Things to Do in San Francisco October 2019 | Events, Festivals, Movies, Concerts & More
Autumn has officially arrived in San Francisco and, as usual, ushered in San Francisco’s late summer with some of the hottest days (and events) of the year.
After temperatures soared above 90ºF towards the end of September, though, we must admit we are ready for cooler fall weather. That’s why we’re considering heading down to Half Moon Bay for the annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, we’ll savor the last warm days of the year leading up to Halloween in San Francisco with picnics and bars with outdoor patios.
As usual, there is no shortage of things to do in San Francisco this October: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will finally begin to preview this month at the Curran Theatre before officially premiering in November (click here to get our exclusive promo code); 25 of Northern California’s finest Pinot Noir vintners will descend on San Francisco for Pinots & Plaid; and Rocky Horror Picture Show and other Halloween classics will be screening across the city all month long.
From spooky cinema to bluegrass in the park, here is the 49 Miles Must-List of things to do in San Francisco this October.
Jump to a Section:
• Live Music Festivals & Concerts in San Francisco, October 2019
• Live Theatre in San Francisco, October 2019
• Film & Cinema in San Francisco, October 2019
• Sporting Events in San Francisco, October 2019
• More Things to Do in San Francisco, October 2019
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Food & Wine Events in San Francisco, October 2019
Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Event
Taste highly acclaimed wines from Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Wineries of the Year and meet some of the world’s top producers. Feast on delicious bites from New & Notable Bay Area restaurants and enjoy fresh oysters, local cheeses and an array of artisan specialties. Wine & Spirits Top 100 benefits San Francisco Baykeeper, an organization helping to protect local water resources and supporting initiatives to fight water pollution.
General Admission ($135) and VIP ($185) tickets are now on sale.
Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Event | Thursday, October 10 from 5:30–8:30 pm | Buy Tickets
Photo: Natalie Schrik for Drew Altizer Photography. Photo: Natalie Schrik for Drew Altizer Photography. Photo: Natalie Schrik for Drew Altizer Photography.
Pinots & Plaid Wine Tasting
Local luxury wine and travel influencer (The JetSetting Fashionista) and event planner Emily Martin is hosting the first annual Pinots and Plaid event at the historic and newly renovated Hibernia Bank in San Francisco on October 26th.
This luxurious afternoon will showcase 25 of Northern California’s finest Pinot Noir vintners for an exclusive wine tasting experience, paired with delicious cuisine and other bites from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, B. Patisserie, and more. Winery participants include 49 Miles’s #SonomaMustList favorites Three Sticks Wines, Bucher Wines, and Gary Farrell Winery, in addition to other highly acclaimed wineries.
Throw on your best tartans and enjoy the best Pinots from Northern California and more! General Admission ($115) and VIP ($185) tickets are on sale now. Use Promo code 49MILES for a $10 savings on your ticket.
Pinots & Plaid Wine Tasting | Saturday, October 26 from 2:00–5:30 pm | Buy Tickets with Promo Code 49MILES
Off the Grid’s Last Presidio Picnic of 2019
Off the Grid is one of our favorite things to in San Francisco at any time of the year. Off the Grid’s weekly community event with food and drink from more than 30+ international mobile food creators at the Presidio is coming to an end for its 2019 season.
Off the Grid’s Presidio Picnic historically returns on the last Sunday of March. Don’t miss this free culinary event!
Off the Grid’s Final Presidio Picnic 2019 | Sunday, October 20 at 11:00 am | RSVP
Trick or Drink: San Francisco Halloween Bar Crawl
Barcrawlerz is taking over San Francisco for Halloween with a special two-day event where you can choose to crawl San Francisco’s best drink specials ($3-4 beers, $4-5 well drinks, $5-6 shots) on Halloween Weekend, Halloween itself, or both!
Trick or Drink Baw Crawl | Saturday, October 26 & Thursday, October 31 | Buy Tickets
Live Music Festivals & Concerts in San Francisco, October 2019
2019 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
San Francisco’s beloved, free three-day music festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, is back for its 19th year in Golden Gate Park. This year’s headliners include Grace Potter, The New Pornographers, and Iron & Wine.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass | October 4th–October 6th | Learn More
October 2019 Concerts at Chase Center
The Chase Center has finally opened in Mission Bay after 40 years of urban planning to redevelop the neighborhood. Below are the concerts you won’t want to miss this October. Be sure to check out our pick for where to eat and drink before the show or game.
Chase Center October 2019 San Francisco Concert Lineup:
October 8: Jonas Brothers: Happiness Begins Tour | Find Tickets
October 9: The Who: Moving On! | Find Tickets
October 13: Logic: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Tour | Find Tickets
October 17: Phil Collins Still Not Dead Yet, Live! | Find Tickets
October 19: Marc Anthony | Find Tickets
October 30: Sara Bareilles: Amidst The Chaos Tour | Find Tickets
All upcoming Concerts & Events at the Chase Center
Live Theatre Shows in San Francisco, October 2019
Photo: TodayTix. Photo: TodayTix.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Curran Theatre
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the official eighth installment of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World epic about the “The Boy Who Lived,” is finally making its West Coast debut. Cursed Child will begin previewing at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre from October 23rd to November 17th, before it makes its official premiere.
