Welcome to our new calendar feature BIG WEEK! Each week, our expert Arts & Culture writers recommend the best things for you to do in the best city on earth: Arts, Music, Food & Drink, Stage, Film, Nightlife, and more.
ARTS
Tons more to do and support right here.
THROUGH SAT/24: GROUP THERAPY Those going through it (everyone) may find catharsis in the latest rawly curated “group therapy” show at Tenderloin queer gallery Rosebud. In it, 25 artists explore the lows of life, from addiction to grief, trauma, and other travails. Rosebud Gallery, SF. More info here.
THROUGH OCTOBER 12: A FORM TO ACCOMMODATE THE MESS Justice for Vallejo independent artists! The city is not typically honored for its creative endeavors, but that can and should change with the rise of emergent art venues like Personal Space, a 501c3 nonprofit that seeks to promote the work of historically marginalized artists, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, plus folks with disabilities. Its latest offering is this group show curated by Corentin Canesson and MacKenzie Stevens, which gathers artists whose work explores the all-important concept of “mess,” its title stemming from Samuel Beckett’s vision of a creative’s raison d’etre. Personal Space, Vallejo. More info here.
FRI/23: KEEP IT LOCAL Podcast Storied SF host this salute to Bay creatives, with a group show with works by Melan Allen, Kundan Baidwan, Anita Beshirs, Kate Campbell, Millie Kwong, and Misstencil, delicious plates provided by Remy’s Creations, and tunes from pianist-accordionist-cabaret queen Kitten on the Keys. Babylon Burning, SF. More info here.
FRI/23-MAY 31: QUEER ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL Nine days of (lineup soon to be announced) theatrics, coming your way! Performances will take place at a panoply of classic watering holes, from Aunt Charlie’s to the Ha-Ra Club and The Cinch Saloon. Various downtown San Francisco venues. More info here.
SAT/24: MICHELLE TEA The Valencia queen heads back to the strip that brought her to queer lit stardom, and it’s all for the kids. Tea will be reading her work and signing her trio of YA books—Mermaid in Chelsea Creek, Castle on the River Vistula, and Girl at the Bottom of the Sea—an excellent excuse to experience the wonder that is 826 Valencia’s non-profit YA browsing library, stocked with all manner of materials that were written by those aged six to 18. International Library of Youth Writing, SF. More info here.
SAT/24 CHINATOWN PRIDE This sparkling gem of a neighborhood celebration is already in its second iteration, but this year (theme: “We are Immortal!”) sees the debut of its procession, which will pass by the former gay bar Rickshaw, where a 1943 police raid resulted in a riot, to wind up at the Dr. Rolland and Kathryn Lowe Community Bridge. At the triumphant finale, performers from the Rice Rockettes and the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance will kick up their heels before a silent disco out there in the open air closes the night. Art activities and libations will also flow. 6pm procession starts at Edge on the Square, 800 Grant, SF. More info here.
SAT/24-SUN/25: CARNAVAL One of our favorite street festivals, Sunday parades, and all-around parties hits the Mission this weekend. Electronic party-starters Mexican Institute of Sound and Cuban reparto star Wampi of 2022’s “Climax” fame are headlining this year’s festivities, which are dedicated to the Americas’ vast and varied African diaspora. Expect rap battles, drag, and family-friendly glee throughout the full two days. Mission District, SF. More info here.
TUE/27: BROWN PALMS, YELLOW BALM CLOSING RECEPTION The Buddhist practice of Metta, write organizers of this group exhibition of over 30 creatives by the Asian American Women Artists Association, centers the body as the nexus of care, placing it at the core of a network that expands outward to encompass family, community, spirituality, and the natural world. It seems, they state, a particularly good time to honor the primacy of caretaking, and those who care. Do just that by attending tonight’s closing fête, featuring a culinary ritual by artist Zara Ahmed and pop-up by Filipino-owned health and wellness company Malaya Botanicals. SOMArts Cultural Center, SF. More info here.
TUE/27: CLASSIC SIMPSONS TRIVIA Have you had a moment to check out downtown’s new bootleg Simpsons bar Moe’z? Surely, you must—and this is the perfect excuse: a trivia night hosted by local drink journo Adrian Spinelli (who wrote us a fabulous article heralding the watering hole’s opening) focusing on the first 10 seasons of Springfield’s adored yellow fam. Prizes will include Simpsons swag, donuts of course, and much more! Should you require more, rest assured that trivia will return to Moe’z on June 10. 7pm. Moe’z, 580 Sutter, SF.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great musical picks every week.
