Welcome to Big Week, our weekly guide to cool things to do in San Francisco and beyond, put together by our expert critics and writers.
GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. keeps an eye and ear out.
SAT/20 + SUN/21: NORTH BEACH FESTIVAL Seems like we just took a wine-drenched whirl through North Beach streets with Festa Italiana; now we’re headed back into its storied streets for two days of live entertainment, fantastic food, 200+ vendors, great drinks, and more, more, more at this 73-year-old tradition. More info here.
SAT/20: JUNETEENTH PARADE & CELEBRATION Marking the liberation of African American people from slavery, this event comes with deep meaning and culture that we all should be celebrating. I will admit my favorite parts of the parade (back from when it came down Divisadero) are the gorgeous classic cars, the horse riders, and the floats blasting music from all over the African diaspora. This year, for the fourth time, the parade winds down Market Street, with block parties on the Embarcadero and along the route. 11am-3:30pm, more info here.
SAT/20: LIBRARY DAY AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS A fabulous all-ages event to promote higher literacy with the Summer Stride program. Join in with Sarah Bush Dance Project, Duniya Drum and Dance Company, a read-aloud with SF Drag Laureate Per Sia and artist Nidhi Chanani alongside other local authors at noon, crafts, book giveaways, STEM activities for youth… all in a lovely park. 11am-2pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, SF. More info here.
SAT/20: BAY AREA UBE FESTIVAL 2026 Can’t get enough of that sweet purple stuff? Head down to Cow Palace for a blast of Filipino flavor, with live music, DJs, and cultural performances throughout the day, plus of course all the purple-yam-flavored eats and drinks than you can imagine. 10am-6pm, Cow Palace, SF. More info here.
SAT/20: IDOL WORSHIP WITH PEACHES CHRIST AND MINK STOLE SF’s beloved Satanic drag queen has teamed up with John Waters muse Mink Stole for an underground cinema spectacle. “Two queens of underground cinema and counterculture unite to celebrate Mink’s legacy: her career, scandal, glamour, and divine weirdness, from her early days with John Waters and the Dreamlanders to her decades of scene stealing film, stage, and music work. This San Francisco finale carries special meaning. The Strand famously found its footing as the arthouse cinema on Market Street through its record breaking run of Pink Flamingos. It is also the very first place Mink Stole ever saw the film, having missed the Baltimore premiere.” 7:30pm, Strand Theater, SF. More info here.
SAT/20: JOEL SCHECHTER One of our favorite writers, Joel Schechter—48 Hills contributor and humorist—will be reading from his new book, Rogues Gallery, “a collection of felons, ne’er-do-wells, White House demolitionists, and undertaxed billionaires. Many of the comic accusations levied against these felons and bad boys were originally published by 48 Hills. Collected here for the first time are classic reports on the demolition of the West Wing (not just the East Wing!) of the White House; a special cell to be built on Alcatraz for the President of the United States; and San Francisco as the new billionaire sanctuary.” 2pm, Far Out Gallery, SF. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
THU/18: MESTIZO BEAT + SUN HOP FAT Putting Mestizo Beat and Sun Hop Fat at Rickshaw Stop on the same bill? That’s a night full of sweat, movement, and jazz that you just can’t sit still for. For this exceptional date at Rickshaw Stop, expect a supreme blend of early ’70s funk & soul, Latin jazz, Afrobeat, psychedelic rock, and hip-hop from Afro-Latin soul ensemble Mestizo Beat based out of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Sun Hop Fat twists up rhythms by merging American funk and jazz with harmonies and melodies from East Africa. Ethiopian Jazz? That’s a check. Expect pointers on how to groove to Mulatu Astatke-type Ethio-jazz arrangements. It’s a dance-floor-alert type of live music night! 8pm, Rickshaw Stop, SF. More info here.
