Welcome to our calendar feature BIG WEEK, wherein our expert Arts & Culture writers recommend the best things in Arts, Music, Food & Drink, Stage, Film, Nightlife, and more. Big news of the week: We’re incredibly sad to hear that Aurora Theatre Company officially announced its closing at the end of this year, a huge blow to the Bay Area arts community. All the more reason to support the scene at one of the events below, and beyond.
GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. guides you right. There’s tons more to do and support right here.
THU/14-SAT/16: MOHANAD ELSHIEKY The Libyan-born comedian combines a deceptively laid-back demeanor with his whip-smart perspective on politics and culture. (He’s the digital editor for “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” among tons of other things). Dig his pulse check on where we’re at right now, and even laugh a little at it. Punchline Comedy Club, SF. More info here.
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14: “BEAU MCCALL: BUTTONS ON!” If you’ve been looking for an excuse to head to the Dogpatch’s Museum of Craft and Design, here’s a really bright and shiny one—the first ever retrospective of artist Beau McCall’s four decade career. Proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man,” McCall creates wearable and visual art by hand-sewing clothing buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics, materials, and objects, creating transcendent razzle-dazzle. Museum of Craft and Design, SF. More info here.
FRI/15-SEPTEMBER 20: ROOT DIVISION: ‘INTRODUCTIONS” Root Division gallery continues its great showcase series of local (and supremely deserving) artists who don’t yet have professional representation—they’ll soon be snapped up, though, judging from last year’s terrific exhibition. The 12 artists selected by the “Introductions” jury include Paloma Bondi, Zoe Spikerman, April Camlin, Javier Roberto Carlos, Katie Murken, England Hidalgo, and more working in every medium imaginable. It’s also a treat to roam Root Division’s smart SoMa space. Root Division, SF. More info here.
SUN/17: HONEY DON’T SUNDAY SERVICE PARTY If you missed out on the excitement of our free giveaway for saucy new Ethan Coen movie Honey Don’t, you can still catch the Neo B-Movie excitement (and possibly score more tickets) at this campy event, featuring DJ Paul Goodyear, themed cocktails, and swag at Castro bar the Lookout. 1pm-3pm, Lookout, SF. More info here.
SUN/17: MARCUS SHELBY ORCHESTRA AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS We adore local soul spirit Marcus Shelby, especially on a day out at the park with his jazz orchestra, performing a program entitled “Blues and the Pursuit of Freedom.” Expect history, expect connection, expect exceptional jams. 2pm-3:30pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, SF. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
Help us save local journalism!
Every tax-deductible donation helps us grow to cover the issues that mean the most to our community. Become a 48 Hills Hero and support the only daily progressive news source in the Bay Area.
THU/14 TAJ MAHAL The Grammys finally made Bay Area legend Taj Mahal a Lifetime Achievement honoree in 2025. What took ‘em so long? He’s collaborated with everyone from Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters to Jerry Garcia and the Rolling Stones, plus Bob Marley and the Wailers. His career resembles a wild and unpredictable weathervane of activity, pushing genres and maximizing the limits in jazz, funk, reggae, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and of course, blues. We are lucky, No. Blessed to have this titan of song and maestro of the arts still with us and always ready to start a good-sounding, better feeling ruckus of a good time. 7pm, SFJAZZ, Miner Auditorium. More info here.
FRI/15: MADELINE KENNEY Peep it. My boss, Marke B, knows what’s up. Advised me to keep an eye on Madeline Kenney. I’ve heard a couple of her singles in the past that caught my attention. And new “Semitones” holds a sacred space where Kate Bush ended, and Kenney, who I never thought I’d compare to the ultimate golden goose, picks up that odd and obtuse sonic torch and marches that sucker right through the Bay. With a squelchy mid-tempo production, thundering drums, rich atmospherics, and full-on dramatics in the video, it does work; I’m starting to hear what all the hubbub is about. 9pm, The Independent, SF. More info here.
SAT/16: LOTEK The LOTEK party crew debuts its first show at Underground SF, with special guest Flobama, who takes his US instrumental hip hop foundation and blends it with modern UK Jungle through a cosmic lo-fi lens. Get on board with this jungle, breakbeat, hardcore, drum & bass DJ joint with local support from Soeneido, Mars Kasei, and Queermom. 9pm, Underground SF. More info here.
SAT/16 HORSEGIRL WITH GOLDCASTER & CINDY Sold-out shows tell the tale best. But rarely has that ever stopped you from hitting a show you needed to be at. Shooting out of the persistently active and competitive Chicago garage noise scene, trio Horsegirl stood out from the beginning. That brand was built up by gigging at museums, all-ages venues, open mics, and house parties—all the places you would expect to hear jangly arrangements leading to squirrelly power. With 2025’s Phonetics On and On, produced by Cate Le Bon, the grown-up trio proves that a deal on coveted Matador imprint didn’t impair their talent; if anything, it allowed growth. Horsegirl got moves, Jack. 8pm, Great American Music Hall, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork. Sign up for the new Good Taste newsletter here!