FRI/23: MARIA SOMERVILLE What do you get when dream pop pulls inspiration from bands like Grouper or the alt-rock enigma that is Mazzy Star, infused with Irish folk traditions and a home recording setup? Irish musician Maria Somerville, bringing her hyper-chill, mysterious vibes to Gray Area for an intimate performance of her gorgeous release, Luster. Moody, broody good times, for sure. Gray Area, SF. More info here.
FRI/23: SPACEFACE Call ’em groovy, neo-psychedelic, members past and present of the mothership band Flaming Lips’ orbit—but don’t ever dub Spaceface boring. They will be bringing that funky, twisted-disco adventurous spirit into our tiny house of sound (that’d be Kilowatt Bar) for a show that’s sure to turn on and turn up. Come for the theatrical feats and stay for the fantastical treat that is an in-through-the-very-out-door cover of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” To keep it simple: it’ll be a trip! Kilowatt, SF. More info here.
SAT/24: MADISON MCFERRIN AND THE SESHEN We’re lucky here at 48hills; sometimes we can tap into artists ahead of the curve, and local venues follow our lead. Back in 2023, Madison McFerrin graced us with some inside baseball by sharing five albums that inspired her. You should run it back here to prepare for what may happen when she touches down for a free concert with openers and local faves The Seshen within the auspices of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Let the grass under your feet ground you for the realness about to unfurl on what promises to be a glorious, family-friendly afternoon. Yerba Buena Gardens, SF. More info here.
other staff picks… FRI/23-SUN/25: THE FIREBIRD Be amazed by Alban Berg’s compelling funeral dirge for himself—he died shortly after penning the score of Chorale, an orchestral piece that serves as the opener for SF Symphony’s The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky’s rousing Russian folk fable. Davies Symphony Hall, SF. More info here.
FOOD AND DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s Good Taste Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork every week.
WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS: GRAZE THROUGH NORTH BEACH WITH EDIBLE EXCURSIONS’ NEWEST TOUR When you take a walking tour with a guide from Lisa Rogovin’s 21-year-old Edible Excursions, you eat very well, learn a lot about a Bay Area neighborhood’s culinary history, and get some good steps in besides. She has recently launched a North Beach tour. That neighborhood is thriving with mainstays and newcomers right now, and if you’ve got a special occasion to celebrate or beloved visitors coming, Rogovin’s tours are fun for locals and out-of-towners alike. The next North Beach tour takes place on Friday, with more dates available to reserve now. More info here.
SUN/25: STEP INTO BRUNCHATA AT BISSAP BAOBAB Buffet brunch plus bachata dance lessons while gazing at a beautiful image of Fela Kuti equals Brunchata, a cute concept taking place Sunday at the Mission’s West African restaurant Bissap Baobab (2243 Mission Steet, SF). You’ll want to hit up Eventbrite to purchase tickets; there is a choice of just having the bachata lesson or getting brunch; I suggest the latter! 2243 Mission, SF. More info here.
TRY ENDLESS COMBOS AT PASTA SUPPLY CO. With locations in the Richmond and Mission Districts, Anthony Strong’s Pasta Supply Co. have to be the best places in San Francisco to be creative with your home-cooked pasta meals. I stopped in at the original location on Clement Street the other day and purchased a box of squid ink-colored salt cod plumpers, which are filled with potato and baccala, and tossed them with huge spoonfuls of Strong’s basil pesto and “Hot Mess” garlic butter. They’re living rent free in my head until I can get a repeat. Each location has a fresh pasta counter and a cafe, should you just want to let the experts make the combos for you. 236 Clement and 3233 22nd Street, SF. More info here.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III hits up theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
THROUGH JUNE 8: TO MY GIRLS Curtis had the perfect weekend planned, having invited his once-tight-knit group of friends to share an Airbnb with him in Palm Springs for the most gay-tastic getaway ever. But soon enough, his carefully curated memories of what his friendship with these boys meant are stripped away. It’ll be a miracle if these Spice Girls-lovin’ drama queens are even speaking to one another after the trip is over. Though it has its grating flaws, overall, the show is a good Millennial take on generation gaps and realizing you can never go home again. New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF. More info here.
