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First Thursdays + Free Days at SFMOMA

Thanks to the generosity of our funders, SFMOMA offers regularly scheduled free days and guests 18 and younger always enjoy free admission to the museum. We regularly update this page with upcoming dates and activities, but you can also sign up for our newsletter to be notified when new events, exhibitions, and activities are announced.


First Thursdays at SFMOMA

All residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us! From noon–8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, Bay Area residents can enjoy SFMOMA’s galleries filled with lively and inspiring art and related events — for free.

Tickets and event details become available about two weeks in advance, and reserving online is highly encouraged. Limit two adult tickets per reservation. Qualifying counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

SPECIAL OFFER from First Thursdays major sponsor, illy: All visitors on First Thursdays can enjoy a COMPLIMENTARY cup of illy drip coffee at Steps Coffee (while supplies last), our coffee bar on Floor 2 in Schwab Hall. Steps Coffee will be open until 6 p.m. To redeem your offer, use the voucher that you will receive along with your pre-visit email from SFMOMA or at the visitor desk when you get your tickets onsite at the museum.

Upcoming Dates/Programs

December 5, 2024
Noon–8 p.m.

For First Thursday in December, get some holiday shopping done while supporting the Bay Area creative community at the 2024 Small Press Book Bazaar! From artist books and zines to posters, T-shirts, and mixtapes, you’re sure to find something unique for everyone on your list — including yourself!

At 6 p.m., head to Wattis Theater on Floor 1 to hear Bay Area artist, trailblazing media pioneer, and influential educator Doug Hall discuss his newly published memoir, This Is Doug Hall.

Plus, while you are downtown, check out Downtown First Thursday, a monthly neighborhood street party over on Second Street!

Presenting support for First Thursdays is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.

Major support for First Thursdays is provided by Concepción S. and Irwin Federman.

Significant support is provided by illy.

Additional support is provided by the Yerba Buena Partnership.


Free Community Days

Free Community Days offer free museum-wide admission to all visitors. Combined with a wide range of immersive activities and performances inspired by the latest SFMOMA exhibition, these Free Community Days highlight the extraordinary creativity of local artists and community organizations. Mark your calendar for the next one, and enjoy a unique opportunity to learn, create, and connect with fellow community members!

Upcoming Free Community Days

April 6, 2024
The next Free Community Day will celebrate the opening of Ruth Asawa: Retrospective. Check back closer to the date for programming details.


Free Family Days at SFMOMA

Enjoy a day of art and family fun at SFMOMA! These special days include art-making activities for the whole family in our Koret Education Center, located on Floor 2, plus additional activities and activations. Admission to the museum is free for up to four adults accompanying one child or teen (eighteen and younger). For more information on Free Family Day, see our FAQ.

Upcoming Free Family Days

Free Family Day: Get in the Game
Sunday, December 8, 2024
10 a.m.–4 p.m.

What do art and games have in common? They both involve PLAY! Join us for a game- and sport-filled day at the museum celebrating Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture. Bring your entire team, I mean, family! Remember, four adults get in free with one child 18 or younger, so if you have three kids, you could field a baseball team!

Schedule

10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium, Floor 1

Holiday Makers Market kids’ section
Button-making and library resources

Helen and Charles Schwab Hall, Floor 2

Holiday Makers Market

Koret Education Center, Floor 2

Grab It game
Artcade games
Game-themed raffle
Giveaway kits
Grab It winners prize pickup

Floor 3

Coloring activity, next to Jenifer K Wofford’s mural VMD

Floor 7

Gene Luen Yang’s “Get in the Game” Activity Book

10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box, Floor 4

Break dance lessons and presentation by the Oakland Originalz

11:30 a.m.–noon
1–1:30 p.m.

Phillis Wattis Theater, Floor 1

Storytime with the San Francisco Public Library

Lead support for Free Family Days is provided by the Koret Foundation.

Koret Logo updated

Presenting support is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.

Major support is provided by the Hearst Foundations.

Meaningful support is provided by the John & Marcia Goldman Family Free Sundays Endowment Fund.

Additional support is provided by Kevin Perkins and Maggie Rothschild and Geoffrey and Priscilla Weber.


Kara Walker, Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine), 2024 (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art); commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; © Kara Walker, courtesy Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and Sprüth Magers; photo: Fredrik Nilsen Studio

Always Free to See

SFMOMA offers 45,000 square feet of art-filled public spaces that are open to the public. Check out what’s currently on view in our always free-to-see area, including poignant mural commissions by local artists.