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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

On the first Thursday of every month, all residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us!

  • General admission is free. 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 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

March 6, 2025
Noon–8 p.m.

From 5–7:30 p.m., stop by the White Box on Floor 4 to experience Outlandish Departures, an evening of performance, reflection, and tea created by artist April Banks and featuring the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Ensemble.

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

Free Community Day: Ruth Asawa
Sunday, April 13, 2025
10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tap into your own creativity and learn about one of the Bay Area’s most beloved artists at this Free Community Day in celebration of the opening of Ruth Asawa: Retrospective. SFMOMA has partnered with the organization Ruth’s Table to bring you a day of performances and hands-on making, facilitated by Bay Area artists who share Asawa’s belief in the power of art making to build connection and community.


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

Sunday, June 8, 2025
10 a.m.–4 p.m.

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.