It was the first time I attended the 2024 Annual Dahlia Show, and it was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. We got there a little past 10:00am and it was already pretty crowded. As we admired dahlias of all arrangements, colors, and sizes, we saw judges going around putting colored stickers on the submissions. By the time we left, it was packed with people of all ages. I would definitely come back next year, especially since it was free admission! read more

San Francisco County Fair Building - Some of the beautiful dahlias on display! - Public Services & Government Near Me - San Francisco, California

No matter how clean, updated, or bright this place is, something about the venue makes it look and feel quite dull and underwhelming. Interesting events I've attended here, such as the annual Dahlia Competition and the SF Chocolate Salon (which occurred this past weekend), seem to become less exciting just by being held in this building. Can't quite put my finger on it, because there's nothing really problematic about the place, it has an easy to access restroom and a wonderful location and setting at Golden Gate Park. But I can't shake off the disappointment that it doesn't offer any features making it anything more than ordinary, and it's quite small, so it does get crowded easily. I did get my chocolate fix here this past Sunday though, so can't complain too much about the diversity of events held here. read more

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An excellent location for a event space! Flowers shows, plant sales and kids activities. The SF County Fairgrounds building is so convenient to Golden Gate Park. It could use some modernization though. read more

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#139/2016 Other Yelpers are right: The building is a bit dated and the fluorescent lights gave me a headache. But, how nice is it that our city has an exhibition space for small events including yesterday's pop-up event for local merchants selling handmade wares for the holidays? The event space itself is 1960s bland but it's functional. The brick exterior fits nicely and unobtrusively in Golden Gate Park right off the 9th Avenue entrance adjacent to the SF Botanical Gardens (which is free, by the way, if you're a resident). Public transit is easy and parking isn't bad if you have luck or parking karma (my little boy is my charm!) I'd estimate there were about 70 different vendors inside the building and on the covered patio. It looked like they had a nice big lot for vendors to load/unload. Do bring layers or a coat to wear as the indoor space wasn't heated (the doors to the patio and entry were open so people could mill in and out). It was an enjoyable event; I shopped small and local to fill the rest of my holiday gift list. And afterwards for dinner, we strolled a block away to choose from the many satisfying neighborhood restaurants including Pacific Catch, Ebisu, Pluto's, Crepevine and Park Chow. read more

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This is a very late review but well deserved! My husband and I were married here by default. 3/13/16, the week of the first huge storm in a very very long time. We were supposed to be wed in Stern Grove, but it was deemed unsafe and had to close. So Park and Rec. moved us here pretty last minute. The accommodations were outstanding so much so they blocked off a strip of parking across the street just for our guests. The building caretaker was extremely helpful and ensured we had everything we needed. We were even able to venture into the Botanical Gardens (And all over the building) for photos! The space was much larger than the Grove and it was actually a blessing. We could have invited more people! We were the first couple to be married here and that in itself was so special, especially for us natives. read more

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So I've wanted to review the San Francisco County Fair Building for well over a year now, but everytime that I google it, I find little, next to no information about this wonderous building. I can find no schedule. I can find no phone number. I even find mixed information about it's actual name. But no harm done. There is a reason why San Francisco County Fair Building has such a mysterious past and present. It's magical. Pure magic. See below for why. 1.)The Iris Exhibit 2.)The Zine Fair 3.) The Old Paper/Magazine fair 4.) The Craft Fair 5.) The Cannabis Festival 6.) Vegetarian Day I have been to all of these, but one. read more

I come here once a year for the SF Zine Fest. It is a great older building that can house a lot of tables. The bathrooms never seem to be too dirty, making it operational. It can get a little hot in the building with so many people breathing. That for some reason always makes me confused because SF is supposed to be so much colder. Getting here. I recommend taking transit. Don't compete with all the other people who think they can drive here and find a spot. Muni brings you super close, just go on 511.org. read more

