parking tips for homesick fest at august hall (san francisco 01/31)

hey everyone, figured i'd share some parking tips for homesick fest on 01/31. parking around august hall, which is right off union square and bordering the tenderloin, is honestly a nightmare and the garage prices are pretty crazy for an evening show. august hall doesn't have its own lot, so you'll be paying one way or another.

the absolute best move to skip the drama and save some money is checking out prked. it's an app where local residents rent out their private driveways and garage spots, and you can often find a place just a block or two away from the venue, making the walk super short. it's way cheaper than the commercial garages, you avoid the worst of the traffic circling, and you get a guaranteed spot right next to the venue.

if you skip prked, you're looking at the commercial garages. the closest ones are literally a 1-2 minute walk: the 490 post st. garage - valet (at 520 mason st.), the 433 mason st. garage, and the 569 post st. garage. you need to budget like $30-$50 if you're just driving up for a nighttime show. a much smarter move is to pre-book a spot using an app like spothero or parkwhiz. this guarantees your place and usually gets you a better rate than the drive-up price. other solid nearby options include the olympic garage on sutter street and the hilton union square garage on ellis street. the 750 bush st. garage - valet sometimes has the cheapest starting rates if you're willing to walk a little farther. the stockton garage is another city-owned option that's generally a bit cheaper but requires a longer walk.

in terms of timing, while the worst of the weekday evening commute traffic is probably lighter on a saturday, the area still gets slammed between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm because of the theater district crowds. since the show starts at 7:00 pm, your best bet is to aim to get parked either before 5:00 pm or after 7:00 pm to avoid the heaviest congestion.

street parking is basically a death wish and a major ticket risk around this area, as there are strict time limits and permit zones everywhere. however, if you’re feeling lucky, the insider tip is to look for yellow commercial loading zone meters. these spots are tow-away zones during the day but often convert to free public parking after the tow-away hours end, which is typically 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm in the theater district. just make sure to check every single sign like your life depends on it, and remember that when parking on any sf hill, your wheels must be curbed- away from the curb if uphill, towards the curb if downhill.

hope this helps you all skip the parking headache and have a great time at homesick fest.