Welcome to our 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
Marke B. guides you right. There’s tons more to do and support right here.
THU/17-SUN/19: ODC SUMMER SAMPLER This mini-mulligatawny of local choreography always whets the appetite for our incredible dance scene—and exposes one to provocative new voices. This time around, experience world premieres from KT Nelson and Mia J. Chong, and catch the revival of “10,000 Steps: A Dance About Its Own Making” by guest choreographer Catherine Galasso. ODC, SF. More info here.
THU/17-SAT/19: FROZEN FILM FEST I feel this festival, now in its 19th year, was once more focused, but I’m not going to argue with filling up a screen with more than 100 independent films of all kinds that you won’t see easily elsewhere, from local features and docs to LGBTQ+ shorts. Get a heaping helping of screen time, why not. Various venues, SF. More info here.
FRI/18: FRIDAYS ON FRONT STREET The Noise Pop-curated block party provides a “super chill & fun hang” with awesome band The Seshen, multiple DJs, drinking and dancing in. the streets, and some downtown revival vibes. 4pm-9pm, Front Street, SF. More info here.
SAT/19-TUE/22: PAUL SIMON: A QUIET CELEBRATION The legend comes to Davies Symphony Hall, to present the live debut performance of his critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album Seven Psalms, as well as perform a celebration of his timeless classics—perhaps “Me and Julio (Gingerly) Down At The Schoolyard” is on the playlist, and you know “Sound of Silence” is. Davies Symphony Hall, SF. More info here.
SAT/19: MEI SEMONES I love when new music takes ahold of me and shakes up how I hear the world. This young Brooklyn-based artist is reviving the vibes of ’80s college radio with jazz-inflected, mathy flights of poetry that simultaneously bring to mind Wyndham Hill and the Pixies. I adore her and her new album Animal. 8:30pm, The Independent, SF. More info here.
MON/21: HEKLINA TRIBUTE SHOW AND FUNDRAISER The fire-breathing drag mother who passed away in 2023 under tragic circumstances left behind oodles and oodles of VHS tapes and other media that recorded historical SF drag performances, especially at her T-Shack club at the Stud. This tribute show aims to reanimate her no-bullshit spirit while raising funds to digitize essential queer history. 6pm, Oasis, SF. More info here.
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MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great musical picks every week.
FRI/18: TORPEDO How do we process the Lausanne, Switzerland trio Torpedo, who fire away at noise rock, post-proto punk, industrial, and psychedelic treats way past the speeding limit? Dig in on the breakneck drumming, the tearing away at the guitar lines, even breathe in their droney aura. Don’t be surprised. They are on local imprint Broken Clover Records, known for its “I just can’t quite pin it down” tendencies. Pick up the release here. Torpedo will be playing this Friday with label boss Mickey Darius aka The Tourist wheeling out one of his “what the fuck” sets, he’s known for: psychonautical rock and adventurous sounds. 8:30pm, Bottom of the Hill, SF. More info here.
FRI/18 + SAT/19: SF HIP-HOP FESTIVAL 2025 It seems the time is about right, ya know? With the Hip-Hop 50-year celebration happening a couple of years ago, the Bay Area will debut its own SF Hip-Hop Festival, spanning two days of music, speakers, and 30th anniversary performances from culture-defining groups from the East and West coasts. Happening at the Midway July 18-19, the festival begins with, of course, The God, RAKIM, forever the hip-hop pioneer, legend, and icon. Saturday looks to be an all-star, all-coasts performance showcase: Headliners include West Coast rap legends Tha Dogg Pound, marking the 30th anniversary of Dogg Food, and Digable Planets, currently touring in celebration of 1994’s Blowout Comb. Bay Area legends Souls of Mischief, Mix Master Mike with Invisibl Skratch Piklz, RBL Posse, San Quinn, and Los Rakas will join the stacked lineup reflecting the scene’s depth and diversity. Midway, SF. More info here.
SAT/19: THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES The “Ess-Eff” indie-rock community is a close-knit, supportive group of artists, optimists, and pessimists who all deal with Karl the Fog, the flaky nature of Northern California, and the constant act of resisting with the simple effort of ordering a second cup of coffee. Andy Pastalaniec, founder of the band Chime School, pointed me toward Glenn Donaldson and his project The Reds, Pinks and Purples, and ever since, I’ve been the wiser. As a Bay Area artist for what feels like forever, his songwriting skills remain personal and moving. That sense of woe-cynicism and mockery? Trademark brilliance. Forever nailing how many bands have come, gone, and failed in the 415, or waxing on about toxic friends, all get delivered with that badge of “enveloping ennui” with just a hint of cherry blossoms in the tone. Buy his new record here go see him at The 4-Star along with HITS. Donaldson is gigantic, and he will never let you know. 8pm, 4 Star, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork.
THURS/17: PRESIDIO OPENS OUTPOST MEADOW PICNIC AREA A former asphalt parking lot is now a beautiful and grassy new 1.5 acre picnic area in the Presidio. Outpost Meadow is located next to the playground and surrounded by 23,000 native plants. It was built with families in mind, with a lawn that seats nearly 250 people, stroller and bike parking, grills for DIY barbecue sessions, and a close view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Those who don’t feel like cooking or bringing food will find plenty of options between the Main Post’s nearby rotating food trucks, the grab and go pizza bar Il Parco, and the recently-opened Taquería Colibrí on the patio of Colibrí Mexican Bistro. A picnic table reservation system for renting tables (including accessible tables with companion seating) will open in the fall. Muni’s 30 Stockton bus offers direct service. 210 Lincoln Blvd., SF.
