Don’t forget to check out our Best of the Bay 2026 winners for some great suggestions on where to go and what to eat. And grab tickets for our 13th Annual Gala and Best of the Bay Party on October 27!
GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. keeps an eye and ear and everything else out.
FRI/16-SUN/18: SHIPYARD OPEN STUDIOS One of our favorite art extravaganzas of the year, when more than 130 artists, food, a Beer Garden, live music and more light up the historic Hunters Point Shipyard and Islais Creek studios. Don’t miss the projections on the giant crane. Hunters Point Shipyard, SF. More info here.
FRI/16-DECEMBER 3: PAUL MADONNA: FROM LIFE The iconic SF artist recently caught a very bad break: “Following a near-fatal accident in 2022, drawing became an intentional act of coming back to life, resulting in a remarkable new body of cityscapes, portraiture, and work drawn from life. His new book, From Life, accompanies the exhibition.” There might be a lot of people you might recognize in this exhibit, and definitely a lot of hallowed local spots. Opening reception Fri/16, 4pm-9pm. Nelson Duni Gallery, SF. More info here.
SAT/17: MARKET STREET ARTS & THEATER FESTIVAL Market Street come alive! Look, it gets a bad rap lately but Mid-Market still has tons going on, and I find myself there quite often. This bonanza of performance and arts brings together 50+ experiences at 35+ locations over eight hours, most of it free, including contributions from Bandaloop, SF Neo-Futurists, Skywatchers, DJ Mark Farina, ACT Young Conservatory Cabaret, 200 Channels, People’s Circus Theatre, and tons more. Let’s activate it, baby. More info here.
SAT/17: 2ND ANNUAL BROKE-ASS STUART DAY Best of the Bay-winning Best Local Website Broke-Ass Stuart has been up and running for almost two decades, and namesake Stuart Schuffman is a legendary local personage—to the point that the city recognized October 17 as Broke-Ass Stuart Day. He’s celebrating this year by going big, joining forces with the Clement Street Art Fair for a free full day of live musical performances, artist activations, local makers, community building, and fun for the whole family. Go Broke! Noon-5pm, Clement Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, SF. More info here.
SAT/17: BEARRISON STREET FAIR Big, brawny, hairy (and otherwise) queer folks flood Harrison Street in SoMa to celebrate furry liberations with music, wrestling, carnival games, a deadlift competition, a “spooky haus,” of course tons of food, and other hirsute pursuits. There is even a pop-up bear vogue ball! Whether you’re a grizzly, cub, otter, or chaser, missing out on this would just be em-bearrison. Noon-6pm, 11th and Harrison Streets, SF. More info here.
SAT/17: 51ST ANNUAL POTRERO HILL R&B FESTIVAL This longtime tradition benefits public schools and comes loaded with tunes. Performing on two stages will be Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan, groove-infused California Soul; and the Curtis Family, the internationally acclaimed family band; Josh Klipp & The Klipptones, a lively jazz and swing band; the JC Smith Blues Band, jumping blues to old school soul; Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s, modern day boogie-woogie; a youth talent show, and more. 10am-4:30pm, 20th Street, SF. More info here.
SAT/17: INTERNATIONAL VAMPIRE FEST Sharpen those fangs, it’s a Nosferatu-palooza at the Balboa Theater, with a full day of blood-suckers on-screen. Modern classics like Let the Right One In and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night slip out of the coffin with classics like El Vampiro and Horror of Dracula. 11:30am-midnight, Balboa Theater, SF. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
THU/15: abracadabra PEEL AWAY EP RELEASE PARTY So much dub-influenced low-end patterns from this Oakland collective featuring Hannah Skelton (vocals, synthesizers) and Chris Niles (bass, synthesizers). They make tunes, CHOONS rather, that possess their own bodily high and narratives about inequality and abundance (during an election year no less). Are there references to past New Wave and Art-Funk legends? Yes. But that Bay-Area cool persists through sleek rhythm soundscapes that hit DIY and, comprehensively speaking, “I’ll take art in my boogie every time.” Rhymies, the Lauren Matsui synth-pop project, is on the bill in support, along with Galore. 8pm, Rickshaw Stop, SF. More info here.
SUN/18: WOMEN’S REBEL VOICES FILM + MUSIC TOUR EVENT ft. MIKO MARKS, Highlighting a film screening of THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE at The Roxie at 3pm, followed by a Q&A with Director Maureen Gosling, Producer Jed Riffe & Miko Marks at The Chapel at 6pm, with a performance by Marks at 6:45pm to close out the event. The afternoon and early evening promise art inspired by social justice and new music from Marks’ release Hell Or High Water, her first blues album, via Redtone Records. 3pm, Roxie, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork.
