SAN FRANCISCO — The Potrero Hill Festival returns Saturday, Oct. 17 for its 51st year, bringing live R&B, food and family activities to four blocks of 20th Street.
There is one detail readers should know before planning the day: the festival organizer currently advertises 10 a.m.–5 p.m., while SFMTA’s transportation bulletin describes an 11 a.m.–4 p.m. event window. The street closures and Muni reroute run much longer than either set of public-event hours.
What time is the Potrero Hill Festival?
The festival’s current website says 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. SFMTA’s current event advisory says 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SF News Today is using the organizer’s 10–5 window for the public program because it is the event’s own current page, while preserving SFMTA’s different 11–4 wording here so readers are not surprised by conflicting information elsewhere.
Where is the festival?
The festival stretches across 20th Street in Potrero Hill. The organizer describes four blocks of music, food and family programming.
The festival is also a fundraiser for neighborhood public schools and programs at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House.
Who is playing?
The current organizer schedule lists Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan on the Main Stage at 1:30 p.m. and Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s at 2:30 p.m. The Central Stage lineup includes The Klipptones, JC Smith Blues Band and But-tah Butterfly.
Because festival lineups can shift, people traveling for one performer should recheck the organizer’s schedule on the morning of the event.
Which streets close for the Potrero Hill Festival?
SFMTA says the following closures run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
- 20th Street between Wisconsin and Missouri streets
- Connecticut Street south of 19th Street
- Missouri Street between 19th and 20th streets
Those closure hours begin well before the festival opens and continue after the public program ends, so residents and drivers should not plan around only the advertised festival hours.
How is the 55 Dogpatch rerouted?
The 55 Dogpatch reroutes from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Inbound buses to 16th Street/Mission BART skip 20th & Missouri and Connecticut & 19th; SFMTA lists Pennsylvania & 20th and Connecticut & 18th as alternate locations.
Outbound buses to Dogpatch also skip 20th & Missouri during the reroute. SFMTA lists Connecticut & 19th and 20th & Pennsylvania as alternates for that direction.
Should you drive?
Parking immediately around the festival will be constrained by the closure footprint. The 55 still serves the neighborhood on a detour, and the T Third stops at 20th Street on Third Street, making transit a practical alternative to circling for parking near 20th Street.
Check live transit conditions before leaving, especially if another Oct. 17 event changes traffic elsewhere in the city.