic movies in that style for you to watch here.

If you have any feedback on the 10 Best Things to Do in SF in March please email us or reach out on social media, we’d love to hear from you.

– By Damien Blackshaw (Twitter)