San Francisco Events - San Francisco Entertainment Guide

Recommended Events
16th and Mission Poetry Slam 16th St. BART Station : 9:00 p.m. every Thu.
Sometimes, we need a little bit more than just poetry and music. Sometimes we have the urge to witness a wild-eyed man with one sweater sleeve missing shove pieces of paper into a coconut and then set it on fire - all while someone yells about why bird porn is a serious issue. The 16th &... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Poetry, Performing Arts, Music, Literary Events, Free Events, Community Events, Arts

"Images from Chinatown: Four decades of Photographs" Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco : Every Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat. until February 2
San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest in North America and the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. It’s also one of the densest neighborhoods in the country, with over 75,000 people per square mile. Chinatown attracts more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge, yet most... More >>
North Beach/ Chinatown	Arts, Art - Museums

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Buriel Clay Theater : 8:00 p.m. every Sat. from January 26 until February 16; 3:00 p.m. every Sun. from January 27 until February 17
African-American Shakespeare Company’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof excises neither “redneck” nor the n-word from the original script. Director L. Peter Callender “hasn’t changed a word,” aside from creating his own hybrid of playwright Tennessee... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Theater, Arts

The Whole Shebang Huntington Park : 1:00 p.m. every Wed., Thu., Fri. until February 1
History isn’t boring, but far too often, the person telling it is. Forget dense books about politicians that all but ensure a midday nap. Turn off the History Channel’s neverending World War II coverage. In fact, get up off the couch and walk out the front door, because The Whole... More >>
Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf	Tours, Comedy, Arts

Classical Revolution Revolution Cafe : 8:00 p.m. every Mon.
Armed with stringed instruments and intense training from the likes of Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Classical Revolution is on a mission to change the way classical music is perceived and performed in this city. Conceived in late 2006, the collective's intent has been... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Music, Free Events

Hiking Yoga Multiple San Francisco Locations : Every Mon., Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat.
Eric Kipp may be brilliant. Without a doubt, the spirit of San Francisco itself pulses quickly in his veins, because he is the creator of Hiking Yoga. It's exactly what it sounds like; you follow the charge up one of our butt-bustin' hills, and once you're up there, the organizer/sherpas hand... More >>
Union Square/ Financial District	Outdoors, Mind & Body, Arts

Guided Tours of Coit Tower Murals Coit Tower : 11:00 a.m. every Wed.
Coit Tower has its history, and it's definitely got its views -- and some of the best of each is inside the tower itself. The murals, commissioned during the beginning of the New Deal in the 1930s as a way to get artists back to work were painted by some masters in modern art history. After... More >>
North Beach/ Chinatown	Tours, Recreation, Politics, History, Education, Children's Events, Arts

California Academy of Sciences Free Day California Academy of Sciences : March 3; June 2
Do yourself a favor: Today is the California Academy of Sciences Free Day. Emphasis on day -- perfect for the funderemployed, who more than anyone deserve a day of brain-melting beauty. So ditch the gray pounding and run-run-run pace of the city, in favor of the 4-story rainforest exhibit, to... More >>
Richmond (Inner)	Museum Exhibits & Events, Free Events, Family Events, Zoo & Animals, Arts

Harvey's Funny Tuesdays Harvey's : 9:00 p.m. every Tue.
Comedy shows in bars can be an odd mix, especially when a birthday or bachelorette party means lots of stiff drinks and dildos strapped to the heads of the women tearing it up in their final hours before marriage. These giggling “dickheads” can be a comedian’s worst nightmare, as... More >>
Castro/ Noe Valley	Free Events, Comedy, Arts

The News SOMArts Cultural Center : First Tue. of every month
LGBT performance art thrives on multiple levels in San Francisco. Trannyshack leads the recurring clubs that are escorting drag into the 21st century. Kirk Read and Larry-bob Roberts head monthly open mic Smack Dab. Local choreographers Laura Arrington and Jesse Hewit push boundaries in their... More >>
South of Market	Performance Art, LGBT Events, Arts

The Erotic Reading Circle Center for Sex & Culture : 7:30 p.m. fourth Wed. of every month
Finding your voice as a writer is hard. Finding your voice as an erotic writer is all but impossible. In one direction is “awkward and clinical.” In another is “Anne Rice.” And there’s literally hundreds of others that result in the rough equivalent of “I have a... More >>
South of Market	Literary Events, DIY, Arts

San Francisco City Guides Walking Tours Multiple San Francisco Locations : Daily
As a self-described "logical extension of a free public library," our local free walking-tour company is, like most libraries, a fascinating mash of nerdy and white-hot rad. The San Francisco City Guides walking tours happen every day (except major holidays), are free, and follow in the... More >>
Union Square/ Financial District	Tours, History, Free Events, Arts

