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 The Bay Area
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Marin County
Do you or did you miss the Marin of yesteryear? Terrapin Crossroads is your portal. Owner – and Grateful Dead bassist – Phil Lesh regularly plays here…
-
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…
-
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),…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Marin County
Hosting Bay Area legends, visiting acts and up-and-comers since 1972, this lively venue (in a new location since 2012) is a must for lovers of good ole…
-
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…
-
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…
-
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
This vintage 1909 cinema is a neighborhood nonprofit with an international reputation for distributing documentaries and showing controversial films…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Marin County
In the center of miniscule Nicasio, this rustic restaurant and saloon with giant taxidermy on the walls and characters at the bar any time of day,…
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
The Peninsula
Kick off your shoes and stomp your feet to live bluegrass, Celtic and folk music on weekend afternoons at this landmark general store. Check out the…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
