San Francisco
Every night at the Castro, crowds roar as the mighty organ rises – and no, that's not a euphemism. Showtime at this 1922 art deco movie palace is heralded…
Must-see entertainment in Northern California
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Jazz legends and singular talents from Argentina to Yemen are showcased at North America's newest, largest jazz center. Hear fresh takes on classic jazz…
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San Francisco
The more San Francisco changes, the more this incredible indie record store, art gallery and performance space stays the same. Vinyl enthusiasts will want…
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The Haight & Hayes Valley
Throw a stone in SF and you'll probably hit a writer (ouch) or reader (ouch again) headed to/from Booksmith. Literary figures organize Booksmith book…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
The landmark 1932 New Mission cinema, now restored to its original Timothy Pfleuger–designed art deco glory, has a new mission: to upgrade dinner-and-a…
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San Francisco
Uproarious, original political satire since 1961, combining musical theater, Japanese kabuki, slapstick and Italian commedia dell'arte. Performances are…
Oakland
A phoenix arisen from the urban ashes, this restored 1928 art deco stunner adds dazzle and neon lights to Telegraph Ave, where it's a cornerstone of the…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
For 45 years ODC has been redefining dance with risky, raw performances and the sheer joy of movement. ODC's season runs from September to December, but…
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The Haight & Hayes Valley
Bragging rights are earned with breakthrough shows at the small but mighty Independent, featuring indie dreamers (Magnetic Fields, Death Cab for Cutie),…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Brava's been producing women-run theater for 30-plus years, hosting acts from comedian Sandra Bernhard to V-day monologist Eve Ensler, and it's the nation…
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North Beach & Chinatown
Snow White searches for Prince Charming in San Francisco: what could possibly go wrong? This Disney-spoof musical-comedy cabaret has been running since…
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Swedish American Hall & Cafe du Nord
San Francisco
The Castro was once known as Little Scandinavia after the sailors who docked here – and the secret to their community spirit was the speakeasy running in…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
The bottom of Potrero Hill tops the list for rocking with punk legends the Avengers, Pansy Division and Nerf Herder, and newcomers worth checking out for…
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Mt Shasta Region
Dust it up on the 5000-sq-ft maple dance floor in the 1906 Broadway Ballroom. Square dancing, round dancing, ballroom dancing – they do it all. Multiday…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Enter the unmarked door on a quiet street and proceed upstairs to an intimate theater that has the distinct air of a vampire's parlor – albeit one with…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Musical prayers are answered in a 1914 California arts-and-crafts landmark with heavenly acoustics. The 40ft roof is regularly raised by shows by New…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
This vintage 1909 cinema is a neighborhood nonprofit with an international reputation for distributing documentaries and showing controversial films…
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San Francisco
Bands who sell out shows from Ireland to Appalachia and headline SF's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival jam here on weeknights, taking breaks to clink…
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North Beach & Chinatown
There's no room to be shy at Cobb's, where bumper-to-bumper shared tables make the audience cozy – and vulnerable. The venue is known for launching local…
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North Beach & Chinatown
Get your kicks at this 1931 speakeasy with stiff drinks, bawdy vintage bar murals, parquet dance floors for high-stepping like Rita Hayworth (she was in…
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The Haight & Hayes Valley
Blame it on the bossa nova or the ginned-up Deluxe Spa Collins – you'll be swinging before the night is through. Nightly jazz combos bring the zoot suits…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Choose your seat wisely: you may spend the evening on the edge of it. One-acts and monologues here involve the audience in the creative process, from…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Some bands are too outlandish for regular radio – to hear them, you need San Francisco's Brick & Mortar. The bill here has featured national acts from…
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The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
The Magic is known for taking risks and staging provocative plays by both up-and-coming and seasoned playwrights. If you're interested in seeing new…
Oakland
Yoshi’s has a solid jazz calendar, with talent from around the world passing through on a near-nightly basis. It’s also a Japanese restaurant, so if you…
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San Francisco
The 49ers were the National Football League's dream team from 1981–94, claiming five Superbowl championships. But after decades of chilly, fumbled games…
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Yosemite National Park
Behind the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, this theater screens two films: Ken Burns’ Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirit, a celebration of the Yosemite Grant…
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Berkeley
This lively little theater runs plenty of musicals, including a fair number of shows (Pippin, The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid, for example) that…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Combining performance art and dance, maverick Joe Goode's troupe tours internationally – but it all begins in the Mission's Joe Goode Annex, where you can…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Velvet curtains and round booths invite you to get comfortable under the disco ball for an evening of utterly unpredictable entertainment, ranging from…
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The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
It resembles a surf shack, but this old waterfront restaurant regularly features R&B, reggae, Latin bands, DJs, mellow rock, the occasional jazz pianist…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Forget standard playlists – this closet-sized boho dive will make you lose your mind for Monday bluegrass jams, Tuesday Troubled Comedy sessions,…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
The vintage dive-bar neon in the middle of warehouse nowhere-land is pointing you in the Rite direction for offbeat performances banged out on a tinkling…
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San Francisco
First stop Cannes; next stop Balboa and 37th, where film-fest favorites split the bill with Bogart noir classics, family-friendly Saturday-morning…
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Oakland
A local favorite for live music, art shows, dance parties, comedy sets, readings and other events, the Starline has a vintage feel, which makes sense, as…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Musicians, you're among friends: classically trained musicians and jazz artists jam here daily. Hot weekend days call for iced coffee and live Latin jazz,…
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The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Bay Area Theater Sports explores all things improv, from audience-inspired themes to whacked-out musicals at completely extemporaneous weekend shows. Or…
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San Francisco
Big voices at this mixed straight-gay karaoke bar could rattle pennies in the US mint uphill. If you can't decide what to sing from the 30,000-plus…
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The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Throwing swanky soirees since 1916, the Verdi Club hosts bawdy storytelling nights, swing-dancing lessons, drag-star comedy shows, the odd lucha libre …
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Berkeley
A world-renowned film center with an ever-changing schedule of international and classic films – cineastes should seek out this place. The spacious…