FRI/18: SNACK + SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER AT MINTED Mint Plaza is hosting a weekly summer and early fall event called Minted, now in its third week. Area restaurants 54 Mint, Burma Love, and Sushi Hashiri pop outside to sell fun foods and drinks to the beat of a special musical guest. 54 Mint presents items such as braised oxtail sliders, suppli cacio e pepe, and handmade mezze manica Amatriciana pasta. Burma Love has spiced popcorn chicken, mini samosas, fried egg rolls, and the famous tea leaf salad. Sushi Hashiri offers top-tier omakase dinners inside the restaurant, and is offering special, lower-priced bento boxes and veggie rice bowls. The music lineup is stellar all season as well. This week features a set from J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science, while future installments feature beloved local crews like Sazon Libre, Cuffin’ All Thangs R&B, and Motown On Mondays. Free. 5pm-9pm on Fridays through September 19 at Mint Plaza (between Fifth Street and Mint Street), SF.
FRI/18: DOUBLE HAPPINESS RETURNS TO MAMAHUHU For the second year in a row, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar and the three Mamahuhu restaurant locations are offering their Double Happiness fish sandwich collaboration. Mamahuhu doesn’t offer a fish sandwich any other time of year, but it should—the crispy rice battered sea bass topped with a tartar sauce made with Taiwanese pickles, pickled Napa cabbage, and chrysanthemum slaw on a brioche bun is a real pleasure. For the first time, there are three options to consider when ordering Double Happiness: a fish sandwich with ½ ounce of Lapsang tea smoked trout roe ($39), a fish sandwich with ½ ounce of white sturgeon caviar ($49, the same price as last year), and a fish sandwich with both the trout roe and caviar ($66). A mother of pearl spoon is provided, but there’s no judgment if you choose to just pour the entire contents onto the sandwich. he special starts on Friday, which happens to be the designated “National Caviar Day,” and continues until supplies last, which an employee at the Clement Street location estimated could be through the first week of August. 517 Clement Street, SF; 3991 24th Street, SF; and 173 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III hits up theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
THROUGH AUGUST 2: “JURASSIQ PARQ” Michael Phillis’ lovingly lascivious musical tribute to Spielberg’s cinematic groundbreaker is full of meta-humor and none-too-subtle entendres, Phillis’ aim is to create a Chuck Tingle-esque reimagining that brings all the (mostly imaginary) sexual subtext to the fore. Bearded billionaire Col. Sanders Hammond (Vanilla Meringue) has a private island where his scientists experiment on new ways to make finger-lickin’ profits. To keep the company suits happy, he sets up a private tour for very single paleobotanist Dr. Laura Dern (Eleanor Irene Paul), the aforementioned Dr. Jeffe, and, inexplicably, Hammond’s not-quite-minor grandkids, Lexxx (Barbie Bloodgloss) and Timy (Kitty Litter). Science goes awry, dinos get loose, raptors are played by go-go dancers in a cage. Just the way Michael Crichton envisioned. OASIS, SF. More info here.
THROUGH JULY 27: “LES BLANCS” Oakland Theater Project’s take on Lorraine Hansberry’s radical play features a cast of Black women playing every role, producing one of the best shows of the year. The white settlers off fictional country Zartembe feel the only thing keeping “their” home from true greatness is the dark-skinned savages who have been there since time immemorial. Well-intentioned white American Charlie Morris (Champagne Hughes) is there to write a story about a supposedly kind-hearted white priest in the area, but arrives just as displaced rebels begin guerilla warfare. It’s also when Zatembe native Tshembe (Jeunée Simon) returns to bury his father. Tshembe lives in Europe with his white wife and newborn. He’s seen Eurocentrism from every conceivable angle. What scares him isn’t the idea of returning to Zatembe, but the possible realization that he may have never really left. FLAX art & design, Oakland. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
THU/17: SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL The 45th installment of the wide-ranging fest plays in venues in SF and the East Bay, and is full of comedy and conflict, including “hot-mess bisexuals, Orthodox blackmail, and Daveed Diggs.” Other highlights include docs of Paddy Chayefsky, Elie Wiesel, and Andy Kaufman. Read our full guide here.
DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS Schindler’s List and “Mad Men” actress Embeth Davidtz makes her debut behind the camera adapting journalist Alexandra Fuller’s bestselling 2001 memoir about her early years in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The film is set in 1980, on the eve of a national election that turned the British colony into an independent nation, ending white rule. That prospect is viewed with terror and resentment by the Fullers, who after years of defensive living during the Rhodesian Bush War are gun-toting arms of the minority government facing an imminent demise. Told from the point of view of daughter Bobo, the film dives into how privilege can obscure reality. Opens Fri/18 at Bay Area theaters including SF’s Opera Plaza, Berkeley’s Elmwood, and the Smith Rafael Film Center in Marin.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up.
FRI/18: NO BIAS A line-up of (im)pure Bay Area underground techno brilliance—and beyond. Bored Lord b2b Finishher (who slayed the Campette queer campout a couple weekends ago), EQUISS b2b Bastiengoat, Archangel, Jersey beats-meister Tah, more. Beats will be flying. 10pm-late, F8, SF. More info here.
FRI/18: DANNY TENAGLIA The dance music titan lost me a bit in the 1990s and 2000s with all the pop music remixes and tribal/circuit allure, but damn he came back strong with his amped-up disco sound in the past couple decades, lighting the dance floor on fire with familiar and deep cuts alike. Bring your fans. 9pm-2am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
SAT/19: YAEJI I swear I saw the electronic powerhouse on Muni the other day, but I was too shy to interrupt her incognito reverie. I’m going to be subversive here and say that while she rocks live, I much prefer her DJ sets, which bring out the more introspective side of her prodigious talents, and even get a little techno-psychedelic. (This classic pandemic show is still mind-blowing vibes.) Looking forward to seeing her behind the decks again at Midway. 9pm, The Midway, SF. More info here.
