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.
GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. guides you to some cool things. There’s tons more to do and support right here.
FRI/3: OKTOBERFEST AT PARK CHALET Raise your steins to autumn and let those lederhosen breathe. Park Chalet’s annual Germanic celebration of the harvest is always a hoot (hüt?), with Bavarian eats, live music from Alpine Sound—watch those alpenhorns—and your own custom. stein. 6pm-9pm, Park Chalet, SF. More info here.
FRI/3 + SAT/4: “RULE OF THIRDS” An intriguing triple bill of dance trios from promising choreographers, presented by Pearl Street Dance Company: “Drawing inspiration from the rule of thirds often used in photography, these pieces highlight dynamic choices in spacing, composition, and relationship. Featuring new works by San Francisco choreographer Hadassah Perry, Saint Louis artist Monica Zesch, and an exciting new collaborative piece performed by Pearl Street Dance Collective artists Bella Soo-Hoo, and Elizabeth Wiehe performed alongside a quartet of emerging musicians in San Francisco.” 7:30pm, iMPACt Center for Art & Dance, SF. More info here.
FRI/3-SUN/5: “ENDURE” On your marks! “Alyssa Mitchel presents the premiere of Endure, a multimedia dance production featuring a cast of six dancers along with graphic designs and animations by Zach Litoff. The work explores the physical and mental grit required to take on any marathon-like challenge. Through the stories of six marathon runners, the piece celebrates running while paying tribute to the enduring human spirit, with the intention of empowering audience members to persevere through difficult challenges.” Dance Mission Theater, SF. More info here.
SAT/4: RICHMOND AUTUMN MOON FESTIVAL OK, I have been dying for a good mooncake, so Clement Street here I come. Enjoy all the food, music, and community spirit of this annual Chinese tradition—outside the crowded confines of Chinatown (which hosted theirs last week). This is a laidback offering or gratitude from one of our most enduring and diverse neighborhoods. There will be lion dancers, I’m sure. 11am-3pm, Clement Street between 8th and 11th, SF. More info here.
SAT/4 + SUN/5: MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD FESTIVAL If you missed the amazing Greek Food Festival a couple weekends ago, you simply must atone by attending this other “ethnic” food gem. “From savory kebabs and falafels, our festival offers an array of authentic Middle Eastern flavors. Come try our famous hummus, tabbouleh, kibbeh, shawarma, stuffed grape leaves, and so much more. Immerse yourself in the rich culture and traditions of the Middle East as you enjoy live music, entertainment and performances throughout the event.” Sign me up. St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, SF. More info here.
SUN/5: CASTRO STREET FAIR Harvey Milk himself initiated this neighborhood gathering in 1974, and 51 years later it still delivers cozy, small-town community vibes, despite growing in its proportions. There’s dancing and live music on multiple stages plus vendors to sell you all the rainbow wind-socks and alabaster torso sculptures you could desire (kidding, the wares are quite cool!). But my favorite moment remains the Sundance Saloon stage behind the former Castro Theatre, RIP: You can see line-dancers of every persuasion performing complex routines to everyone from Beyonce to Patsy Cline. 11am-6pm, Castro Street and Market, SF. More info here.
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MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
FRI/3: MADISON MC FERRIN WITH DANI OFFLINE My fave type of show, a two-fer. I would pay cash on the spot to see either separately, but Rickshaw Stop said, “Hold up, Bruh, we got you.” What’s the story, Morning Glory? The highly creative, San Francisco-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin, best known for making a cappella jammers a thing once again, will headline a performance this Friday. You can expect complex rhythms and careful arrangements that transform into stellar songbook creations, elevating the human voice to its highest heights. But first, performing in support, our own Best Of The Bay Editors’ Pick, Dani Offline. A Bay Area star rising in our midst, come early for this songwriter, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist who exudes starpower through song and presence. Now that’s a two-fer, truly legit! 8pm, Rickshaw Stop, SF. More info here.
FRI/3-SUN/5: HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS 25TH ANNIVERSARY Yeah! I knew we would wind up back amongst the plants and birds and rocks and thangs. So many things, so many tiny details, so many large acts, but what I love most about this, can you dig it, it’s FREE. A three-day concert in Golden Gate Park. (wait, they do free concerts in Golden Gate Park?) So once you notice Jimmie Dale Gilmore and the West Texas Exiles, Lucinda Williams, Samara Joy, Courtney Barnett, Reverend Horton Heat. Watchhouse and Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets? You look over the list and see the name Kelly McFarling, a Bay Area-based, Atlanta-born singer-songwriter who has been building momentum with her melodic compositions that feature eclectic uses of wah-wah pedals and steel guitars. HSBG still involves everyone. Including those Bay Area singer-songwriters that we know are special, and we hope the world gets to know they are special. Golden Gate Park, SF. More info here.
