October, for most people here, means Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. As you would expect there are a ton of those events happening this month in San Francisco. However not everybody wants to do a Halloween themed event, and certainly not every event, so I’ve included a range of events in this list of the best things to do in SF in October.

1. YERBA BUENA NIGHT (OCTOBER 8)

This is one of the biggest free concerts in San Francisco, taking place mostly around Market Street in the Financial District. There are DJ’s and some pretty big sound systems strewn around, exhibitions, circus performers, art installations. Oh, and did I mention it’s free :-)?

2. OKTOBERFEST (VARIOUS DATES)

That other thing that October is known for – the Barbarian Beer Festival. Why October? I don’t know – it just is. San Francisco has several different venues for partaking in this ancient ritual: the Oktoberfest in Oakland, the Rathaus in the Fort Mason Center and Oktoberfest by the Beach are all good.

3. VISIT A MUSEUM FOR FREE (ALL MONTH)

For several days of the month (and for some special people on every day of the month) many SF museums are free. We have great museums (partly because of all the rich people that have lived here) – you should make the most of 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 of the month for Bay Area residents.

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

4. FLEET WEEK (OCTOBER 3-11)

Fleet Week is an annual event in San Francisco that basically mean that for a week you’re going to be startled by sudden, ear-splitting, screams as US Navy jets and Second World War era fighter planes fly overhead. Even if you didn’t want to experience this event you may well anyway. Having said that it is pretty damn cool that there is a constant aerial event going on above you. There are also Naval ships that you can board and look around (under close supervision of course), which is also really interesting.

5. NOTORIOUS SF: SCANDAL & CRIME TOUR (EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT)

What better month than October to do our Notorious SF: Scandal & Crime tour. San Francisco has a fascinating criminal history, that goes back to the Gold Rush era, when Vigilance Committee’s took over the “policing” of the city (which is where the term ‘vigilante’ likely originates). There were several red light districts in the neighborhood during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, opium dens were tucked into the basements of all the alleys in Chinatown and sailors had to be wary, lest they woke up on a strange ship, having been shanghaied in the infamous Barbary Coast neighborhood (which is where that term was invented too). And we haven’t even mentioned the Fatty Arbuckle Scandal yet…

Join us on Union Square as we go on a cold-case true crime investigation into San Francisco’s dark past – and get cocktails in a couple of historic bars. Every Saturday night, at 6pm.

6. WATCH SCARY MOVIES (VARIOUS DATES)

October is also the month for watching scary movies, and San Francisco has plenty of options for that too. Sundown Cinema are showing Addams Family Values October 21, the Cut Outdoor Cinema is screening Edward Scissorhands, Scream and Ghostbusters, amongst many others, and Dirty Habit is presenting Little Shop of Horrors.

7. CASTRO STREET FAIR (OCTOBER 2)

The Castro Street Fair is back! This is the 48th edition in the series and involves live music, DJ’s, market stalls and much more. Donations of $10-20 are encouraged (proceeds go to various non-profits and over $1.5 million has been raised in this way).

8. VISIT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART (ALL MONTH)

The ICA SF is opening October 1. It’s a contemporary art space in the Mission Bay area, that’s dedicated to presenting work by lesser-known and up-and-coming artists. It’s completely free too.

9. PARTY AT A MUSEUM (OCTOBER 6)

Most of us go to museums at different times. It usually starts with field trips while at school. We go to learn stuff and expand our minds. Or we go there to party the night away. Late Night is a benefit of On the Edge, at the de Young Museum of Fine Art and it promises to be a fascinating evening, with live music, DJ sets and access to special exhibitions. It’s what museums were made for.

10. GO TO A CONCERT BY CANDLELIGHT (ALL MONTH)

These concerts are held in various locations around San Francisco, including St Ignatius Church, Grace Cathedral and the Hibernia. There’s nothing nicer than listening to great music, played by a live orchestra, in a beautiful setting. And candlelight too…

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

– By Damien Blackshaw (Twitter)