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, Nightlife, Onstage, and more. Subscribe to our newsletter to get this straight to your inbox.
EVENTS OF NOTE
Find tons more to do in our Arts & Culture section.
SAT/22: SF FLOWER BULB DAY Also known as Tulip Day, this fabulous floral extravaganza fills Union Square with more than 80,000 eye-popping flowers—visitors are invited to pick their own gorgeous bunch. 1pm-4:30pm, Union Square, SF. More info here.
THU/20-MARCH 26: FRANKENSTEIN Returning to SF Ballet after eight years, Liam Scarlett’s epic fantasy-horror ballet takes on Mary Shelley’s famous monster, and lyrically unpacks themes of creation, technology, change, and morality. War Memorial Opera House, SF. More info here.
FRI/21 + SAT/22: “MARCH MADNESS” Punk rock mezzo-soprano and acrobatic aerialist Nikola Printz gets wild with the mad women of opera, bringing two nights of diva chaos, mosh pit influence, and classic cabaret spirit to the Chan Center. 7:30pm, Chan National Queer Arts Center, SF. More info here.
SUN/23: RESISTANCE COMEDY Sometimes you just gotta laugh at all the awfulness. That’s the approach here from local legend Lisa Geduldig, whose new series at Eclectic Box kicks off with fellow comics Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Orion Levine, Carla Clayy, Bob McIntyre, and Geduldig herself. 7pm, Eclectic Box, SF. More info here.
ONSTAGE
For more onstage recommendations, check see Charles Lewis III’s Drama Masks column.
THROUGH MARCH 23: UNCLE VANYA It’s the final week to catch this triumphant production of Checkhov’s eternal meditation on how to be useful with your life, and the family traumas that keep you from it or hold you back. Hugh Bonneville of “Downton Abbey” is a force in the title role. Berkeley Rep, Berkeley. More info here.
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THROUGH MARCH 30: PUSH/PULL Central Works’ very timely production focuses on 20-something Clark, a mousy guy who wants to bulk up to reclaim a sense of manhood after a recent painful break-up. To that end, he turns to former high school classmate Nolan, a man-bun-sporting aspiring bodybuilder whose intense workouts go hand-in-hand with his frequent mood swings (hint, hint). Berkeley City Club, Berkeley. More info here.
MUSIC
For more music recommendations check out John-Paul Shiver’s weekly Under the Stars music column.
THU/20: ONEIDA, KINSKI, AND TERRY GROSS AT KILOWATT New York City-based outfit Oneida, who’ve been around since 1997, “careens through every kind of rock with shadings of noise, experimental, psychedelic, minimalism, and so on—all with a workmanlike approach,” according to Bandcamp. They play the Kilowatt with Kinski and our local faves with the smartaleck name, Terry Gross. 8pm, Kilowatt, SF. More info here.
SAT/22: EMO NIGHT TOUR AT INDEPENDENT This traveling party has been around almost as long as emo itself, with “DJs will be spinning all the angst your teenage dirtbag heart desires all night long, and a special guest band will bring you emo covers that will make you feel like you’re at Warped Tour ‘08 minus all the dust and melting in the sun.” Cry more! 9pm, The Independent, SF. More info here.
SUN/23: OAKLAND SAMBA REVUE AT SHUGGIE’S TRASH PILE Kayla Abe and David Murphy have turned their Mission hotspot eatery into a jazz destination on Thursdays and Sundays, pairing up with nonprofit, musician-supporting org Jazz in the Neighborhood. This Thursday sees bassist Kurt Ribak, while Sunday brings in the energetic Oakland Samba revue to spice up your ‘za. 6pm-8pm, Shuggie’s Trash Pile, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s Good Taste Good Taste food & drink column tells you every week what eats to seek out.
NEW DELHI RESTAURANT Ranjan Dey’s Indian family restaurant has been around nearly 40 years, but it’s in serious danger of closing. Hit up an old school classic and sink into some warm tikka and naan. More info here.
JOHN LENNON MOCHA Reach for something fab: a potent iced mocha with English toffee syrup from coffee-slash-burrito shop Cantata Coffee Company. We’re drining decaf, but there’s still enough energy in the cup to perform a whole Beatles tribute concert. 1708 Haight Street, SF. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs movie column has tons more flicks to recommend.
THROUGH SAT/22 (ONLINE THROUGH APRIL 5): GREEK FILM FEST The 22nd installment of the lively fest is full of comedy and tragedy, as only the Greeks can bring it. Don’t miss Dimitris Nakos’ Meat and Penny Panayotopoulou’s Wishbone this weekend. More info here.
FRI/21-APRIL 13: ‘UKRAINIAN CINEMA: POETRY AND RESISTANCE‘ Kicking off with Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s 1930 Earth, the month-long series at BAMPFA dives into the once furiously oppressed Ukrainian film scene to unearth some wonderful gems. More info here.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. often knows what’s up.
FRI/21: HORSE MEAT DISCO The adorable UK DJ quartet helped bring back warm, gay disco, house, and funk vibes to a scene that was inundated with EDM in the 2010s. They’re coming to heat up Great Northern with Carrie On Disco, Chuck Gunn, Stoned Fruit, and DJ M3. Bring a fan. 9pm-3am, Great Northern, SF. More info here.
FRI/21: CITY BEAT Two incredible local DJs—Tom Thump and Centipede/Mophono—team up every third Friday for a banging night of classic soul, Afrobeat, hip-hop, and disco at everyone’s favorite starlit wonder, the Make-Out Room. 11pm-2am, Make-Out Room, SF. More info here.
FRI/21: VAGUE TERRAIN Brain-tickling underground techno sounds that hit all over the map but keep you dancing from Italian-UK headliner Elena Colombi at DJ CZ’s terrific regular party at UndergroundSF. 9pm-2am, UndergroundSF. More info here.
SAT/22: SF BURNAL EQUINOX Are you ready to feel the Burn? It’s halfway through the year until the Man goes up—find kindred creative and communal spirits with tons of DJs, artists, theme camps, and desert spirits galore. 7pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
