Arts & Culture in San Francisco
Black History Month Events in San Francisco
Black History Month in February is observed in San Francisco with special exhibits, drama and music performances, a blood drive, discussions about everything from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Buffalo Soldiers to personal finance, and free-admission days at the Museum of the African Diaspora.
The Nutcracker's Guide to San Francisco
San Francisco Ballet, which has a unique historical connection to The Nutcracker, has made a cool interactive magazine that's a guide to San Francisco with tie-ins to the ballet.
China's Terracotta Warriors Up Close in San Francisco
An exhibit in San Francisco of China's famous terracotta warriors brings you within two feet of these life-size, individualistic figures made of dirt more than 2000 years ago. You'll never get so close to these treasures as you will at the Asian Art Museum's show, which runs through May 27, 2013.
China's Terracotta Warriors - Related Events
Accompanying the Asian Art Museum's exhibition of China's famous terracotta warriors are several talks and films that examine the history, archaeology and mysteries related to the warriors and the man who commissioned them, China's first emperor.
Chinese Calligraphy & Character Revealed at Asian Art Museum
A fall 2012 exhibit of Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang's calligraphy collection demystifies Chinese writing.
Chinglish Review – David Henry Hwang's Play on American-Chinese Miscommunication
David Henry Hwang's newest play, Chinglish, is a clever comedy of American-Chinese miscommunication and misunderstanding about everything from business negotiations to sex. Chinglish is at the Berkeley Rep through October 2012.
Moby Dick by San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera's "Moby-Dick" production is both powerful and accessible to those who haven't conquered the Herman Melville classic and those who are lukewarm about opera.
San Francisco April Events Calendar – Festivals and Other Things to Do & See...
Films, cultural festivals, book talks and arts fairs are all happening during April 2013 in the SF Bay Area.
San Francisco International Film Festival - Week Two
A guide to the second half of the 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival, particularly films that have roots in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Hispanic Heritage Month in San Francisco
A guide to Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations in San Francisco (Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2012), including special exhibits, films and lectures about the cultures of Americans of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, and Central and South American ancestries.
March Arts & Culture in San Francisco - Dance, Music, Film Festivals & More
A guide to some of the best arts and culture events in March 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area, including festivals for a capella and Jewish music, Persian New Year, schoolkids' art, puppets and Asian films.
Passover Seder in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area has many communal Passover Seders open to the public. You don't have know anything about Passover and don't have to be Jewish to attend. The seder service includes songs, symbolic foods and the story about the ancient Jews' journey to freedom.
San Francisco Events in September
A guide to September 2012 arts and cultural performances and festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco Opera in the Park, the San Francisco Fringe Festival, dragon boat races and a Lady Antebellum concert.
Chinese New Year Festivities in San Francisco & the Bay Area
Stretching over a few weeks in February 2013, Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco's Chinatown and in museums and other institutions around the Bay Area are a fun and easy way to soak up some Chinese and Asian culture.
San Francisco Art & Culture Offerings in January
Film noir, art from garbage, a celebration of Edward Gorey, a talk with Michael Ondaatje, and a day of reciprocal free admission at a dozen museums are some of the SF Bay Area's cultural highlights in January 2013.
Asian Heritage Month in San Francisco
During May, Asian Heritage Month, a street fair, concerts, awards ceremonies and other events in San Francisco and the Bay Area showcase Asian- and Pacific-American peoples and cultures.
Nutcracker, Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Shows in San Francisco
‘Tis the season of Nutcracker, Messiah and other holiday productions in the SF Bay Area. Here's a guide to the many performances of both traditional favorites and modern interpretations.
San Francisco July Events
Get your arts-and-culture fix in July with film festivals, a crafts fair and a jazz festival in San Francisco and a fine arts/food/wine fest in Napa.
San Francisco Public Library Programs
The breadth and depth of the San Francisco Public Library's programs is impressive--and more so during the summer, when our brains tend to go on vacation.