Use our exclusive Promo Code 49MILES for discounted tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco when you purchase them on TodayTix. Each week, TodayTix will have a Friday Forty lottery, offering a chance to win $40 tickets to the show ($20 per part).
Speaking of the Curran Theatre, did you know it’s on our list of the most haunted places in San Francisco? Beware of dementors!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Beginning October 23rd | Buy Tickets on TodayTix with Promo Code 49MILES
Rocky Horror Show Live at Victoria Theatre
San Francisco icon and drag queen D’arcy Drollinger returns to the lab as Frank-N-Furter for the fifth year of Ray of Light’s smash Halloween event. This newly reimagined interpretation of Rocky Horror Picture Show brings new sets, choreography, and direction, but the same madness of Transexual Transylvania.
Rocky Horror Show Live | October 23rd–November 2nd | Buy Tickets
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Live! at Oasis
The cult classic film, which inspired the television series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, is coming to stage at San Francisco’s Oasis night club in the form of a drag show.
“Into every generation a slayer is born: one drag queen in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill and the perfect shade of lip gloss to fight the vampires, demons, and the shady queens of darkness. She is the Slayer.”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Live! | October 10th–November 10th | Buy Tickets
Film & Cinema Events in San Francisco, October 2019
Get Out at the San Francisco Symphony
Jordan Peele’s instantly iconic 2017 horror film, Get Out, is making its debut at the San Francisco Symphony. When Chris, an African American man, visits his white girlfriend’s estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister reason for the invitation. If you haven’t seen Get Out, you need to get out to the Symphony on October 30th for this unique screening with original singers from the film, DC6 Singers.
Get Out | Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30 pm | Tickets from $70 | Buy Tickets
13 Days of Halloween at the Castro Theatre
The Castro Theatre is kicking-off a frightening movie line-up with Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s latest masterpiece inspired by Charles Manson and the Tate-Labianca murders, which was praised by Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra Tate. The sure-to-be Oscar-nominated film will run from October 15th through the 17th, before San Francisco’s Castro Theatre dives into 13 days of Halloween on October 18th, starting with a 7:30 pm screening of Halloween, followed by Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.
The Castro’s 13 nights of Halloween line-up also includes Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, Carrie, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, and Rosemary’s Baby.
Castro Theatre | Showtimes Vary | $13 Adults | Buy Tickets on Fandango
The Innocents and XX at SFMOMA
Every October, SFMOMA screens artistic horror films you probably missed. This Halloween season, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is screening The Innocents as part of its Silver Screen film series, and XX as part of the Voices Cary: Women in Film series.
The Innocents is 1961 film co-written by Truman Capote and based upon Henry James’s 1898 novella, The Turn of the Screw. SFMOMA describes the film as “piercing psychological thrillers that follows a governess (Deborah Kerr) as she begins to suspect the children in her care are possessed.”
The Innocents | Friday, October 11 at 2 pm | $10 Members | $12 General | Buy Tickets
Spend Halloween night in the dark with SFMOMA’s screening of XX, an all-female horror anthology which provides a feminist take on the male-dominated genre. The four horror films center on complex female characters, and includes the directorial debut of Annie Clark of the band St. Vincent.
XX | Thursday, October 31 at 7 pm | Free to the Public | RSVP
Sporting Events in San Francisco, October 2019
Though the Giants shot at another Orange October have come and gone, October is gearing up to be a hot month for sports in San Francisco.
On October 5th, the Golden State Warriors will have their first preseason game at the Chase Center against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors will host three preseason games at Chase Center and one Open Practice before the team’s first official home game of the NBA season on October 24th against the LA Clippers.
Click here for a full schedule and tickets to Warriors games at Chase Center.
More Things to Do in San Francisco, October 2019
San Francisco Pumpkin Patches
Celebrate the arrival of Fall in San Francisco by visiting one of the many urban pumpkin patches. Our top pick has always been Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch in the Inner Sunset. Clancy’s opened in 1979 as San Francisco’s first pumpkin patch.
This year, Clancy’s has relocated to 2101 Sloat Avenue, near the San Francisco Zoo at Skyline Boulevard.
Tour a Haunted House in San Francisco
San Francisco Heritage is back with its four-night only Mayhem Mansion event.
Tour one of San Francisco’s most haunted locations, The Haas-Lilienthal House on October 18th, 19th, 25th, or 26th.
The 7th annual Mayhem Mansion is one of San Francisco’s scariest and most authentic haunts with immersive tours in the haunted Victorian-era house museum. A cash bar will serve beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages at this ghostly event.
Mayhem Mansion at The Haas-Lilienthal House | October 18–19 & 25–26 | $15-23 | Get Tickets
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