[M2d]

lots of my favorites have already been posted, so i'll go with: festivals/street fairs
i think sf is the home of the counterculture street fair. you get the standard renaissance fair up in marin and the snooty ala carte ala park in the gg park, but for a "you don't see this everyday in springfield" experience, go check out folsom street fair, castro street fair, carnival or haloween night in the castro. there's also the more standard cultural street fairs like Nihonmachi in J-town, or the 10-10 parade in chinatown.