SF Asian Art Museum Showcases Bali Art and Culture
The first in-depth exhibit in the U.S. of Bali art is at the SF Asian Art Museum. The Bali exhibit shows how a blend of art, ceremony, performance and ritual is integrated into everyday life in Bali.
Balenciaga & Spain exhibit at the de Young
"Balenciaga and Spain," the de Young's exhibit about the legendary Spanish couturier, shows that he was always inventing and drawing inspiration from his native country.
Free Summer Festivals, Events & Entertainment in San Francisco
Summer offers an abundance of free outdoor arts and culture in San Francisco. Concerts, poetry readings, Shakespeare, and both dance lessons and performances are offered in parks and squares throughout the city.
Nights at San Francisco Museums
Nearly all of the San Francisco Bay Area's major museums host special museum nights of added programs, activities, and entertainment, which is included with museum admission.
Burning Man 2012 - How to Get Tickets
Burning Man 2012 has essentially sold out as of late February. If you can't live without the pilgrimage to the Nevada desert, here are ways you might score a ticket.
San Francisco Makes Jazz History
San Francisco has the country's first free-standing building dedicated to jazz performance and teaching. The SFJAZZ Center also means that SFJAZZ, a nonprofit that has presented jazz in rented Bay Area venues for 30 years, finally has a permanent home of its own.
Free Museums, Free Museum Days & Free Museum Admission in San Francisco
Find out how to visit nearly all San Francisco museums for free. This comprehensive guide covers the free admission offers at Bay Area museums--including museums that are always free, that are free on designated days, and that have other deals for free admission.
Burning Man Photos
Stunning photographs of Burning Man, the annual festival in the Nevada desert that celebrates self-expression, community, art and giving.
Central Market Arts Festival Showcases the Arts
The Central Market Arts Festival, a month of dance, concerts and arts performances, hopes to promote mid-Market Street as a lively arts district. San Francisco Trolley Dances is one of the festival's highlights.
CAAMFest Brings Food, Music to San Francisco Asian American Film Fest
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, newly renamed CAAMFest, features Asian food tastings, performances by Asian and Asian American musicians and other off-screen events during its second half, from March 20-24, 2013.
Lights Turn San Francisco's Bay Bridge into World's Largest Light Sculpture
San Francisco's workhorse Bay Bridge, long overshadowed by the showier Golden Gate Bridge, is now the world's largest light sculpture, thanks to 25,000 LED lights.
San Francisco Stars in the SF International Film Festival
The 2013 San Francisco International Film Festival includes several selections with San Francisco Bay Area scenes, subjects and filmmakers.
Art & Design Contests Seek Entries
Two art contests to support good causes
San Francisco Asian American Film Festival Adds Music, Food, Talks
Adding concerts, food tastings, discussions and exhibits to its 2013 film line-up, the three-decade-old San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival has renamed itself CAAMFest. It opens March 14 with "Linsanity," a insightful documentary about NBA sensation Jeremy Lin of Palo Alto.
Dave Holland, Regina Carter, Fado & Poetry in Jazz Center's Programs
Dave Holland, Regina Carter, Portuguese fado singers & poetry are among the plentiful and varied offerings during the first season of San Francisco's new jazz institution. The SFJAZZ Center also hosts classes and family programs.
San Francisco Ballet - Grand Mixed Bills in March 2012
San Francisco Ballet offers two programs simultaneously in late March 2012 which mix classical and contemporary choreography, showcase the company’s breadth, include world premieres and transport audiences to medieval Hungary, an American metropolis, an abstract world, imperial Japan and strange places.
San Francisco Reads About Utopia After 1906 Earthquake
Catch author talks, films and other events during the One City One Book program run by the San Francisco Public Library. The 2012 selected book is Rebecca Solnit's "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster," about the altruism and community that develop after the 1906 earthquake and other calamities.
San Francisco Ballet's 2013 Season - Cinderella, Nijinsky, World Premieres
San Francisco Ballet's 2013 season features story ballets about Cinderella and dance legend Nijinsky, world premieres and collaboration with European ballet companies.
