San Francisco’s October 16–18 weekend offers seven ways to get out without buying an admission ticket, with free events stretching from the waterfront to the Excelsior.

Friday brings the Fort Mason Night Market, starting at 5 p.m., and a Sundown Cinema screening of Beetlejuice at Crane Cove Park. Market entry is free; food and other purchases still cost money. For the movie, bring a blanket and give yourself time to settle into the waterfront setting.

Saturday’s choices include the Bay Area Science Festival at UCSF Mission Bay, with more than 125 hands-on experiences from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Potrero Hill Festival on 20th Street.

In the Mission, Brava’s free, family-friendly block party celebrates the theater building’s 100th anniversary with performances, DJs, art activities and film screenings. Hunters Point Shipyard Open Studios offers another way to spend the weekend exploring the city’s creative side.

Sunday Streets Excelsior closes nearly a mile of Mission Street to cars between Geneva Avenue and Theresa Street from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expect family activities, a clothing swap, gathering spaces and room to walk or roll down the street.

You do not need to fit everything into one weekend. Pick a neighborhood you rarely visit and make a few hours of it. Admission may be free, but remember to budget for transportation, food and any spontaneous shopping.

UCSF Mission Bay becomes a hands-on science playground on Saturday, October 17, when the Bay Area Science Festival brings more than 125 exhibits and experiences to campus from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free. The emphasis is on participation: experiments, demonstrations, games, stage presentations and conversations with scientists and engineers working throughout the Bay Area.

For children, the day offers a chance to see STEM beyond a classroom assignment. For adults, it opens a window into research that often stays behind laboratory doors. Universities, museums, schools, nonprofits, companies and research organizations all contribute to the festival’s mix.

Free behind-the-scenes lab tours offer a deeper look at specialized facilities, but capacity is very limited and advance registration is required. Anyone making a last-minute plan should focus on the main festival rather than assuming a tour spot will be available.

The broader purpose is to make the region’s scientific community accessible. Visitors can ask questions directly, see work demonstrated up close and meet people who have turned curiosity into a career.

Expect a busy campus and allow time for popular activities. Arriving earlier gives families more room to explore at their own pace. The festival can also anchor a day in Mission Bay, with a waterfront walk or lunch nearby. You do not need to arrive already loving science; curiosity is a good starting point.

Brava Theater Center is taking its birthday celebration into the street on Saturday, October 17, with a free, family-friendly block party on 24th Street between Bryant and Hampshire.

The event marks three milestones: 100 years for the historic theater building, 40 years of Brava! for Women in the Arts and 30 years of community ownership. Together, those anniversaries tell a story about an arts institution that has kept changing while staying rooted in the Mission.

The afternoon includes live performances, DJ sets, art activities and film screenings. The outdoor lineup includes Cuicacalli, La Mezcla, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company and comedian Marga Gomez, with DJs later in the day.

Inside the theater, films explore San Francisco’s lowrider culture, including women’s experiences and the history surrounding the movement. The mix gives visitors several ways to participate rather than a single performance to plan around.

Brava’s work has centered artistic voices that have historically had fewer opportunities on major stages, including women, people of color, youth and LGBTQIA+ artists. A public street celebration brings that mission into the neighborhood.

For residents, it is an easy reason to spend an afternoon on a stretch of 24th Street shared by restaurants, shops and community institutions. Come for the performances or films, then leave time to enjoy the Mission around them. A century-old theater’s birthday deserves a little wandering.

T&T Supermarket has announced a November 5 opening at 9 a.m. at City Center, 2675 Geary Boulevard, Suite 300, near Masonic Avenue. During our October 13 issue week, it remains a forthcoming destination.

The roughly 50,000-square-foot former Best Buy space will become a market built around Asian groceries and prepared meals. That is a significant change for a large retail vacancy: a supermarket gives residents reasons to return for ordinary errands after opening-day excitement fades.

The announced offering includes a hot food bar, barbecue station, sushi counter, baked goods and Korean and Japanese beauty products. The location is also slated to introduce the first T&T Café in the United States, with made-to-order specialty drinks.

For home cooks, the appeal could be combining pantry shopping with lunch in one stop. For newcomers to the chain, prepared food may provide a starting point before exploring ingredients for a new recipe.

The Canadian retailer’s San Francisco debut follows its California opening in San Jose earlier this year. Whether it becomes part of residents’ regular routines will depend on prices, selection, checkout speed and the ease of getting groceries home.

Those questions will be answered after the doors open. Regular hours and opening promotions are not confirmed here, so recheck the opening information before making a special trip. The neighborhood’s next chapter will be measured in repeat visits.