There's barely a weekend between May and October where there isn't some kind of street festival happening in this festival-happy town, and add to that all the food and drink festivals that come along in the warmer months, and you've got some major obstacles in the way of your swimwear diet. But for those who are on no such diet, there's plenty to look forward to this late spring and summer even though the big Street Food Fest has been called off this year, basically because it got too big.
May
May 19 - SF Weekly's Best Of SF Tasting Party - Celebrating their annual "Best of San Francisco" issue, this somewhat less expensive tasting event features plenty of complimentary gourmet bites along with wine, beer, and spirits to taste from various sponsors. It all happens Thursday at the Factory (525 Harrison Street), and advance tickets are only $20.
May 22 - Pig & Punch - Also known as Swig 'n' Swine, this event organized by the Bon Vivants of Trick Dog fame has happened in Portland, Austin, Miami and New Orleans, and it's come around to SF now for the first time. It's happening at the SoMa StrEat Food Park on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. $50 gets you in the door, and gets you all the porky goodness and delicious cocktails that you can handle, as well as a commemorative t-shirt. Participating chefs this year include Flour+Water and Central Kitchen's Thomas McNaughton, Delfina's Craig Stoll, and Liholiho Yacht Club's Ravi Kapur. The event is co-sponsored by Imbibe magazine and EatDrinkSF, and proceeds all go to a local charter school where a group of volunteers also goes for a day (it's actually today) to help with facility improvement projects. More info here, and find tickets here.
June
June 10-11 - Rhone Rangers - Lovers of Rhone-style wines should consider this annual affair, held at The Golden Gate Club in the Presidio, where a panel discussion with winemakers is followed by a grand tasting event with over 60 Rhone wines. Tickets are $125 for just Saturday, but a $250 weekend pass also gets you into a catered dinner on Friday that includes barrel tasting and more..
June 12 - CUESA's Annual Summer Celebration - Happening at the Ferry Building is this seasonal event organized by the folks who put on the farmers' market, featuring food and cocktails from an array of local restaurants and bars, all of it usually pretty good. And, as is traditional, you get to roam around and try each of the featured cocktails and dishes, and vote on your favorite. Tickets are $140, $100 of which is tax deductible.
June 18 - Beer Camp Across America - Sierra Nevada partnered with the SF Brewers Guild to host this big beer fest, which will be one of several held across the country, this one highlighting beer especially from Northern California. It sounds like a similar event to the popular kickoff tasting of Beer Week in February, with 120 breweries represented and hundreds of beers to try, as well as live music and food trucks, only this will happen at Pier 35. Advance tickets are $50, but that price will go up to $65 when the first batch sells out. $70 gets you in the door an hour early, if you want to avoid some lines. Find tickets here.
June 25 - Uncorked SF Wine Festival - For those who'd rather taste wine than beer, check out this inaugural festival happening at the Metreon's top floor City View space, featuring over 100 wines being poured. Also, there will be plenty of food for purchase, live music, a Champagne bar, and more. General admission is $55, and there are two three-hour sessions on the same day. And note, "cocktail attire is encouraged." See more here.
July
July 21-24 - Livermore Valley Wine Country’s Taste our Terroir - Head out to the wine region that's actually physically the closest to San Francisco, out in Livermore where it promises to be hot as blazes in July. A night time grand tasting event featuring local chefs and a bevy of Livermore Valley wines happens on Thursday (tickets are $85 in advance), and that's followed by a weekend of individual winery events including a lobster feed, a progressive dinner at three different wineries, and a tasting with chocolate pairings.
August
August 25-28 - EatDrinkSF - This year there are four grand tasting events at this big fest, formerly known as SF Chefs and now in its 8th year. They all happen over three days at the Fort Mason festival pavilion, and they each feature an array of cocktails, wine, and food from of San Francisco's best and most buzzed about chefs. $99 early bird tickets have gone on sale, and they will likely sell out after the price goes up and August rolls around. For those who have been to Pebble Beach Food & Wine, these tasting events are kind of like the grand tasting tent there, only the food tends to be more plentiful and better. Additionally, kicking off the weekend on Thursday, there's a Taco Knockdown at the Folsom Street Foundry, for the second year in a row.
TBA Night Market Type Event By La Cocina
While the Street Food Fest isn't happening, La Cocina's Caleb Zigas said this month that they were planning to do a ticketed event along the lines of the Night Markets they've done on Street Food Fest weekend the last few years. Look for that to happen sometime in August, and tickets to be made available here.
