Aside from crashing the War Memorial Opera House (you probably shouldn’t do that), heading to Stern Grove is one of the best ways to see the world-renowned San Francisco Ballet for free. Slapping down your credit card at the box office of the Opera de Paris-Palais Garnier or Sadler's Wells Theatre in London is also fun, but  such venues are a little more finicky about allowing audience members to tote in cold cuts and bottles of wine. So if you want to absorb culture (and salami) under towering trees, head to Stern Grove this Sunday.

This year (for the first time), Trainees of the SF Ballet School will perform in addition to the Company. Trainees will perform Andante Sostenuto, set to Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 and Timepiece, choreographed by Myles Thatcher. The Company dancers will then bound around to Bach in 7 for Eight, choreographed by Helgi Tomasson. (Leap like satin-clad gazelles would probably be a more technically accurate description than "bound.") Rounding out the program is another Company performance of Symphony in C by George Balanchine. 

July 31. Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. Free. Information at sterngrove.org.