Welcome To Permits and Reservations
We offer hundreds of different venues throughout San Francisco to host everything from picnics to concerts to weddings to birthday parties. From venues with spectacular views to beautiful gardens, San Francisco Recreation and Parks offers many spectacular sites. In addition we have venues to host virtually all sports from major stadiums to soccer and ball field complexes. We have indoor facilities to accommodate meetings, weddings and games. Our permits and reservations department is dedicated to helping you to find the venue that works best with your needs.
Rain Out Info
Adults and children of all ages enjoy our variety of different athletic fields. We have soccer fields to meet every need from NCAA regulation fields to 7 aside or microcsoccer. We have small diamonds that are perfect for youth to adult size baseball and softball diamonds. We have football and lacrosse fields. We even have areas for fun kickball, volleyball or flag football games that can be combined with a picnic and barbecue. Depending on your needs we offer a range of ways to book facilities. Leagues, programs and events can apply online months in advance and confirm the availability of their fields with plenty of time to plan their seasons. Residents who just want a space for a spontaneous event or practice can also book. We look forward to helping you!
We offer many different picnic areas ranging from beautiful areas in Golden Gate Park with a barbecue grill to neighborhood picnic areas where you can hold a community event or child’s birthday party. Dolores Park, Julius Kahn Playground, Douglas Park, Pine Lake Park are just a few of the many wonderful venues. Depending on your needs some sites allow jumper houses, others have space for volleyball or kickball. Our sites are very popular so plan to book early!
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has many indoor spaces ranging from recreation centers to clubhouses to specialty locations that can accommodate events for between 20 and 500 people. Major sites include the County Fair Building, Conservatory of Flowers, the Stern Grove (Trocadero) Clubhouse and the beautifully renovated Sunnyside Conservatory. We also have recreation centers and clubhouses with rooms ranging from auditoriums to gyms to meeting rooms. While our recreation centers are often busy with programs that are run by our department, there are dates and times when you can book a meeting or event.
Kezar Stadium, former home of the San Francisco 49ers, is a 10,000 seat multi-use stadium complete with a track that, in addition to hosting major sporting events, is used by thousands of runners and joggers. Kezar Pavilion is the city's home for major events such as the Pro-Am Summer Basketball League, Roller Derby, and features High School/Basketball games. Boxer Stadium is used for premier adult soccer and rugby matches. Candlestick Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers is also available to rent.
We have many special event venues for concerts, races, or parties. Venues include iconic locations like Union Square, Coit Tower, Washington Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, Civic Center, Stern Grove and Japantown Peace Plaza. Other venues have high levels of foot traffic like Justin Hermann Plaza (a transportation hub which also draws many to the Ferry Building for the Farmers’ Market), the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park, (located between the De Young Museum and the Academy of Science), and Marina Green (a central location for boating, running and viewing the Golden Gate Bridge). We also offer locations for events in beautiful park settings like the Meadows in Golden Gate Park and Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park. Any event open to the public or involving amplified sound or selling food or merchandise is considered a special event. Let us help you to plan your event.
Hundreds of San Francisco residents choose to get married each year in our parks or facilities. Golden Gate Park is the site of many popular locations from the Rose Garden to Shakespeare Garden to the Chinese Pavilion. The newly renovated Fay Park in Russian Hill has become a hidden gem for weddings. The beautifully refurbished Sunnyside Conservatory can be used for a wedding and reception. The Stern Grove area together with the Trocadero Clubhouse remains a favorite spot with many. Wedding sites can be booked one year in advance.
Many popular films have been shots in San Francisco park locations. Some of the most popular have included Memoirs of a Geisha, The Princess Diaries, The Wedding Planner, Bicentennial Man, The Rock, Dirty Harry and many many others. Television shows, advertisements and other photo shoots choose our parks. We are dedicated to helping to make it happen. All film, video or photo production on Recreation and Park Department property requires a Film Permit if the production could be sold or the photographer or crew is paid. This includes "non-profit" productions.
We want to help you to reserve the space that you need. We are in the process of updating our phone systems to make that easier for you. Please call us at 831-5510 or 831-5500 so that we can help you. In addition, we welcome you to stop by and visit us at the Pioneer Log Cabin, 2 Stowe Lake Drive, Golden Gate Park. We are open 9 am to 5 pm Mon thru Fri and 9 am to 12 noon on Saturdays. For more details on how to reserve a specific space and the fees involved, please go to the webpage for that space.
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