North Face Climb Fest Heads To The Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The North Face is bringing its Climb Festival, including a 45-foot climbing wall, to the China Basin neighborhood Friday and Saturday.

During its two-day span, attendees can watch athletes compete in wall-climbing events, scheduled throughout each day. They can also test out their own climbing skills.

General admission to the festival is free — "just show up and enjoy," says the North Face team.

Some of North Face's professional climbers will be there, including Angie Scarth-Johnson, Nathaniel Coleman, Brooke Raboutou, Shawn Raboutou and Ben Mayforth. And while access to the 45-foot wall is reserved for registered competitors, there will be opportunities for the general public to climb onsite throughout the duration of the festival, North Face confirmed.

"The North Face is excited to host the Climb Festival in San Francisco this year," said Dennis Seydel, chief marketing officer of The North Face.

Seydel noted that North Face's original store, wherein The Grateful Dead performed at its grand opening in 1966, was located in North Beach. The brand also had a store in Union Square that closed in March 2024.

"As we return to this incredible city, we’re excited to showcase our North Face athletes and bring the community together to celebrate the outdoors and honor those who continue to push climbing to new heights” said Seydel.

On Friday, qualifying rounds get underway at 11 a.m.; on Saturday, the first qualifying round starts at 9 a.m.

Saturday also features two panel discussions (11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) and live DJ sets (7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.).

The window for local athletes to register for scheduled climb events has passed, but there will be plenty of areas along the waterfront to nab a good viewing spot and cheer on competitors.

Check out the schedule of events here. A map of the festival location is available here.

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