The best things to do in San Francisco this weekend

Through March 2

It's San Francisco's inaugural Music Week with panels, pop-ups, workshops, studio and venue tours and live performances. It runs through March 2, with an all-day industry summit on Feb 28 at the Swedish American Hall. Presented by Noise Pop, SF Live and SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the week celebrates San Francisco's enormous music legacy and current scene. Participants include a slew of musicians, DJs and industry professionals like the ever-fabulous Penelope Houston, La Doña, Austin Waz, DJ Dials, Aaron Axelsen, Allen Scott of Another Planet Entertainment and Dan Strachota of Rickshaw Stop. Our favorite to look forward to: the March 2 tour of The Fillmore and discussion of the legacy of Bill Graham. Most events are free but may require a ticket in advance; see details here.

SF County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park
Feb 28-Mar 2

The San Francisco Orchid Society hosts this weekend-long celebration of all things orchid with demonstrations, plant sales, displays with a "Orchids in the Clouds" theme, a silent auction and a kids' area. Tickets start at $3.50; kids 12 and under are free. The show runs 10am-5pm Friday and Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. There's also a 21+ Thursday night opening gala with wine and bites.

Every Friday

Every Friday from 5 to 8pm, drop by South San Francisco's Secret Wine Bar on the top floor of the San Francisco Wine School with a great view. This 21+ casual get-together is free entry, and you pick which glass of wine (premium, super premium or luxury) you'd like to purchase, along with themed nosh boards. Each week there are new wines, and each pop-up bar is hosted by a professor or sommelier eager to chat. Tickets are free but require pre-registration here.

333 Lancaster St., Oakland
Select days through March 2

Across the bay, this massive sale is on and continues until March 2. It’s Northern California’s largest curated rummage sale in a warehouse twice the size of a football field. Oakland Museum of California volunteers sort through donations all year to create this masterpiece of thriftitude. Reduce our carbon footprint, give objects a loving home and support the museum: three gorgeous reasons to go. Tickets are $7 through February 22 and free March 1 and 2 (but you must have a ticket to gain entry). Once the event is sold out each day, walk-ins may be allowed entry as space permits. See website for hours and details.

Golden Gate Park
Sunny Sundays

What good is a bright day if you can’t kick up your heels and dance? Every Sunday that’s sunny, head to where JFK Drive meets Music Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park anytime from 11am to 2pm to join other Lindy hop enthusiasts dancing to DJ-spun tunes. The streets are closed to traffic and open to dancers! If you’re not quite sure what Lindy hopping is, drop by from noon to 12:30 for a free lesson. No need to bring a partner. You’ll be dancing on asphalt so sneakers are encouraged. Free.

Visit the redwood park tucked in beside the Transamerica Pyramid daily from sunrise to sunset to view 20 major sculptures of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, inspired by flora and fauna. Les Lalanne is the collective name used by these artists. These sculptures constitute the first public installation of Pyramid Arts, which will rotate twice a year. Free.

Attend the CinemaLit film series for a 6pm showing of a different vintage film each Friday. The café opens at 5:30pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice and fresh-popped popcorn for sale, and the movie begins at 6. The Mechanics’ Institute was built in 1906 to house the 1854 organization providing classes, a library and a chess room for residents (some say, “out of work gold miners”). Today it’s a cultural center as well as a library. The film series is curated by author Matthew Kennedy who has written several books on film. 

We realize an hour isn’t very long, but if you embrace the calm and tranquility, an hour at the Japanese Tea Garden can reward you for the rest of the day. Each Friday from 9 to 10am, you can enter the garden with its arched bridge, pagodas, stone ornaments, koi ponds and, of course, gardens. San Franciscans can enter for free anytime (with ID), but visitors can have a free hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 10am. The teahouse, with tea and light snacks, is open for purchases at that time as well. Admission outside the magic hour is currently $19 for adults.

History buffs, come out for a video installation, Fort Point: A Bastion of Memory, created by artist Ben Wood in collaboration with the Fort Point National Historic Site. The 45-minute work consisting of historical photographs will be projected onto the interior walls of San Francisco’s Civil War fort to interpret area history, such as the lighthouse that once operated here, the building of the Golden Gate Bridge and more. Free (as is admission to the fort).

San Francisco City Guides offers walking tours of the Ferry Building, once the second busiest transit hub in the world at its peak in the 1930s (construction of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge created a devastating blow to ferry service). Tours are on Tuesdays at noon and Saturdays at 10am. Free, but a $20 donation is encouraged; guides can’t accept tips.