San Francisco Ballet's Full-Spectrum Season
San Francisco Ballet's 2012 season showcases the company's verve and mastery of a full spectrum of dance styles. Included are the heart-wrenching Onegin, an all-Balanchine program, and four world premieres.
Black History Month in San Francisco
Black History Month in February is observed with film screenings, dance and music performances, lectures, exhibitions and sing-a-longs. Here are some of the activities and events in San Francisco and the Bay Area inspired by black history.
The San Francisco Edwardian Ball
The annual Edwardian Ball is unlike any other parties in San Francisco, a cabaret/circus/burlesque-revue/costume-party with an edge of black humor.
San Francisco Asian Film Festival
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival brings more than 100 films and videos from around the globe to the SF Bay Area, including documentaries, dramas, shorts and an interactive web series portraying dancing prisoners in the Philippines. The festival in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose is March 8-18, 2012.
Art in San Francisco - San Francisco Artists Open Their Studios
SF Open Studios offers the rare opportunity for the public to meet San Francisco artists in their studios, talk to them, and buy art directly from them. Each weekend of October focuses on the studios in different parts of San Francisco.
November is for San Francisco Movie Buffs
November is film festival harvest month in the SF Bay Area, with so many film festivals that you could spend practically the entire month sitting in San Francisco movie theaters. There is a movie (or entire festival) for everyone, including, in 2011, the new BowWow Film Festival and the Napa Valley Film Festival.
SF International Film Festival – Films from 50 Countries in SF Film Festival
The SF International Film Festival screens more than 190 films from nearly 50 countries and offers talks, workshops and classes by leading filmmakers, awards ceremonies and lots of parties--all in two weeks.
San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum
Contemporary Jewish Museum offers reduced admission temporarily, with three very distinct and interest exhibits.
Japanese and Buddhist Traditions, Food & Cultures
Japanese arts and crafts, cuisine and culture are presented at Japanese Buddhist temples in the SF Bay Area during the summer. That's Obon season, when temple members honor their ancestors and host celebrations that include traditional dancing, bazaars and lots of home-made Japanese food.
Free Things to Do in San Francisco - August
The last weekend in August 2011 is crammed with free concerts, festivals, entertainment and other free things to do.
What You Need to Know About Burning Man
In the run up to Burning Man 2011, events in San Francisco offer last-minute tips to burners and examine the huge phenomenon and culture of Burning Man.
Conceptual Artist Song Dong’s Waste Not – Waste Not by Conceptual Artist Song...
Conceptual artist Song Dong’s "Waste Not" piece at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts takes mundane objects and turns them into a sprawling art installation.
Understanding Modern Art - Free Art Lessons from YBCA
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is offering nine months of art and arts education for free, including free admission to its exhibits, films and performances.
Henri Cartier-Bresson Exhibit at SF MOMA
SF MOMA's retrospective of Henri Cartier-Bresson's long career is a stunning, not-to-be missed exhibit.
Storefront Art Wanted - Public Art to Improve Market Street
San Francisco’s successful Art in Storefronts program is seeking artists to beautify Market Street, which gives the artists one-of-a-kind visibility and aims to boost neighborhood morale and safety.
Labor Day in San Francisco
Art fairs and cultural performances abound during Labor Day Weekend in San Francisco.
October Events in San Francisco
October in San Francisco is rich in arts and cultural events such as Litquake, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, an annual hula show and SF Open Studios.
San Francisco Underground Theater
San Francisco has a strong and flourishing original theater scene. One venue with monthly comedy and independent shows is Stage Werx, which stages productions literally underground.
At the Exploratorium – Scott Weaver’s Amazing Toothpick Art
With just toothpicks and glue--and 3,000 spare hours over 34 years--Scott Weaver has created a ping-pong-ball labyrinth that's also a sculpture of San Francisco's skyline and icons. See how it works at the Exploratorium.
San Francisco May Events Calendar
May in San Francisco is packed with cultural celebrations, including festivals focusing on Mexican, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latin American and Caribbean heritages.
San Francisco Symphony's Centennial Season
SF Symphony turns 100 in 2011.