FRI/19: R.E. SERAPHIN, THE KITCHENETTES, TONY JAY R.E. Seraphin brings Bay Area jangly pop and lightly baroque arrangements. The Kitchenettes (still a wonderful name, by the way) are three friends from our ridiculously high-yield indie scene: Morgan of The Umbrellas and Telephone Numbers fame, plus Emily and Sequoia of The Snogs, who deliver inventive and lovable, mostly pop songs that hark back to the bygone era of women bands from the ’80s and ’90s. And Tony Jay, the lo-fi, dream-pop project from Michael Ramos, crafts transformative, dreamy, psychedelic soundscapes. Shouts to the bookers, again, at Little Hill Lounge, who know, without a doubt, what’s really good. 8pm, Little Hill Lounge, El Cerrito. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork.
CAFE FLORE RETURNS UNDER PARASOL’S UMBRELLA Last week, Marcia Gagliardi aka Tablehopper invited me to have dinner at Parasol, the new concept in the classic Cafe Flore space in the Castro. It was wonderful to be eating supple rainbow carrots with red pepper spread, walnuts, and Balsamic; dates stuffed with goat cheese and drizzled with honey, zingy ahi carpaccio, served with pickled jalapeño, and pillowy gnocchi with fontina and walnut piperade in this meaningful gathering space, which closed in 2019. Personally, it also brought back fond memories of DJing there and meeting people! Parasol’s food menu is fun and shareable, and the wine, “sober curious,” and soft drinks lists offer plenty of unusual beverages. Tablehopper toasted a glass of Armenian wine to my sparkling rose lemonade, for example. Open Wednesday through Sunday (including coffee and pastries in the morning), Parasol provides a good umbrella to socialize and people watch — especially this Pride month! 2298 Market Street, SF. www.parasolsf.com
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week in the Drama Masks column.
FRI/19—SUN 21: ICU (I SEE YOU) Golden Thread’s 30th anniversary season once again finds them responding to the moment in the most direct way possible. Iran has been lauded and demonized, but what do the people say? Leyla Modirzadeh and Domenique Lozano’s solo play (performed by Bridgette Loriaux) gives voice to very people caught between the world’s great super-powers. Red Poppy Art House, SF. More info here.
FRI/19, MON/21 – TUE/23: BLACKEST WRENCH and INFINITE PRIDE When the world goes crazy, SF Neo-Futurists go even crazier. The experimental troupe will ring in Juneteenth with their second-annual all-Black show, The Blackest Wrench at BAM House, Oakland, before heading back to SF to ring in Pride at two legendary SF queer bars with Infinite Pride at El Rio and The Stud. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
THROUGH JUNE 27: FRAMELINE LGBTQ FILM FEST It’s a major achievement for any arts organization to negotiate cultural changes and financial challenges over the long haul, let alone survive to nurture a second or third generation of creatives. That Frameline has endured to see its 50th anniversary edition seems in some respects even more unlikely… given that the communities it reflects and serves have never stopped being demonized for political points both in the US and abroad. Over 11 days, dozens of new queer films and fantastic retrospectives will celebrate half a century of innovative filmmaking and programming with star appearances from the likes of Coleman Domingo, Lilly Wachowski, Hannah Einbender, Gillian Anderson—and special tributes to directors and performers who made the scene what it is today. www.frameline.org
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up.
FRI/19: ALUNA: NOIR Bringing some deep soul energy—British-style—is singer-turned-DJ Aluna (of AlunaGeorge fame), coming with deep house heavy hitters David Harness and Anastazja, plus about a dozen backup locals to drench 1015 in vibes. 10pm-3am, 1015 Folsom, SF. More info here.
SAT/20: FRINGE PRIDE Irresistible 2000s indie-dance revival Fringe party always induces singing at the top of one’s lungs to alternative hits you forgot you remembered. Its Pride edition is a packed hoot, and you know there will be extra doses of Robyn, Tegan and Sarah, and Gaga. Plus videos! 9pm-2am, Madrone, SF. More info here.
SUN/21: SALTED SUMMER SOLSTICE One of SF’s longest-running sunny house parties is back for a special solstice installment, with Chicago house pioneer Roy Davis Jr. and legendary duo Mood II Swing, alongside Salted staples Miguel Migs, Julius Papp, and Franky Boissy. 4pm-9pm, The Midway, SF. More info here.