MON/6: LEDISI: “FOR DINAH” First, it was a tribute to the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone, a few years ago. And now, Ledisi will dazzle Bay Area audiences again with another tribute to a legend of song. Many remember R&B luminary Ledisi—who earned a dozen Grammy Award nominations before winning her first in 2021 for her song “Anything For You”—from her days in Oakland, when she was just pushing, striving, and achieving that goal of being exceptional. Conservatory-trained in UC Berkeley’s Young Musician Program, she’s now taking on the discography of Dinah Washington, proving that Ledisi is a true, unique talent. This performance, brought to us by SFJAZZ—under the direction and guidance of Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard—will feature the singer backed by her exceptional band, performing this one-night-only show and adding to her ongoing contribution to the canon of song. 8pm, SFJAZZ. 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!
THROUGH SUN/5: CHINATOWN MEETS NORTH BEACH PIZZA at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana (1570 Stockton Street) Chef Kathy Fang and her father Peter Fang are celebrating the release of their House of Nanking cookbook with all kinds of events and collaborations, including a House of Nanking-inspired Chinatown Meets North Beach pizza that is available through Oct. 5 at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. Check out my video interview with Kathy and her full Bay Area book tour itinerary, which includes more fun events through the end of the year.
SUN/5: DRAG BINGO BRUNCH at Saluhall (945 Market Street, SF) Host Elsa Touche and guests will perform at a Drag Bingo Brunch from noon to 1:30pm at Saluhall. Admission is free, and all of the hall’s dining partners will be open for optional purchasing of food and drinks (including cocktails). My suggestion: take down a Smish Smash smashburger.
SUN/5 THE UBE FESTIVAL Local event promoter Anthony Presents has moved his popular, all ages purple fest from District Six to Spark Social SF. This time, he’s booked a special guest: Brique, the Los Angeles French toast titan whose owners are originally from the Bay Area. Local Filipino creators such as Señor Sisig and Marley’s Treats will also be showing how versatile ube can be. Tickets are free; register here. 11am to 5pm at Spark Social SF, 601 Mission Bay Boulevard North, San Francisco
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
THROUGH OCTOBER 12: “THE MOTION” Christopher Chen’s latest work takes some of the geekiest sci-fi tropes and use them as the basis of a chamber play about finding common ground. That’s how we audience members end up in the audience of the debate show Intelligence Cubed, hosted by Jack Donovan (Erin Gould). Today’s topic is whether potentially fatal animal testing should be banned, with we audience members casting the deciding vote via red and green cards. We’re immediately in moral quandary territory, but Chen and his imminently watchable Shotgun Players cast have a few more twists and surprises up his sleeve. Ashby Stage, Berkeley. More info here.
THROUGH OCTOBER 19: “KIM’S CONVENIENCE” Ins Choi’s sitcom-adjacent play at ACT tells the story of a Canadian shopkeeper’s family facing the future, and is loaded with plenty of jokes that land. But the intergenerational and racial drama here work so much better, drawing the audience into a lovingly detailed world (including a brilliant set by designer Joanna Yu and projection designer Nicole Eun-Ju Bell) with real stakes. Toni Rembe Theatre at ACT, SF. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
THROUGH OCTOBER 12: MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL The Big Kahuna of local fall film fests is a starry affair, drawing the kind of big names one normally associates with Hollywood affairs. That’s great, but the movies are good too. Things kick off with with Hamnet, the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel—a historical fiction about Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal)—that is already considered a front-runner in the Oscar race. Director Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and co-star Jessie Buckley will be present both that night and at a matinee the following day. That’s just the first of many gala occasions, which will also include another acclaimed literary translation, of Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams; Old Boy director Park Chan-Wook’s No Other Choice; Bill Condon’s latest Broadway musical adaptation Kiss of the Spider Woman; a spotlight on Australian actress Rose Byrne, with her new vehicle If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; Richard Linklater’s fictionalized salute to the early 1960s French Nouvelle Vague; in-person tributes to veteran director Spike Lee and suppressed Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi’s (with his new It Was Just an Accident). The official closing night selection on Sun/12, Hikari’s Japan-US coproduction Rental Family, offers Brendan Fraser as an American actor who finds surprising employment in Tokyo. More info here.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up. Check out his club The Stud for more great parties.
THU/2-SUN/5: PUBLIC WORKS 15TH ANNIVERSARY To celebrate some amazing longevity in the biz, the club has programmed an incredible slate of talent over four nights, including Oakland powerhouse Chippy Nonstop, spirited Germain technician Âme Live, colorful Midwestern queer multi-hypenate Wreckno (the name says it all), and local hero David Harness playing some soulful house in the Loft on Sunday evening. Grab a PW Union membership for discounts and perks. Public Works, SF. More info here.
FRI/3-SUN/5: ENDZEIT x PARAMETER WEEKENDER An absolutely insane lineup when one of our best undergrounds joins forces with one of our best techno crews: Speedy J, Wata Igarashi, Jason Kendig, Christina Chartfield, Freddy K, Polygon, Om Unit, so many more. The Loom, Oakland. More info here.
SAT/4: THEO PARRISH The literal god of Detroit House is playing a marathon set at the Foundry, open to close. That is all you need to know, really. We are blessed. 9pm-2am, The Foundry, SF. More info here.
