Union Street Festival — Marina District Block Party

Sunset Mercantile and the Union Street Association will stage the Union Street Festival on Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7, in San Francisco’s Marina and Cow Hollow area, according to the event organizers. The free street fair is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days on Union Street between Fillmore and Gough streets. Organizers describe this year’s event as the festival’s 48th anniversary. The event listing says the weekend will feature food vendors, handcrafted goods, live entertainment, family activities and drinks. ### Where exactly will the festival take place? Union Street between Fillmore and Gough streets is the festival footprint listed by both Sunset Mercantile and the Union Street Association. The corridor sits in the Cow Hollow commercial strip on the edge of the Marina District, where Union Street’s restaurants, bars and boutiques anchor one of the neighborhood’s busiest retail stretches. The Union Street Association says the festival is one of its free public events and describes it as family-oriented, with arts and crafts, live music, food, entertainment and children’s activities. Sunset Mercantile says the street will be turned into an open-air market for the weekend. ### What are the hours and how much does it cost? Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7, are both listed as 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. festival days on the organizers’ event pages. Sunset Mercantile says admission is free. The same organizer page says dogs on leash are permitted and notes there is no on-site parking lot. Limited street parking will be available, according to the event listing. ### What will people find there? Sunset Mercantile says the event will include Bay Area food vendors, handcrafted goods, local sellers, live screen printing by San FranPsycho, craft brews from local breweries and free performances. The Union Street Association separately says visitors can expect food and goods vendors, artists, makers and family-friendly activity zones. Live music and dance are also part of the lineup described by organizers, though the public event page reviewed did not include a full performance schedule. The organizers’ language emphasizes local business, culture and community rather than a ticketed concert format. ### What is the Waiter Relay Race? The Waiter Relay Race is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 12 p.m., according to Sunset Mercantile’s event page. Organizers describe it as a neighborhood tradition in which local restaurant, bar and hospitality teams race uphill while balancing trays of drinks. Sunset Mercantile says the race is intended to celebrate San Francisco’s service industry and neighborhood community spirit. The event page says participating teams are drawn from local restaurants, venues, breweries and business partners. ### How should people get there? Sunset Mercantile lists Muni lines 22, 28, 30, 43 and 45 as transit options for the festival area. The organizer page also warns that there is no dedicated parking lot, a common constraint for San Francisco street fairs that close commercial blocks to vehicle traffic. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency weekend event alerts are expected to carry any street-closure and reroute details tied to the festival weekend. Organizers direct visitors to transit information as the event approaches. ### Who is putting it on, and what comes next? Sunset Mercantile says it is presenting the festival in partnership with the Union Street Association, which also refers to itself as a host and sponsor of free public neighborhood events. The organizer page says the festival is smoke-free under San Francisco Health Code Article 19L. Sunday, June 7, brings the festival’s second day and the noon Waiter Relay Race, while updated vendor, transit and street-access details are being posted through the organizers’ event pages ahead of the weekend.