Must-see entertainment in San Francisco

  • Colourful neon signs outside the Castro Theater at night.

    Castro Theatre

    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…

  • SFJAZZ Center

    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…

  • Noise

    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…

  • Booksmith

    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…

  • Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

    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 Symphony

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    From the moment conductor Michael Tilson Thomas bounces up on his toes and raises his baton, the audience is on the edge of their seats for another…

  • Fillmore Auditorium

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead – they all played the Fillmore and the upstairs bar is lined with vintage psychedelic posters to prove it…

  • San Francisco Mime Troupe

    San Francisco

    Uproarious, original political satire since 1961, combining musical theater, Japanese kabuki, slapstick and Italian commedia dell'arte. Performances are…

  • Giants Stadium

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Baseball fans roar April to October at the Giants' 81 home games. As any orange-blooded San Franciscan will remind you, the Giants have won three World…

  • Oasis

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Forget what you've learned about drag on TV – at this dedicated dragstravaganza venue, the shows are so fearless, freaky-deaky and funny you'll laugh…

  • ODC Theater

    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…

  • Audium

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Sit in total darkness as Stan Shaff plays his unique musical instrument: an auditorium constructed in 1962 as a living sound sculpture, lined floor to…

  • Independent

    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),…

  • Brava Theater

    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…

  • Beach Blanket Babylon

    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…

  • Bottom of the Hill

    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…

  • Lost Church

    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…

  • Chapel

    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…

  • American Conservatory Theater

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Breakthrough shows launch at this turn-of-the-century landmark, which has hosted ACT's productions of Tony Kushner's Angels in America and Robert Wilson's…

  • Roxie Cinema

    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 Opera

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Opera was SF's gold-rush soundtrack – and SF Opera rivals the Met, with world premieres of original works ranging from Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne to…

  • Plough & Stars

    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…

  • Cobb's Comedy Club

    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…

  • Bimbo's 365 Club

    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…

  • Boom Boom Room

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Jumping since the '30s, the Boom Boom remains a classic Fillmore venue for blues, soul and funk. Except for the outdoor murals and vintage photos indoors,…

  • Great American Music Hall

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Everyone busts out their best sets at this opulent 1907 bordello turned all-ages venue – indie rockers like the Band Perry throw down, international…

  • Club Deluxe

    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…

  • San Francisco Ballet

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    The USA's oldest ballet company is looking sharp in more than 100 shows annually, from The Nutcracker (the US premiere was here) to modern originals…

  • Marsh

    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…

  • Brick & Mortar

    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…

  • Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Rock stars would be jealous of art stars at YBCA openings, which draw overflowing crowds of art-school groupies with shows ranging from cyberpunk video…

  • PianoFight

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Watch SF make merciless fun of itself at PianoFight supper club, featuring comedy showcases, ukulele-for-your-life Variety Show Death Matches, and Pint…

  • Alonzo King Lines Ballet

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Long, lean dancers perform complicated, angular movements that showcase impeccable technical skills. Original works have included dance set to songs in…

  • Magic Theatre

    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…

  • Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre

    Excelsior

    This Greek-style amphitheater, located in McLaren Park, is one of the coolest outdoor performance spaces in the city. The acoustics are grand and the…

  • San Francisco 49ers

    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…

  • DNA Lounge

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    SF's reigning megaclub hosts bands, literary slams and big-name DJs, with two floors of late-night dance action just seedy enough to be interesting…

  • August Hall

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    In 2018 the city's newest music venue slid into the former home of douchey nightclub Ruby Skye, and lots of San Franciscans are happy about it. The 15,000…

  • Bar Fluxus

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Hidden in an alley behind Hotel des Arts, and brought to you by the folks from Madrone, comes this wacky downtown art bar. The interior is color-filled…

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