Writers with Drinks Make-Out Room : 7:30 p.m. second Sat. of every month
Charlie Anders, blond of bob and mini of skirt, is the hostess with the mostest at her literary hootenanny, Writers with Drinks. (She's also the news editor of io9, Gawker's sci-fi/fantasy blog.) Aside from Anders' charming ways, the lineup of readers is always delightful. Novelists, poets,... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Literary Events, LGBT Events, Arts

Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building Tour Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building : 3:00 p.m. daily
Politicians and news outlets have started using the term "WPA" again — have you noticed? The Works Progress Administration, of course, put people to work during and after the Great Depression. Even artists were paid to work; the WPA encompassed projects that employed actors, painters, and... More >>
Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf	Tours, Parks & Preserves, History, Arts

Go Deep!: Let's Wrestle El Rio : 8:00 p.m. first Thu. of every month
Mud wrestling is so over. It's like Dynasty or that mechanical-bull thing that John Travolta made famous about 50 years ago in Oklahoma or Kansas or wherever that movie was. Here in sexy San Francisco -- in the enlightened 21st century -- we have lube wrestling, namely Go Deep: Let's Wrestle.... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Sports - Spectator, Sports - Participatory, Nightlife, Cabaret, Burlesque, Arts

John Mackey Commonwealth Club : 6:00 p.m. January 22
Many of us who call this expensive city home spend nearly all of our income on rent. This leaves us with little cash leftover, besides a few bucks for essentials, like food (and beer). And if you’re like many in San Francisco who are concerned about the food they consume, then you might... More >>
Union Square/ Financial District	Talks, Arts

The Avengers of Comedy Punch Line : 8:00 p.m. January 22
Recognizing that the noble pursuits of geekery and nerd culture are alive and well in San Francisco, The Avengers of Comedy have arrived to celebrate and skewer the culture of flamboyant intelligence that thrives in this region. Tonight’s installment is the sequel to an idea local... More >>
Embarcadero	Comedy, Arts

Gojira, The Devin Townsend Project, The Atlas Moth The Fillmore : 8:00 p.m. January 23
For a metal band, Gojira sports a name so fantastic that it's shocking no one snapped it up earlier. The Bayonne, France-based outfit nods to Godzilla's original Japanese moniker (before legal complications, the group called itself Godzilla), even though the four-piece's sonic traits don't... More >>
Japantown/Pacific Heights	Nightlife, Music

The Walkmen, Father John Misty The Fillmore : 8:00 p.m. January 24
It's been over a decade since The Walkmen's debut full-length, and after last year's unusually joyous album Heaven, it's fair to say the band is a different animal these days. There's still no one on Earth who can go from a croon to a wail quite like Hamilton Leithauser, but the dapper indie... More >>
Japantown/Pacific Heights	Nightlife, Music

"Popscene" Rickshaw Stop : 10:00 p.m. January 24
Ordinarily, a London-based soul chanteuse has zero reason to beef with a hulking 1990s rapper from the Bronx — but that's not the case for Jessie Ware and the late Big Pun. The ultra-chic up-and-comer and producer Julio Bashmore sampled a line from Pun's "Dream Shatterer" ("I'm carvin' my... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Nightlife, Music

The Walkmen, Father John Misty The Fillmore : 9:00 p.m. January 25
It's been over a decade since The Walkmen's debut full-length, and after last year's unusually joyous album Heaven, it's fair to say the band is a different animal these days. There's still no one on Earth who can go from a croon to a wail quite like Hamilton Leithauser, but the dapper indie... More >>
Japantown/Pacific Heights	Nightlife, Music

Civil War Living History Day Fort Point : 10:00 a.m. January 26
Between 1853 and 1861, Fort Point was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay. The fort was occupied throughout the Civil War, but the invention of faster, more powerful rifled cannons made brick forts obsolete. In 1886, the... More >>
Richmond (Outer)	Theater, Museum Exhibits & Events, Landmarks, History, Free Events, Education, Arts

An Evening of Silent Films with Dorothy Papadakos Grace Cathedral : 7:00 p.m. January 26
For a portion of the population, “church and organ” are synonymous with “church and God.” The Lord didn’t compose His entrance on the kazoo, did He? Now consider, for a moment, what powerhouse emotions might be summoned if the instrument and the space were devoted... More >>
North Beach/ Chinatown	Music, Film - Events, Film - Art House, Film, Arts

Niki and The Dove, Vacationer, DJ Aaron Axelsen The Independent : 9:00 p.m. January 26
There's a moon-goddess mysticism in the electro-pop of Niki and The Dove, something that brings a primal warmth to the icy pop sensibilities they share with similar Nordic acts (The Knife, Robyn). Their underrated 2012 release, Instinct, harnesses these humanizing influences: Prince, Kate Bush,... More >>
Haight/ Fillmore	Nightlife, Music

Everything New Hotel Rex : 5:00 p.m. January 27
Readings in San Francisco are constantly evolving. Traditional lit events involving a person, a microphone, and a hushed audience are still around, but more often than not, you’ll find the literati combining their love of words with such variables as yo-yo artists, acrobatics, kink,... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Poetry, Literary Events, Arts