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www.sterngrove.org; Sun mid-Jun–Aug). You may see the symphony’s first-chair trumpeter blowing jazz, Joan Baez strumming her guitar, Bollywood superstar Kailash Kher performing funked-out Sufi music, or the SF ballet showcasing highlights from its season. The setting is gorgeous – a wooded dell surrounded by fragrant eucalyptus trees that whoosh in the wind. Granted, the sound isn’t as good as in a silent concert hall, but here you can chat up the locals sitting beside you, sharing picnics on blankets. Shows start at 2pm, but we recommend arriving by 11am (or earlier) to snag a good spot on the grass. Don’t come late: once the lawn fills, it closes. You can enter a lottery for six seats at a picnic table (www.sterngrove.org/picnictableseats) – the deadline for entries is the Monday preceding a show. Bring a picnic and warm clothing: it may be sunny and warm downtown, but the grove will likely be foggy and cold. Stern Grove (Map) is located at 19th Ave and Sloat Blvd. (Note: it is not in Golden Gate Park.) Take Muni bus 28 or 23, or take the K or M streetcar to the St Francis Circle Muni stop. There’s also a free bicycle valet. Don’t drive: parking is (nearly) impossible.

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SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCES

415-677-0325; www.performances.org; tickets $32-50

SF Performances hosts excellent shows, from vocalists and solo classical pianists to jazz ensembles, a guitar series and family matinees. Most take place at the Herbst Theater (Map), where the UN Charter was signed in 1945.

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FREE & OUTDOORS

Free outdoor entertainment abounds in summer, when the city’s dance, theater and music companies mount performances in parks.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (www.strictlybluegrass.com; Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park; 3-7pm Fri, 11am-7pm Sat & Sun, early Oct; 33) Sip wine out of paper cups (BYO) and listen to lefty political commentary between front-porch hillbilly gospel and traditional bluegrass, with headliners like Aimee Mann and Marianne Faithful.

Levi’s Plaza Park (Map; www.sfjazz.org; 1270 Battery St; from noon Wed, Sep–mid-Oct; 10, F) Presents jazz styles from post-bebop jazz to blues and sometimes a little klezmer.

Old St Mary’s Noontime Concerts (Map; 415-777-3211; www.noontimeconcerts.org; 660 California St; from 12:30pm Tue; 1, 15, 30, 45; California, Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde) Features a varied repertoire of free classical performances (sometimes indoors).

Opera in the Park ( 415-864-3330; www.sfopera.com/park; Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park; 1:30-3:30pm 2nd Sun in Sep; 33) This noncostumed concert heralds the start of opera season, drawing close to 50,000. Arrive early. Also Click here.

San Francisco Mime Troupe ( 415-285-1717; www.sfmt.org) A roving theater troupe that performs at parks throughout SF and the East Bay. Don’t expect silent, white-faced mimes – this is strong political-musical theater in the commedia dell’arte tradition. Donations appreciated.

San Francisco Shakespeare Festival ( 415-558-0888; www.sfshakes.org; Sat & Sun Jul-Sep; 33) Among the city’s most popular outdoor events. Each year one play is performed some 20-odd times at various Bay Area parks; in SF it’s around Labor Day. Check online for location – either Golden Gate Park or the Presidio. Arrive two hours early.

Stern Grove Festival See the boxed text, opposite.

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SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Map

415-864-6000; www.sfsymphony.org; tickets $30-125; Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave; 21, 47, 49; & Civic Center

The SF Symphony often wins Grammys, thanks to celeb-conductor and musical-director Michael Tilson Thomas, the world’s foremost Mahler impresario. When he’s not on the podium, other famous conductors take the baton. The orchestra is joined by the Grammy-winning Symphony Chorus for serious choral works, such as Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. During festivals over summer and at Christmas, look for stars like Bernadette Peters, Pink Martini and Peabo Bryson. During intermission, head all the way upstairs and stand on the flying-saucer-like balconies for bird’s-eye views of City Hall.

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