Flotsam! river circus
Tharrr she floats! Normally, wrecks are just worthless floating debris from the wreckage of a ship. But in this case, you’ll definitely want to see what’s washing ashore. “Flotsam!” is a forward-thinking theater troupe that traveled on a handmade raft (which doubles as a stage and home) to perform weird and wonderful circus performances in riverside towns all along the Sacramento River, from delta and finally San Francisco Bay. Grab a spot on the water park’s concrete bleachers to see their final summer performance before packing everything up and heading east to float down the Ohio or Mississippi rivers next year. Sunday, 7 p.m., Water Park, Beach and Larkin, SF Free. rivercircus.com
People of Plazas Free Market Street Summer Music Festival
If you work downtown and your boss made you come back to the office, you’ll get a free musical treat if you go out for lunch. People and Plazas is an annual free music festival making its return this year, rotating between a dozen parks, plazas and street corners on (or near) Market Street with more than 75 free concerts scheduled for the summer. While workers are still slowly returning to office buildings, the aim of the three-month festival is to create a fun reason to meet friends for lunch, hang out during the day and support local restaurants to help revive downtown life. July to September, most Tuesday to Friday, noon to 1 p.m. Twelve outdoor locations near Market Street, SF Free. peopleinplazas.org
Bastille on Belden returns after a break
After a long break, San Francisco seems to be trying to reclaim the title of “Paris of the West”. In the 1990s and 2000s, French restaurant Cafe Bastille hosted a lively 14th of July celebration in downtown’s narrow Place Belden. After an eight-year hiatus, the block party is finally back with a milder (but still delicious) evening planned. Don a free beret, listen to live classical accordion music and go hungry for a special evening of French-themed food at six restaurants, including Corsican braised mutton from Toy Soldier, coq au vin from Café Bastille and mussels at Sam’s Grill. thursday 5–9:30 p.m., Belden Place between Pine and Bush streets, SF No coverage, reservations recommended. centre-villef.org
111th Anniversary of Hayes Valley Carnival
More than 100 years ago, Hayes Valley held a carnival to showcase new neighborhood streets and bring visitors back to a part of town that had struggled to recover from the 1906 earthquake and fire. For the most part, the carnival was a success, until the contest loser Queen of the Carnival refused to accept the results of the vote and things turned into chaos and lawsuits (sound familiar?) . This year there are no elections, just a fun and free outdoor circus show with hopefully lots of clowns instead of controversy and somersaults without all the fuss. Saturday, July 16, 12pm-5pm, shows at 1pm and 3pm, PROXY, Hayes and Octavia, SF Free. proxysf.net
26th Annual Urban Youth Arts Festival
Everyone needs a safe and sanctioned place to have fun and express themselves. That’s what the annual San Francisco Urban Youth Arts Festival is all about. Especially if the fun you want to have is graffiti without Karens frowning. Precita Eyes Muralists, a non-profit urban arts organization, takes over Precita Park for the day by setting up 10 large blank canvases with a bunch of donated spray cans for 1,600 square feet of white space that will soon be overflowing with colors and creativity. As the DJs spin, watch five groups of young people compete in a live graffiti art competition, or grab a can to participate and collaborate on one of three community paint walls. Saturday, July 16, 1-5 p.m., Precita Park, 348 Precita Ave., SF free. precitaeyes.org
Visit Funcheap.com for a handpicked list of fun, free, and cheap things to do in San Francisco.
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