Musician and human rights activist Michael Franti will host the 2010 Power To The Peaceful Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadow and The Fillmore (September 10, 11, and 12, 2010). The Saturday 9/11 events are FREE all day, with the nighttime afterparty an affordable $10. PTTP is one of the largest free [...]

The Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival in San Francisco (September 11-12, 2010) is a delicious event that’s free to attend, but the tasting ticket is available today only for half price — $10 (reg. $20) from one of the Daily Deals sites cropping up everywhere. With or without the tasting ticket you can enjoy the festival [...]

The Fillmore Art Walk in San Francisco (Friday, September 10, 2010) is part of the 3rd Annual Independent Artists Week (September 5-11). The Art Walk, which celebrates The Fillmore’s rich art and music community, is curated by Robert Melton, an Infin8 Sync Network awardee, and will feature over 60 artists and 10 bands. WHAT’S THE [...]

The next fee-free days at U.S. National Parks will be September 25, 2010, 2010. More than 100 national parks will waive entrance fees for certain Free Days this year, including several in the San Francisco Bay Area, like Muir Woods, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and some of our California favs like Yosemite National [...]

Achilles Tours gives the phrase “running around the city” a new twist. They give unique running tours of San Francisco, and offer a FREE “mystery fun run,” at a leisurely pace, every second Friday of every month. “We tell everyone where and when to meet, and the distance and difficulty level of the run, but [...]

If you own a Bank of America credit card, you can get in free to several San Francisco Bay Area museums the first weekend of every month. The B of A “Museums On Us” promo entitles one person per BofA card to free museum admission during the first full weekend of every month for 2010. [...]

A delightful new exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California is included as part of OMCA’s free day: PIXAR: 25 Years of Animation (July 31 – January 9, 2011). The PIXAR exhibit may also be discounted to Half Price later this week as another one of the Daily Deals (according to a source at the [...]

The 2010 Biketoberfest-Marin (Saturday, October 16, 2010) features bikes, beer, and food in Fairfax, birthplace of the mountain bike. Does it get any better? The free event includes a bike expo, vintage bike show, live music, more than dozen handcrafted beers from Northern California brewers, and plenty of activities for kids and families. While the [...]

DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK 2010, a free family-friendly Bay Area BBQ in McClaren Park, San Francisco, is a great way to spend a Sunday (September 5) on Labor Day weekend. You’ll find plenty of fun stuff to do, including an all-star DJ line up that will have you dancing all day long. They’re handing [...]

Want to learn more about the Bay Area’s sharks, crabs, fish and sea stars? The Marine Science Institute’s Aquarium Spotlight Days (coming up October 16, 2010) gives you and your family an opportunity to view and participate in hands-on activities at the Institute’s aquarium and teaching facilities on the shores of Redwood Creek. On Aquarium [...]

On Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day (September 25, 2010) you can get in FREE to hundreds of participating museums. San Francisco Bay Area museums on the list include Cal Academy, CJM, Chabot Space & Science Center, Hiller Aviation, Coyote Point Museum, and several others. Don’t just show up at a museum, though. You need to fill [...]

The 2010 Mountain View Art & Wine Festival (September 11-12, 2010) is a free event expected to draw more than 200,000 arts lovers to Silicon Valley’s epicenter. The multicultural celebration features the work of 600 professional artists and craft makers, live music, festival food and premium wines, microbrews and margaritas, an organic and green products [...]

The 2010 Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival (September 18-19, 2010), at Santa Clara’s 52-acre Central Park, will feature local artists, fine wines and mico-brews, international foods, and live entertainment on three stages. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend this free annual event. Central Park offers a spectacular setting for the community festival, [...]

The San Francisco Zoo offers free local days and discounts on other days. My favorite time to go is in the morning or late afternoon to watch the animal feedings. Check out the Bear Grotto. And see how the baby gorilla has grown. DEAL 1: San Francisco Zoo coupon, good for one free child admission [...]

Art in Carnegie Park, Livermore (September 18, 2010) is a fun end-of-summer event that draws thousands of visitors to Carnegie Park to view art demonstrations, buy arts and crafts directly from local artists, listen to live music, and enjoy local wine and food. Visitors can also browse LAA’s art gallery, a co-op run by the [...]

UPDATE: Birth of Impressionism will be open even later over Labor Day Weekend: Friday and Saturday until 11pm (last entry 9:30), and Sunday 10pm (last entry 8:30pm). If you haven’t been to the de Young Museum lately, here’s how to check it out for less. First, the museum is free on every first Tuesday of [...]

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, in San Francisco, celebrates it’s 10th season, May 1 through October 10, 2010. The free fun includes no less than 100 events, from classical and jazz concerts, to opera and international music, to theater, dance, family programs, visual art exhibits, educational programs and cultural events. WHAT’S THE DEAL: 2010 Yerba [...]

The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is the visual arts center of the University of California, Berkeley. Every First Thursday of every month you can enjoy free admission. And on some Friday Nights, admission is just $7 for the museum’s L@te Friday mixers. L@TE Friday, 9/3/10: Gallery B: Terry Riley Celebrates 75–After [...]

Pleasanton Summer Concerts In The Park, at Lions Wayside Park, take place on most Fridays all summer through September 4, 2010. Is there another weekly Bay Area summer concert in the park that I should mention? Please write in and tell us about it. [Check out the other posts on Bay Area Music In The [...]

Shakespeare in the Park performances will take place from July through September 2010, in three locations, starting in Pleasanton, continuing in Cupertino, and wrapping up in San Francisco in September. No tickets or reservations are required. No seating is provided, so arrive early for the best patch of grass and bring a blanket and picnic [...]