THROUGH JUNE 14: YELLOW FACE For its occasional flaws in dramatic pacing, Yellow Face works best in its representation of someone who never wants to admit when they’re wrong. The more egregious the faux pax of our protagonist, fictionalized IRL playwright David Henry Hwang, the more he digs in his heels before admitting defeat. Inevitably, it just makes things worse. Dramatizing that stubbornness is actually one of the more grounded, realistic elements of the stylized text. A bit too naval-gazing, but the ultimate point is how we easily get lost in our own narrative. Ashby Stage, Berkeley. More info here.
other staff picks… SAT/25 + SUN/26: VOICES!: A SACRED SISTERSCAPE Directed by surrealist blues poet aja monet with music by Grammy winning producer LeahAnn “Lafemmebear” Mitchell, this production rooted in Black women’s experiences, and which is being presented as an “audio plays,” “invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and engage with narratives that are too often unheard. It is a call to awaken our capacity for empathy, deepen our solidarity, and imagine a world free from harm—for all people and the planet.” Sat/25, The Ruby, SF. More info here. Sun/26, Groundfloor Club, Oakland. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
FRI/23 + SAT/24: STELIOS One of the most famous Greek singers of the 20th century, Stelios Kazantzidis grew up in poverty, becoming de facto head of his family at age 16 after his left-leaning father was killed by right-wing thugs in 1947. His powerful voice was such that when it stopped co-workers in their tracks, the owner of the factory where he labored gave him a guitar. This handsomely produced biopic, with latterday pop star Christos Mastoras of the band Melisses as Stelios, provides a respectful, old-school portrait of the artist as reluctant celebrity and moody private individual, a respectable if not terribly inspired treatment in the hands of director Yorgos Tsemberopoulos and screenwriter Katerina Bei. It’s being screened by the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, with actress Asimenia Vouliti in person. Delancey Street Screening Room, SF. More info here.
FRI/23-MON/26: HITCHCOCK FEST Any given decade of his long career is somebody’s idea of “the best,” but this series encompasses a lengthy golden era from Hitchcock’s early 1940s to mid-’60s. Chronologically first is 1941’s Suspicion, a popular minor work trying to recapture the magic of the prior year’s Rebecca. But then there’s the excellent Shadow of a Doubt (1943), and 1954’s bravura Rear Window. Rope (1948) and Dial M For Murder (1954) were technical experiments that seem rather stagy now; To Catch a Thief (1955) and the next year’s Man Who Knew Too Much (a remake of his own 1934 film) were luxurious star vehicles. Does somebody out there have the stamina to binge-watch all 11 features in the Balboa’s extended-weekend program? Probably. Hitch has been dead nearly half a century now, but he’s still “box office.” Balboa Theater, SF. More info here.
SUN/25 + MON/26: MEANWHILE Catherine Gund’s latest is a collaboration between the director, author Jacqueline Woodson, musician Meshell Ndegeocello, and others that constructs a quiet, poetical, digressive meditation on race and other ongoing/escalating sources of U.S. division. Weaving input from Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Nina Simone alongside currently practicing artists, athletes, et al., its mix of archival and new footage provides a contemplative space in which to consider reconciliation between individual, group, and national identities. Roxie Theater on Sun/25. More info here. Lark in Larkspur on Mon/26. More info here.
other staff picks… FRI/23: QUEER ASIAN WORLD CINEMA This first-time special Chinatown Pride, Bay Area QTAPI week, and AANHPI Heritage Month program by International Queer Women of Color Film Festival was so popular it sold out well in advance—but never fear, because the selection of shorts is available for free online! Thusly, you will not have to miss out on such gems as Myra Angeline Soriaso’s A Catholic Schoolgirl, in which a young Filipina pines for a nun, nor the heartbreak of Bùi Phương Thảo’s Mom, I just broke up with a girl. IRL screening at 41 Ross, SF is sold-out, but you can join the waitlist. Free online screening available Fri/23 through June 1. More info here.
NIGHTLIFE
We often know what’s up.
THU/22: PUNK PRIDE After assembling countless freakshows, Peaches Christ and Edwin Outwater are back with a LGBTQ+ punk rock showcase suitable for moshing-in the high gay holidays. Mr. David Glamamore, Kochina Rude, Miss Rahni, Leigh Crow, H.P. Mendoza, Lindsay Slowhands, Mary Vice, trixxie carr, and Queera Nightly will all be present, delivering their favorite studded, torn, rageful ditties. The times in which we live! And hey—48 Hills followers get a 50% discount code: PUNK2 Chan National Queer Arts Center, SF. More info here.
SAT/24 DRAGIARTE La Chucha Rude and Sally Limón host this Latinx+ Queer nightlife event honoring Latin rhythm and baby gays, all located within the Mission’s most iconic community gallery space. Squeeze into those mariachi pants and join the party. Galería de la Raza, SF. More info here.
