Dance socials in San Francisco.
6 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Bayview, Golden Gate Park, Mission. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
These are social dance nights and weekly classes in San Francisco: swing, salsa, bachata, tango, folk and contra. Nearly all start with a beginner lesson, and the social dancing after it is the point, so you can arrive alone and dance all evening.
The listing shows the day and start time. If there is a lesson first, the club's own page says when it begins and whether you need a partner, which you usually do not.
All 6 dance socials in San Francisco.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Free early-evening Bollywood dance party on the Salesforce Park rooftop, opening with a beginner lesson; runs on first and third Fridays through the warmer months.
Monthly, first Friday and third Friday, 5:30pm · Soma · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-night swing dance with a live band at Mabuhay Gardens on Broadway; a 30-minute drop-in lesson at 9pm is included in admission, then dancing till 11:30.
Wednesdays, 9pm · North Beach · $15 · catscornersf.com →Thursday-night Irish set dancing in the Plough and Stars pub on Clement St, taught by Michael Murphy; a social folk dance where no partner or experience is needed, 15–25 dancers a night.
Thursdays, 8:30pm · Richmond · $10 · meetup.com →Free outdoor swing dancing on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park every Sunday since 1996, with a short beginner lesson partway through; no partner needed.
Sundays, 11am · Golden Gate Park · Free · lindyinthepark.com →Contra dance with live band and caller at the Polish Club on 22nd St, twice a month; a beginner walk-through at 7:30 then two hours of dancing, no partner needed.
Monthly, second Wednesday and fourth Wednesday, 7:30pm · Mission · $20 · bacds.org →Volunteer-run LGBTQ country-western dance hall on Barneveld Ave: two-step and line dancing twice a week with free lessons built into the night, 21+.
Sundays and Thursdays, time varies · Bayview · $7 · sundancesaloon.org →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need a partner?
Almost never. Social dance nights rotate partners during the lesson and expect people to ask and be asked all evening. If a class is couples only, the listing says so.
I have never danced. Where do I start?
Pick a night with a beginner lesson before the social, which most have, and arrive for the lesson. Flat shoes you can turn in are the only equipment.
What does it cost?
Social nights often run ten to twenty dollars at the door including the lesson. Folk and community dances are often cheaper or free. The cost column has the number.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a dance social in San Francisco we don’t? Add it.