WEDNESDAYS THROUGH 9/24: MID-WEEK MERCADO Off The Grid’s latest weekday lunch market grand opens today at Salesforce Plaza. In general, expect 14 rotating mobile food creators covering the Latin diaspora—a recent lineup, for example, includes those incredible, trend-setting quesabirria tacos by Richmond’s El Garage, Salvadoran bites from Estrellita’s Snacks, Argentine empanadas by Venga’s, and Peruvian-spiced seafood delights from Yo Soy Ceviche. Off The Grid also promises that Mid-Week Mercado will have “Happy Hour vibes,” with bonus hours from 4pm-6pm today as well as on Aug. 27, Sep. 10, and on the finale of 9/24. 11am to 2pm, Salesforce Plaza, SF.
SAT/16: PIZZA, BAGEL & BEER FESTIVAL Pizza impresario and North Beach ambassador Tony Gemignani is once again partnering with the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club to host an epic weekend festival with 65 pizza, bagel, and beer purveyors, with proceeds donated to the John Arena Foundation, Salesian Boys & Girls Club, Saints Peter & Paul School, and more. General admission includes pizza and bagel tastings as well as four drink tickets, while the VIP upgrade includes a private lounge with open bar, Italian specialty gift bag, early entry, and all the dough you can handle. $85-275. 12-4 pm, San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, 1630 Stockton Street. Tickets here.
SAT/16: SAYING BYE TO TRASH PIES Saturday will be the last chance to order the titular, food-waste conscious pizzas made of spent oat flour and whey at Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine. The restaurant will remodel into an “Old Vegas” look (farewell, slime green interior), unveil a new menu that continues to use “climate-positive ingredients,” and reopen as Shuggie’s at the end of the month. 3349 23rd Street, SF.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III hits up theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
THROUGH AUGUST 24: “THE RETURN” What happens when the oppressed parrots the words of the oppressor? How does a former oppressor support the oppressed without causing more harm? When Israeli Jew Talia (the always watchable Elissa Beth Stebbins) steps into an auto shop, she’s surprised to find a Palestinian Arab called Yakub (Nick Musleh) as the only one working this late. More than that, she’s pretty sure they know one another, which means she owes him an apology. But if she’s right, she may find she’s talking to someone who doesn’t even recognize himself anymore. Golden Thread Productions, SF. More info here.
THROUGH AUGUST 24: SAN FRANCISCO FRINGE FEST In true underground DIY spirit (and very reflective of our moment), Exit Theatre‘s annual independent 15-play thespianic onslaught Fringe Festival offers everything from “I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Going to Take It Just a Little Bit Longer” to “Due To an Unforeseen Apocalypse This Will Be Our Final Performance”—with everything from parlor seances and generational trauma to frenzied improv and voices of the formerly incarcerated in between. Exit Theatre, SF. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
SAT/16 AND BEYOND: BLUSH THE PORNFILMFEST SF’s own annual screen smutfest is back with a single in-person day at BRAVA Theater in the Mission on Sat/16, encompassing an afternoon “From Fantasy to Reality: Negotiation & Scene Creation” workshop plus two evening packages of shorts. It’s followed by fifteen days of online access, Sun/17-Sun/31, whose eight programs (available anytime during that span) have themes such as “Big/Bang” (“proving that more really IS merrier”), “Eco/Erotic,” “Power/Play” and “Local/Lore.” BRAVA Theater, SF. More info here.
OPENING FRI/15: BOYS GO TO JUPITER A nearly one-man animation enterprise apart from its fairly starry voice cast (which includes Cole Escola, Janeane Garofalo and Elsie Fisher), Julian Glander’s surreal slacker comedy is a worthy commentary on our ever-shrinking future as encapsulated by the cultural calamity of suburban Florida. Protagonist Billy 5000 is a teenager determined to make the gig economy work for him, a goal naturally doomed to failure. But as he chases the decreasingly almighty dollar (or at least some cryptocurrency equivalent), he encounters myriad equally-misguided personalities on his path, including a space creature who apparently has an interplanetary snacking vlog. Opens at SF’s Balboa and the Rialtos Cerrito and Sebastopol.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up. Check out his club The Stud for more great parties.
FRI/15: DJ STINGRAY The Detroit legend’s very deep, very powerful techno sets are basically what a current of electricity sounds like, but kissing your forehead and slapping your ass at the same time. With fellow percussive freak TSVI and more. 9pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
FRI/15: ACID AUGUST WITH SHAUN J. WRIGHT It’s past 808 day, let alone 303 day, but masterful Chicago DJ and singer (and just lovely person all-around) Shaun J. Wright knows what we need to heat up the Fogust nights—acid delights! With a cast of fellow freaks (and a trippy VJ set, hell yeah) 9pm-2am, Monarch, SF. More info here.
SAT/16: ORGANIC POOLSIDE I drove five hours to Chicago (and then back in the morning) to catch an Organic rave in the early ’90s. And I lived! I still get the same freaking thrill reading this lineup 30-odd years later: DJ Sneak, Doc Martin, Mark Farina, DJ Dan, Jeno, Markie, Heather—and that’s just for starters, playing around the Phoenix Hotel pool. What??? 2pm-2am, Phoenix Hotel, SF. More info here.
