The inaugural Future of Us civic imagination festival has taken over The Pearl in Dogpatch through Sunday, July 12 — free drop-in daily from 3pm, art exhibitions, rooftop music, and a citywide schedule of 100-plus events.

A free civic imagination festival has taken over The Pearl in Dogpatch through Sunday, July 12 — and the drop-in space at 601 19th St is open daily from 3pm until close, no reservation required.

The inaugural Future of Us festival, produced by nonprofit The Plenary, Co. and local cultural company Nothin But Hits, turned the three-floor Pearl into what it calls a "civic third space" for a 10-day run (July 4–12). Ground floor: immersive art exhibitions of 100-plus original works built from community-sourced visions of the future. Rooftop: live music sets curated by Nothin But Hits. In between: panels, workshops, conversation-card lounge areas, and a small gift shop (festival prints, custom candles). The space also anchors a citywide schedule — 100-plus events at SFMOMA, The Faight, Pier 70, SPUR, and elsewhere — organized around four themes: Green Futures, Social Futures, Science & Tech Futures, and Media Futures. Full calendar at future-of-us.com/events.

The logistics: 601 19th St, Dogpatch. Open daily 3pm–close through Sunday, July 12. Bar opens at 3pm. Entry is pay-what-you-wish; a "No Barriers" free ticket is available for anyone for whom cost is a barrier. Three floors, elevator accessible. The rooftop is first-come, first-served — lower floors stay open to all. Street parking is limited; T-Third Muni to 22nd St is the move, then two blocks on foot.

If you've got two hours: arrive right at 3pm when it opens, head straight to the rooftop while the crowd is still thin, then work your way down through the exhibitions on your way out.