Meet Real Americans
"The Real Americans" ventures outside our San Francisco Bay Area bubble to the red states, to meet what Sarah Palin termed "real Americans." Dan Hoyle's one-man show, at the Marsh Berkeley through April 6, 2013, relives his encounters with segregationists, creationists, birthers, fundamentalists, and other conservatives who are feisty, sympathetic, angry, generous and resilient.
San Francisco Chinatown's Moon Festival
San Francisco Chinatown celebrates the Autumn Moon Festival (or Mid-Autumn Festival) on Sept. 22-23, 2012, with parades, a street fair, lion dances and the eating of moon cake. Of all of the traditional Chinese holidays, the Moon Festival is second in importance only to Chinese New Year.
Don Reed's "East 14th"
Don Reed's "East 14th" is a hilarious autobiographical retelling of Reed's adolescent years, living with his pimp father.
San Francisco December Events
Mayan culture and the end of the Mayan calendar are the subject of a month-long, December 2012 art exhibit in San Francisco, which is accompanied by several special celebrations. Literary events and live art-making are also on the December arts calendar.
San Francisco International Film Festival
The 2013 San Francisco International Film Festival packs 160 films into two weeks. Here are some of the highlights.
San Francisco Events Calendar - February Activities in San Francisco
February 2013 is a culture-fan's dream, with plenty of music, indie film, art and Purim.
Presidio Habitats - Installation Art Exhibit and Walk of Designer Habitats...
The unusual Presidio Habitats exhibit consists of art installations--habitats made by designers, artists and architects for gray foxes, bats, robins and other wildlife in the Presidio.
St. Patrick's Day in San Francisco
A guide to St. Patrick's Day and Irish-themed activities in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2013. The highlight is the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival in SF, but there are also Irish music concerts and literary events in the city and a two-day celebration in Dublin, CA.
Nijinsky by Hamburg Ballet - Brilliant Portrayal of a Ballet Legend
The Hamburg Ballet's Nijinsky is a brilliant and compelling tale of the dancer's complex and celebrated life, ballet career and inner torments.
Summer Reading in San Francisco - SF Public Library Offers Prizes, Entertainment
San Francisco Public Library's summer reading program entices people to read and visit the library by offering rewards, raffle prizes, suggested reading lists and lots of non-bookish entertainment.
San Francisco Ballet's "The Little Mermaid"
San Francisco Ballet's "The Little Mermaid" is a visual and psychological tour de force. Ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan is a fluid mermaid whose heart-wrenching journey has audience members on the edge of their seats.
San Francisco Asian Film Festival - 2011 Asian Film Festival Comes to San...
San Francisco Asian Film Festival - 2011 Asian Film Festival Comes to San Francisco
December Events in San Francisco
December in San Francisco is cold, but this is no time to hibernate. Plenty of arts and cultural events await.
The Little Mermaid
San Francisco Ballet presents the US premiere of "The Little Mermaid," a full-length ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fable. “The Little Mermaid” promises to be a visual stunner with unfamiliar movements and steps, powerful emotions and very grown-up themes.
Museums in SF and the Bay Area
An alphabetical guide to museums in San Francisco, followed by some notable Bay Area museums, too.
Performing Arts: Drama, Dance, Music & More
A guide to theater, dance, drama and other live performances.
28th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
The 2010 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival offers a wide-ranging 109 films and videos over 11 days. This is the 28th year of the festival dedicated to Asian and Asian American filmmaking.
Movie & Film Guide
Check out a flick or an entire film festival.
Free & Discounted Museum Days
Most SF museums offer free or reduced admission on certain days or times.
San Francisco Reads Dave Eggers' Zeitoun
Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about the surreal accusations and discrimination against a Syrian-American father after Hurricane Katrina, is the 2010 choice for San Francisco’s One City One Book program.
Famous Contemporary American Authors - Who's Overrated, Who's Not
Anis Shivani has published on Huffington Post his list of The 15 Most Overrated Contemporary American Writers. Who is on your list?