LE MIL’S COFFEE You can feel the origin love story and the community brewing inside this new Indian coffee shop, which opened in mid-August. I loved tasting the spiced cold brew, which has fennel, clove, nutmeg, and ginger, and the sparkling Blossom tonic, which has subtle floral notes. A selection of both vegan and eggless pastries help soak up the buzz, because these beans—sourced from India and roasted in Berkeley—are definitely strong! 1330 Polk Street, SF. More info here.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week in the Drama Masks column.
THROUGH NOV/1: AF-AM SHAKES PRESENTS THE BROTHERS SIZE Before he made Hollywood take notice with Moonlight, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney planted his flag onstage with this gripping portrait of Black brotherhood in a world that’s never kind to Blackness. Directed by the Bay Area’s own James Mercer, McCraney’s critically-acclaimed text becomes a walking dream—equal parts fantasy and nightmare—exploring familial responsibility, queer identity, self-hating Blackness, and the fealty of running for a finish line that’s constantly moving. All within the intimacy of Theater 33 on Sutter. Theater 33, SF. Further information here.
THROUGH NOV/1: GOLDEN THREAD PRODUCTIONS’ REORIENT FESTIVAL 2026 Despite all the “progressive” theatre troupes in the country, can you imagine pitching a play about the Middle East? Hassan Abdulrazzak did. His idea of such a pitch meeting is just one of the hilarious and heart-breaking plays in the 2026 edition of Golden Thread’s annual short play collection. You may be surprised at how often you laugh out loud at the flawed, complex portrayals of MENA characters who happily celebrate what life has given them. You’ll also notice the dark cloud of death hovers above each and every story. Forget what you know about the Middle East from biased headlines; ReOrient offers a refreshing, realistic insight into the people who live on the land everyone fights for. Potrero Stage, SF. Further information here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
OPENING FRI/16: ATONEMENT Based on a New Yorker article by Pulitzer-winning war reporter Dexter Filkins, writer-director Reed Van Dyk’s accomplished debut feature offers a ground-level view of the consequences to reckless American aggression abroad. Boyd Holbrook plays a US Marine in a unit exchanging gunfire with insurgents early in the Iraq War, with catastrophic results to a Bagdad family of Christian civilians whose car gets caught in the middle. A decade later, he and their survivors are both living in So. Cal. The guilt-riddled and PTSD-afflicted soldier begs a journalist (Kenneth Branaugh) to act as intermediary so he can meet them, and apologize. Eschewing overt politics, this is a deft, potent drama focused on thorny individual emotions, with powerful performances, especially by Hiam Abbass as the family matriarch, that never settle for the obvious hand-wringing. It opens Fri/16 at SF’s Opera Plaza and Marin’s Smith Rafael Film Center.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up.
FRI/16: DETROIT LOVE Questions are still swirling around why Moodymann disappeared from the lineup, but you still get tons of classic Detroit techno love from Carl Craig, Octave One, and Stacey Pullen at this massive blowout. It’s all part of Public Works’ 16th anniversary. 9pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
FRI/16: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL ITALO-DISCO VOL. 25 Who can resist the sometimes cheesy yet often profound sound of Italo, which ruled at least one part of the world in the ’70s and ’80s? A quartet of ace DJs—Mo’ski, Infinite Jess, Meikee Magnetic, and Playstation—aim to “showcase the multifaceted genre in all its forms, from classic to contemporary.” 10pm-2am, Paris75, SF. More info here.
SAT/17: BEATPIG 16TH ANNIVERSARY Juanita More, Walter Gomez, and Stanley Frank Sensation’s glamorous yet filthy “queer leather, fashion, and drag party” has lasted 16 years, which is exhausting to think about! It’s also raised more than $30,000 for local LGBTQ causes, so spanks and kudos to them. Come have a drink and twirl, possibly with a side of bacon. 10pm-2am, Powerhouse, SF. More info here.
SUN/18: DAVID HARNESS & DJ SPEN Billed as “The Praise Party,” this afternoon affair at Audio with two of the biggest soulful house DJs around will summon the ghosts of the Trocadero Transfer and Endup Tea Dance, and lift your spirits as well. 3pm-8pm, Audio, SF. More info here.