San Francisco County Fair Building is located at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way. For folks arriving from the east bay, the most direct route is taking 101 to Octavia Blvd., taking Octavia north to Fell Street, taking Fell to Kezar to Lincoln (one continuous road), and then continuing westward on Lincoln. As is the cases with many places in S.F., you need to be extra-careful about tricky situations in driving, such as taking an on-ramp to a highway that leads you to a place you don't want, or the frequent problem of pedestrians who walk directly in front of moving cars, or the impossible parking situation, and the like. GOLDEN GATE STEM FAIR. This is an annual science fair that is similar to the city-wide science fair at the Randall Museum, located in Corona Heights Park. I served as a science fair judge at both of these science fairs. For each science fair, there are about 25 judges. The judges include faculty members from S.F. City College, from U.C. Berkeley, from UCSF, and from El Cerrito High School, as well as employees who work at one of the California State Parks, and employees at California Academy of Sciences. FINALISTS AT SCIENCE FAIR (March 21, 2018). Judging occurs at a rapid pace bordering on the frantic. I was as methodical as possible, and spent 5 minutes on each project, while taking a full page of notes for each project. The other judge took mental notes, and after each session with ten projects, we compared notes (my paper notes; his mental notes) and for each of the four sets of ten projects, we were in complete agreement as to what was the best project. I arrived at 7:00 am, and spent an hour in my car listening to a CD of chamber music by Poulenc. Then, the doors opened. Then, pairs or trios of judges were assigned to work together. COLORED VANILLA PUDDING. I liked the experiment where vanilla pudding was mixed with red dye or yellow dye or orange dye, and subjects were asked about the taste. One result was that subjects eating the red-colored vanilla pudding mostly thought it was vanilla flavored, but others thought it was strawberry flavored while some thought it was cherry. Another result was that subjects eating the yellow-colored vanilla pudding mostly thought it was vanilla flavored, but others thought it was banana, and a few others thought it was lemon. DISTRACTING SOUNDS. I liked the sound-distraction experiment, where people were taught to play SUDOKU, and then played this game without distracting sounds, or with crunching potato chip sounds, gum chewing sounds, or pen clicking sounds. Although I am not sure if this project could lead to a commercially viable or marketable product, I liked the study design, and I liked the student's discussion of "flaws" in the experiment. One "flaw" mentioned was that in the sequence where the first test was "no sound" and where the second test was "with sound," the SUDOKU score would always be expected to be improved with the second test, because the subject already had gained experience with the SUDOKU game during the "no sound" test. MEMORY OF TRAFFIC INCIDENTS. The project I liked the very best, of all the projects that I judged at STEM FAIR, was about subjects watching videos of a street scene where there was a car accident, where the project measured ability of the subjects to remember details, such as car colors. The write-up mentioned the work of psychologist Elizabeth Loftus. HAPPINESS. Another of the best projects involved distributing surveys about happiness to many, many study subjects. Each subject responded to the same questions, e.g., relating to feelings of self-worth. At this point, I was subjected to a time crunch and I wasn't able to take notes. read more

This exterior of this building fits the environment. The interior seems a bit dated. Yet, it works well for all the different events I have attended here. Other than the bathrooms, I don't think it should be updated at all. It seems to belong in the park. Any taller building would look out of place. read more

I've been coming to the San Francisco County Fair Building once a year for the past five years. It's like the coming of the locusts or a Halley's comet sighting - except a lot more frequent. I have judged regional science fairs there (as my quick tip suggested) for five years. The one thing that can be said about the building is not actually anything about the facility itself, but it's surroundings. It's near the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, the deYoung Museum, and the conservatory, which is some impressive real estate. For eight hours (when not judging) I can look out the window and see all the beauty of San Francisco from one of the many large picture windows. I believe this space can be rented out for other occasions as well -- it would be well worth the investigation. read more

Generally adequate. Easy MUNI access and try-your-luck parking. If you insist on driving, you can always opt to park in the museum garage and simply walk over. If you're lucky, it'll be on a day that the Twirl and Dip truck is parked nearby, so you can enjoy an ice cream along the way. Bathrooms are oldish but functional. No diaper changing station. read more

I'm familiar with some organizations that have rented this facility for events, which is a whole different story. It's a great space in a great location, lots of foot traffic, transit access, in a busy neighborhood. HOWEVER, the folks who run it (SF Parks and Wreck) are completely unprofessional, prices have become outrageous, communication is very poor, and cooperation is nonexistent. So, for event attendees, it's great, but for those putting on the event, it's horrendous. If you see it sitting vacant on a weekend, this is why (and this is the reason for only one star) read more