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
On the first Thursday of every month, all residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend an evening at the museum on us!
- General admission is free from 4–8 p.m. Surcharged exhibitions require separate paid tickets.
- Tickets are available approximately two weeks in advance. 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 sponsor, illy:
Enjoy a COMPLIMENTARY coffee when you attend First Thursdays! Buy one illy coffee drink; get one free (of equal or lesser value, while supplies last) at Steps Coffee on Floor 2. To redeem your offer, use the illy coffee voucher that you will receive along with your pre-visit email from SFMOMA or at the visitor desk when you get your tickets on-site at the museum.
Upcoming Dates/Programs
July 3, 2025
4–8 p.m.
From 4–7 p.m. experience a night of hands-on art making and performance curated by ARTogether, an organization whose mission is to provide art programs that foster compassionate communities where refugees and immigrants can flourish.
August 7, 2025
4–8 p.m.
In August, join us for Art x Nature, an evening of workshops, art making, and talks that will inspire you to reflect on the connections between art and nature.
While you are downtown, check out Downtown First Thursday, a monthly neighborhood street party over on Second Street.
With support from Google.org.
Presenting support for First Thursdays is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.
Major support 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 Dates
TBD
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. General admission to the museum is free for up to four adults accompanying one child or teen (eighteen and younger), and tickets are available two weeks in advance. Surcharged exhibitions are not included and require separate paid tickets. For more information on Free Family Day, see our FAQ.
Upcoming Free Family Days
September 14, 2025
The next Free Family Day will feature programming and events around our new exhibition People Make This Place: SFAI Stories. Check back closer to the date for the full schedule.
In the meantime, enjoy art making and storytelling around a different theme each month at Second Sundays for Families.
Lead support for Free Family Days is provided by the Koret Foundation.
Presenting support is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.
Major support is provided by the Hearst Foundations.
Significant support is provided by Deborah and Kenneth Novack.
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.